Aug 15: Audio Atlas x 2

Via LinkedIn and Brendan Conway.

Audio Atlas is an exploration of musical genres and a natural music search.

This Audio Atlas website is a living atlas of the world's music.

Developed by Jed Anang and others.

• Spin the globe and click any country to discover its genres
• Search across cultures, eras, and continents
• Sign in to contribute genres and suggest edits

I tried Madagascar first...

It suggested a genre called Salegy.

An up-tempo 6/8 Malagasy popular music from the north, descending from antsa vocal tradition and popularized by Jaojoby. It features tight guitar riffs, accordion or keyboard, and driving percussion.

It also suggested a song in this genre.

Why not give the globe a spin?

From Norway's love of Death Metal to the Morenada of Peru, there's a whole world of music out there for you to explore... and contribute a guest post about if you have the time.

Aug 8: Can you map music?

That's the question asked by GIS consultant Madeleine Ratcliffe, who works for ESRI.

On a recent LinkedIn post she described the inspiration for an ESRI StoryMap she has created.

I first heard Smetana's Vltava (or The Moldau) while driving with my mum. We're both flautists, and she knows the piece well. As we listened she explained how it traces the course of the Vltava River through Czechia. It begins where two mountain streams meet, represented by two intertwining flutes. From there, the music carries you downstream past hunters in the forest, a village wedding, moonlit dancing by the water, the dramatic St. John's Rapids, and finally to Vyšehrad Castle in Prague. 

She gave a running commentary as we listened, and it completely changed how I thought about music. I hadn't realised it could tell such a vivid geographical story.

When I joined Esri UK two years ago, I couldn't shake the idea of bringing this piece to life on a map.

Using an ArcGIS StoryMap, I've traced the journey of Vltava along the river itself. As you explore, you can listen to each section of the music, discover the historical and cultural context behind it, and see how the landscape, geography and composition are all woven together.

Thanks to Brendan Conway for the tipoff to Madeleine's work.

Here's the details of how the map was created.