Folkestone’s El Dorado: An auditory ramble through The Warren

El Dorado is a triptych of soundscapes that combine original music and field recordings capturing the unique sounds and biodiversity of Folkestone Warren: a designated local nature reserve (LNR) and site of special scientific interest (SSSI).

“The Warren has been termed the El Dorado and the “terra felix” of the entomologists. And not without reason.”
– Rambles Around Folkestone by “Felix”, 1913

The field recordings were made along three routes, and over three consecutive mornings in the first week of July 2018, between 4am and 7am, during the dawn chorus when the avian inhabitants of The Warren are at their most vocal.

The accompanying music, performed on electric guitars, describes the changing atmosphere and character of the landscape – from the eerie denseness of the woodland, across the undulating chalk grassland, to the lull of the lapping shore at the journey’s end.

Commissioned by the Folkestone SALT Festival of the Sea and Environment 2018, audio tracks were available to download during the festival, along with a route map, to accompany the listener on their own journey (physical or virtual) through the landscape. Headphones are recommended to optimise the experience of the stereophonic recordings.

El Dorado: An auditory ramble … can now be experienced through Echoes.xyz – https://explore.echoes.xyz/collections/Wa6XC2ADik3QtyW5