Soundwalk - the future of exploring

There is nothing better than feeling savvy in a city you don't live in. Hence the genius idea behind Soundwalk, a multimedia company that provides offbeat headphone tours of urban destinations such as New York, Paris, Ibiza, Berlin, London, Varanasi, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Specifically tailored towards juicy exploring, the thematic hour-long Soundwalk jaunts are voiced by celebrities and cultural icons-- Gong Li, Paul Auster, Philippe Starck, Jazzy Jay and Afrika Bambaataa to name a few– as well as knowledgeable locals who reveal fascinating secrets about their neighbourhoods. We had a chat with founder Stephan Crasneanscki about the company's plan to narrate 40 new cities, an upcoming installation in the Centre Pompidou and about why walking aimlessly is awesome, but being loosely steered is even better.

Hi Stephan. What are you doing in the Mediterranean Sea?

I’ve been on a sailboat for the last three months, retracing the sea journey of Ulysses. The boat is equipped with antennae and scanners that allow us to record any radio frequencies within a 15-mile radius. We are collecting any sound that crosses our path, 24 hours a day. Once in awhile, we will come across something so unique it is hard to put into words. It’s Babel, chaos, fragments of humanity, a time capsule.

How did the idea for Soundwalk originate? The company is poetically described as “fiction set to the backdrop of reality.”

I was living in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and I always had a lot of friends from abroad staying with me. The first thing we would always do when they came was to take a walk in my neighbourhood. I always had this habit of pushing doors and checking all the back alleys, like a photographer does to find the perfect picture. I progressively realized that I was taking my friends to the same places, so I thought it would be a good idea to do my own personal audio tour. An hour in my life walking with me around the block. Gradually as Soundwalk evolved, the importance of the story line became more important, and the neighbourhood began to take on a character of it’s own; a backdrop to the unfolding story we needed to tell.

What do the tours point out that casual visitors might miss?

Our original concept was to throw away the passive nature of audio tours and walking guides and encourage the user to really explore the neighbourhood. We ask you to duck down dark alleyways, open doors, we give you the secret codes, you find the hidden oasis, and afterward you feel that you really know the place.

We meet up with you in a local bar, a cafe, a park, or under a tree by the river Ganges. We introduce you to people that may very well be standing right in front of you. You are always welcome to say hello. We challenge you, we suggest your best options, but we leave you to your own devices. We take you places you would normally not go, and we always give you the option to press pause, and explore on your own.

Could you describe the experience of taking a Soundwalk to me?

I wish I could, but it is a journey that one must take on their own. I don’t mean to sound dramatic, but when people take a Soundwalk, they come back astonished, they feel as if the city had suddenly come together for them on a personal level, and revealed to them new layers of reality. In a practical sense, we put you into the skin of someone, and you live their life for an hour.

How do you choose the voices for the narration?

It’s all about the story we are writing, and who would be the best character to carry those words.

How did Baudelaire’s concept of flânerie – or idle strolling - inspire you?

The method they were using back in those days, to get lost. For example, following a smell, or a colour, any means possible for you to lose your sense and yourself. It’s only when you get lost, in a sense, that you experience your surroundings. To lose yourself in the best sense, is what we aim to provide.

What do you provide for your high fashion clients, such as Chanel and Louis Vuitton?

We provide an elegant flânerie. For example we partnered with Louis Vuitton to present three cities in China, however the core concept and storytelling remained the same. When we walked with Gong Li through the streets of Beijing, we were searching for her long lost love, while exploring a very intimate neighbourhood within that city. For us, working with high fashion clients is the same as walking through the Orthodox Jewish streets of Williamsburg, Brooklyn to reconnect with a European past, or wandering the alleys of Pigalle in Paris with less noble intentions, and a sexy sidekick.

Can you tell me a bit about how the 24 Hours: Starck mix came together?

Philippe has always been a very strong supporter of Soundwalk. He is somebody that communicates a contagious joy of living, as well as an infectious need for creativity. He is also a music lover; he understands sound and music like very few people in this world. He can only draw and create with music. So it felt natural to compose a sound environment for every hour of his day. And believe me, his days last for 24 hours, minimum.

What's the story behind your sound installation Kill the Ego?

Kill the Ego started as a song, a song of New York, an epic forty-minute song built over ten years of fragmented memories: voices of pimps and engineers, poets and dominatrixes, visionaries and children, hope and sorrow captured on field recording devices and in Soundwalk’s studios. It will be installed in the Centre Pompidou in February 2010.

Which Soundwalk is closest to your heart?

There are a few that just feel like a labour of love. Varanasi, The Bronx, Shanghai, and Williamsburg, Brooklyn... We would be lying if we said we don't enjoy the process of discovering these places. Soundwalk wants to convey our own sense of wonder in every journey we produce. We want to take you with us, every step of the way.

What is your favourite city to walk around?

The next one.