a few months ago i found a small portable radio, dating probably from the 1980′s and made during soviet times, is a secondhand shop in the small village of mooste in southeast estonia. i have a thing for old radios, so i bought it, and it got me to thinking about the place of radio, not in this present world of internet streaming, podcasting and so forth, but in our past, and in our memories. i know i have distinct memories of radio, radio stations, djs, events, situations, and even places that i relate to radio from my own past, growing up in boston, during my student days in western massachusetts, all the way through my years at the resonance fm studios in london, and my attempts now to listen to estonian radio to improve my language skills. i wondered if this particular radio, alien to me but possibly familiar to estonians, might trigger memories for those around me, and i decided to find out.
i composed this piece from four elements: memories, stories and observations from a handful of estonians, related upon being presented with this particular radio for the first time; sonic material produced by the radio itself, both when tuned to and tuned between stations; field recordings from the surrounding landscape, vibrations in the immediate airwaves that have carried these radio signals; and archive material from estonian radio’s past, both in and before the country’s soviet era.
the estonians interviewed were given the choice of speaking in their native language or in english; two chose estonian, and two english. i have left the estonian language untranslated in the audio itself – much of what is being communicated can be heard in the tones of their voices, and through shared vocabulary.
Yeah, I have mixed feelings about northern winters. When I moved to Iowa from Texas the winters were an exciting adventure, but not as much now. Maine is generally the same weather.
It is beautiful here. I don't leave Portland much, but we have a little beach right here in town. It's funny, my first time there I was underwhelmed because you see islands (more land) off the coast there instead of open ocean. In that respect I think the Great Lakes are more impressive.
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Listener comments!
listener james from westwood:
melinda:
Jesse Kaminsky:
northguineahills:
Jesse Kaminsky:
a few months ago i found a small portable radio, dating probably from the 1980′s and made during soviet times, is a secondhand shop in the small village of mooste in southeast estonia. i have a thing for old radios, so i bought it, and it got me to thinking about the place of radio, not in this present world of internet streaming, podcasting and so forth, but in our past, and in our memories. i know i have distinct memories of radio, radio stations, djs, events, situations, and even places that i relate to radio from my own past, growing up in boston, during my student days in western massachusetts, all the way through my years at the resonance fm studios in london, and my attempts now to listen to estonian radio to improve my language skills. i wondered if this particular radio, alien to me but possibly familiar to estonians, might trigger memories for those around me, and i decided to find out.
i composed this piece from four elements: memories, stories and observations from a handful of estonians, related upon being presented with this particular radio for the first time; sonic material produced by the radio itself, both when tuned to and tuned between stations; field recordings from the surrounding landscape, vibrations in the immediate airwaves that have carried these radio signals; and archive material from estonian radio’s past, both in and before the country’s soviet era.
the estonians interviewed were given the choice of speaking in their native language or in english; two chose estonian, and two english. i have left the estonian language untranslated in the audio itself – much of what is being communicated can be heard in the tones of their voices, and through shared vocabulary.
Jesse Kaminsky:
geezerette:
Enjoying this very much.
:)
Jesse Kaminsky:
Jesse Kaminsky:
northguineahills:
redkayak:
Jesse Kaminsky:
redkayak:
Jesse Kaminsky:
redkayak:
geezerette:
melinda:
melinda:
Jesse Kaminsky:
redkayak:
melinda:
melinda:
redkayak:
melinda:
redkayak:
Mayuko:
northguineahills:
Jesse Kaminsky:
Have a beer for me northguineahills!
melinda:
Jesse Kaminsky:
Ike:
Mayuko:
still b/p:
Jesse Kaminsky: