Field Recordings

Originating in ethnomusicology and scientific documentation, field recording is a practice centered on capturing audio outside the confines of a studio. The compositional ethos prioritizes the authenticity of the "found sound," using the recording device and the environment itself as the primary instruments to document specific ambiences, natural phenomena, or human activity. Initially an academic pursuit by figures like *Alan Lomax*, its techniques were foundational for musique concrète and were later absorbed by ambient and experimental artists, fundamentally altering concepts of composition and listenership by reframing non-musical sound as a subject worthy of focused artistic attention.