CJ Mirra’s 5 Favourite Animal Noises
“Since lockdown I keep finding myself on YouTube or Bandcamp listening to field recordings of the natural world. Sound outside is so different at the moment, with way less traffic noise and very little noise pollution from planes which usually mask so much of what we can hear on our doorsteps.
Sonically, we’ve gone back to the pre-jet age. I guess this has made me appreciate what sounds are out there that we don’t usually get to hear and i’ve put some highlights in this list”.
1. Lyre Bird
“The Micheal Winslow of the animal kingdom. I’d trade my voicebox in for this any day”.
2 Pistol Shrimps
“Surprisingly rich sounds from just beneath the surface. Check out this album called The Noisiest Guys On The Planet – all Jana Winderen albums are worth checking out.”
3. Cheetah
“First heard this from a recording of Chris Watson’s when working on a film called Norfolk. It’s kind of as you’d imagine – a bigger, richer, deeper version of your domestic cat’s purr. Could listen for hours.
There’s not too many great examples out there but you can get the idea above”.
4. Dolphins
“Too many hours spent playing Echo the Dolphin made feel like one of them, whispering clicks and blips encouragingly into the tiny screen. Wish they taught this in GCSE”.
5. Elk
“From sounding like a synthesiser to a blood-curdling scream this is an unreal way to express yourself”.