Marseille 🇫🇷
Finding calm amongst the chaos of the Mediterranean metropolis
Around this time last year I was contacted by a representative of the Marseille public library network to programme a short series of field recording workshops around the theme of forests.
Those who know Marseille, know well that forests are not too commonly found amongst the hustle and bustle of France’s oldest and second largest metropolis. An ancient port city, home to 900,000 Marseillais, is known for its fiery and fierce reputation. Depending on who you ask, Marseille is either the greatest city in the world, or the last place you’d ever want to find yourself —
Sun soaked, care-free, convivial cooking-pot of cultural curiosities or lawless battle ground, victim to overpopulation, banditry and corruption.
I live around 30km away from the city, so I’ve had ample time to get to know it over time — albeit slowly. Friends and locals have shown me the ropes, but I find that to truly discover, interpret and form a relationship with a place - one has to be prepared to wander alone.
Marseille offers an exceptional soundscape decorated with rich, dynamic and, at times, polarising sources. There is an energy here that animates every paving stone, every street corner, every café. It is teeming with life — buzzing, beeping, screaming and rumbling through every rue, avenue, place and passage.
If you ever find yourself here, take a moment to stop still and just watch the city go by. It’s a chaotic performance of hyperactive happenings. A series of frantically firing synaptic charges fuelled by passion, pride and adventure.
The French term haute-tension describes accurately the atmosphere. There is an intensity here that either inspires curiosity and creativity, or has you checking the next train northbound.
“Marseille isn't a city for tourists. There's nothing to see. Its beauty can't be photographed. It can only be shared. It's a place where you have to take sides, be passionately for or against. Only then can you see what there is to see.”
JEAN-CLAUDE IZZO (TOTAL CHAOS)
Here we have a recording I made at Le Vieux Port, Marseille’s iconic spot for enjoying a cold pastis.
Le Vieux Port is the beating heart of the city, a perfect place to begin one’s immersion…
Not far from Le Vieux Port sits the district or quartier of Noailles - one of Marseille’s liveliest neighbourhoods. The morning markets offer delicacies from all corners of the globe and reflect the diverse roots of its residents.
Amongst the haggle and holler, the keen vendors welcome you with open arms…
I absolutely LOVE the opening refrain from one particularly animated vendor :
“Bonjour Madame, Bonjour Monsieur,
Bonjour Monsieur, Bonjour Madame
Yalla Yalla Yalla Yalla
Latino Latino !!”
…so playful, this perfectly encapsulates the atmosphere here on market days!
Two things are revered more than most in Marseille…
— La Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde - more often referred to simply as La Bonne Mère. An emblematic figure of Marseille, she watches over sailors, fishermen and acts as protector for all the people of the city.
— and L’Olympique Marseille or simply L’OM. The city’s football team who play their matches at La Stade Vélodrome.
One of the above is a church, the other is a football stadium, yet to many Marseillais, they are both considered proud temples for devoted followers.
One night, after some smooth pastis-laced persuading from my friend Christophe, I ended up here to watch a match. Snuggled tightly amongst the diehard supporters in the Virage Nord. The noise levels were unlike anything I’d experienced before from any live sporting event.
I had snuck in some binaural mics with me to record the crowd ambiences. Here’s a snippet to show you just how intense the atmosphere can be inside the stadium.
Sounds like a battle cry…
You can find these and more recordings as part of my exclusive SFX collection
Produced in collaboration with ARTLIST
“Marseille is a city of simple pleasures, and all the best things about it are free: the sea, the strolls, the sunsets, the friendships.”
So you can imagine, I was taken slightly aback when asked to program a series of field recording workshops connecting Marseille with the forest. I felt I knew Marseille fairly well, certainly well enough to know it wasn’t the first place in mind to be emerging oneself in the peaceful presence of nature.
That was until I was taken to visit La Campagne Pastré. Located on the city limits, bordering the frontier between the city’s 8ᵉ arrondissement and the hills of Marseilleveyre, La Campagne Pastré offers a gateway for hiking enthusiasts towards the national Parc de Calanques - a prehistoric stretch of beautiful, wild and rugged terrain that elegantly caresses the Mediterranean coast between Marseille and Cassis.
This lush green space with its wild character and fragrant Mediterranean vegetation submerses the senses in another world — away from the chaos, conundrums and congestion of the city. Those very same souls found roaming the streets find respite and solace here amongst the shaded pines. Cicadas sing, mountain birds chirp and the Mistral wind strokes the treetops as the rings and rumbles of civilisation fade beneath the tranquil tones of the forest.
I produced this soundscape using the recordings made by participants of the field recording workshops using a variety of different microphones and techniques.
See if you can single out some of the sounds…
Do you feel the presence of the forest?
Annnnd if you’re interested in some questionable French, and a slightly confused Englishman trying to explain himself… you can check out this short film made during one of our workshops by the Bibliothèques de Marseille team!
If you are interested in organising field recording workshops in your area, get in touch. I’d be really interested to hear about your projects and discuss possibilities for collaboration on future workshops!!
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Thank you for being here with me.
Mat
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