Listen to Africa is a 24,000-kilometre cycling expedition, recording African sounds and voices.
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About the sound recordings part II: natural soundscapes (biophonies) In part II of this series, we look at natural soundscapes created by living creatures, and why we’re keen to record more and more of them.
Soundscape: Lapping island waves 
We recorded this at low tide on Orango island – a stunning and sparsely populated island of deserted beaches and mangrove forests in Guinea-Bissau’s Bijagos archipelago. The sea was remarkably calm during our stay on the island, and the sounds of the lapping waves at an ebbing low tide struck us as especially gentle.
Date and time recorded: 17:43 local time, 11th November 2009
Location: Orango, Bijagos archipelago, Guinea-Bissau ( view on map )
Equipment: Sennheiser MKH40 to Fostex FR2LE
Copyright: Listen to Africa
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Soundscape: The pirogue to Orango 
Last week, we left our bikes in Bissau and set off by boat to a couple of islands in the Bijagos archipelago – a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve – with Lynn, Tim and Will of Atlantic Rising . The weekly boat between Bubaque and the sparsely populated island of Orango was a wooden pirogue, which we shared with around 50 people, a dozen or so chickens, several pigs, a few goats and – on the return journey – six cows. We made this recording while the boat was still being loaded, before the bottles of palm wine and sugar cane alcohol had been cracked open for the five hour ride.
Date and time recorded: 12:30 local time, 7th November 2009
Location: Bubaque, Bijagos archipelago, Guinea-Bissau ( view …
Soundscape: A thunderstorm in Bissau 
A thunderstorm in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau’s slightly surreal capital city. The thunderstorm started quite suddenly but went on for two hours – and the rain has only just stopped, seven hours after it started. We left the sound recorder running under an awning in the courtyard of our hotel while we sheltered in our room drinking tea and coffee (it’s a hard life, this sound recording). Best listened to in stereo.
Date and time recorded: 15:17 local time, 2nd November 2009
Location: Bissau, Guinea-Bissau ( view on map )
Equipment: Sennheiser MKH30/40 to Fostex FR2LE
Copyright: Listen to Africa
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Soundscape: The River Gambia 
We spent several evenings sitting on the jetty at Tendaba Camp on the south bank of the River Gambia, listening to the sounds of the river at dusk. In this soundscape, waves are slapping against the jetty while, in the background, a tree-full of weaver birds sing their hearts out before nightfall. Best listened to in stereo.
Date and time recorded: 18:36 local time, 15th October 2009
Location: Tendaba Camp, The Gambia ( view on map )
Equipment: Sennheiser MKH30/40 to Fostex FR2LE
Copyright: Listen to Africa
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Through The Gambia: “We have peanuts, so we have peace” Two weeks in The Gambia; from Barra’s brothels and Banjul’s bumsters to red roads and rural rivers.
Soundscape: Dawn at Bessi This soundscape was recorded at dawn in a derelict old camp near Bessi, not too far from the southern bank of The Gambia River in The Gambia. A lot of the former hotels and camps we came across on the south side of the river have been reclaimed by nature since the southern road disintegrated into a bumpy track – bad news for the Gambian tourist industry but good news for The Gambia’s 576 bird species. This was recorded using our new mics and, to celebrate, we’re keeping it long (10 minutes). It’s best listened to in stereo.
Date and time recorded: 06:44 local time, 12th October 2009
Location: Near Bessi, The Gambia ( view on map )
Equipment: Sennheiser MKH30/40 to Fostex FR2LE
Copyright: Listen to Africa
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Choosing sound recording equipment for the expedition – six months on After six months on the road, our audio equipment is holding up well. Huw looks at how the kit has performed so far, and why we’ve made some recent additions to our equipment.
Soundscape: Morning by the lagoon 
In this soundscape, recorded just after dawn at Le Thiossane camp near Mbodiene, Senegal, you can hear the insects and birds living around the saltwater lagoon coming to life. We spent a lot of mornings and evenings listening to and watching the life of the lagoon, with the sea crashing in the distance. This was recorded in mono, just before our new mics arrived…
Date and time recorded: 06:24 local time, 4th September 2009
Location: Near Mbodiene, Senegal ( view on map )
Equipment: Audio-Technica AT897 via FEL MicBooster MB-1 to Fostex FR2LE
Copyright: Listen to Africa
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Soundscape: Drumming rain As we’ve mentioned, it’s rainy season in Senegal . Outside our hut in Le Thiossane, Senegal, was a vase-shaped water collector, covered by a metal plate to keep out the leaves. When the rain fell on the plate, it made a wonderful drumming sound. We recorded this near the start of one lunchtime downpour, moving the microphone closer to the plate during the recording – and you’ll be able to hear the rain getting heavier as the recording goes on.
Date and time recorded: 12:07 local time, 6th September 2009
Location: Near Mbodiene, Senegal ( view on map )
Equipment: Audio-Technica AT897 via FEL MicBooster MB-1 to Fostex FR2LE
Copyright: Listen to Africa
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