Little Hell: A Historical Portrait of Chicago Through Music and Sound

A lot you go to holler: An Audio experiment looking at the people and places of Chicago

+ LUNCHING WITH MIES
Walking down the crowded corridor of State St. we are absorbed by snippets of passerby's conversations, sellers hawking goods, and the general cacophony of traffic before finally finding sanctum inside the Mies Van der Rohe-designed US Post Office on Dearborn.

+ KITES AND DOGS
A chance trip to the Montrose harbor on the lakefront yields the surprise sounds of both an annual kite flying contest and the very end of Chicago's Bark in the Park benefit.

+ GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS: THE LAST DAYS OF MICHAEL REESE HOSPITAL
The winter wind whips through the temporary chain-link fence that surrounds piles of rubble that used to be Michael Reese Hopsital.

+ SHEDD AQUARIUM
The cavernous Oceanarium is the backdrop for the sounds of the Shedd Aquarium.

+ DRAGON BOAT RACES
In between the sounds of freight trains crossing the South Branch of the Chicago River, you can hear an air horn signal the start of Chinatown's Dragon Boat Race.

+ FINKL & SONS: THE NORTH CENTER INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR
The clank of shredded metal and drone of heavy machinery are the soundbed for the constant clatter of the North Center Industrial Corridor.

+ MAI FEST
Everyone in Lincoln Square is German for this weekend.

+ CALUMET FISHERIES
Way far down on the Southeast Side of Chicago is a place that needs to be smelled more than heard.

+ MOTHER'S DAY AT THE SOUTH SHORE BEACH
The sounds of Lake Michigan's surf mixes with the calls of the birds as raindrops hit the microphone, while car horns and sirens blare just beyond the gates of South Shore Cultural Center.

+ ZEN AND THE ART OF DROPPING IN
Skaters reverently line up to take another pass at the ramps rails and boxes at the Logan Blvd. Skate Park.

+ GARFIELD PARK CONSERVATORY
The sounds of the rain outside give way to the quiet sounds of Chicago's oasis: The Garfield Park Conservatory.

+ TRACKS AND TREES
This installment of the series is a short meditation on the sound of trains and trees.

+ THE END OF SUMMER
This audio walk takes an abbreviated loop around Horner Park on the north side of Chicago.

+ NEW CHURCH (OLD CALENDAR)
Birds join a chorus of church bells in celebration.

+ CLOUDS BESET THE PURPLE MOON
Birds accompany slow rolling thunder to announce an approaching hail storm.

+ WATCH OUT FOR THE KETTLE
A St. Patrick's tale of leaving home and losing offspring to the sea.

+ OLD TOWN SCHOOL OF FOLK MUSIC
The natural stereo sound of the students, teachers and the building itself at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music.

+ ARGYLE STREET
Takes us on a trip to the Uptown neighborhood for a morning on Argyle Street, Chicago's Vietnamese enclave.

+ SOUND IS WELL REFLECTED
A reflection on space and how we hear the holidays.

+ DAN RYAN BEACH
A manipulated study of the sounds of the Dan Ryan.

+ SUBTERRANEAN BLUE: UNDERGROUND EL RECORDINGS
The sound recordings of the 'El' by Oakland-based artist Jason Warriner.

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The Contraphonic Chicago Sound Series

+ Blue areas on map correspond to Little Hell entries.
+ Red areas on map correspond to "A Lot You Got to Holler" entries.
Best viewed on larger map
 

The Contraphonic Chicago Sound Series aims to aurally illustrate the historic and modern mechanisms of the Working City.

The Sound Series is comprised of two distinct elements: the field recordings and sound pieces in "A Lot You Got to Holler" give a glimpse of the different worlds and elements that make up Chicago's diverse neighborhoods. These are free downloadable sound pieces that are meant to introduce listeners to all of Chicago's faces. Interact with the pieces by listening to them online while engaging with our Sound Map, or take them with you, wander, discover and explore.

The second part of the series, entitled Little Hell, brings together Chicago-based musicians and artists to create works that focus on a particular place, event, neighborhood, or moment across Chicago's broad history. All volumes of Little Hell come with a curated musical piece and extensive .pdf booklet with essays and photos delving deep into the subject at hand. The volumes are released digitally, available through iTunes and direct at Contraphonic.

The Contraphonic Chicago Sound Series has been profiled by Chicago Public Radio, The Chicago Tribune and Time Out Chicago. It stands as an attempt to make sense of, celebrate, and sonically document the wonders of the past and present that define Chicago. The end result is a portrait of Chicago through the medium of sound. Stop to Listen.

Press on the Sound Series

Time Out Chicago (Sept. '09)
Chicago Tribune
Chicago Public Radio
Time Out Chicago (Feb. '08)