"The metronome is your rhythmic guide, philosopher, and friend, without which at hand for a consultation you will be all at sea."

The quote above is from an 1887 advertisement in the magazine Music that promoted the benefits of using a portable Metronome for music practice and composition. The invention of the metronome brought a temporal assumption of rigidity to music and an effect on the body and movements of the performer. On the opposite spectrum from the regular high-pitched clicks of the metronome, one would find a continuous broad frequency, like the sounds of a waterfall. What if one could live and create in response to these sounds instead of metronomic clicks? What would happen to our bodies and music?

The first track, "Waterfall and Metronome," is a recording of a metronome playing by a waterfall. Throughout the track, the microphone placement changes; it progressively moves away from the metronome. The sound of the waterfall becomes dominant as the sound of the metronome fades away. This track can be experienced as a listening exercise: While you listen to the track, focus on the sound of the waterfall and shift your attention beyond the metronomic clicks. If you succeed, the waterfall will become "your rhythmic guide, philosopher, and friend."

The tension between the pace of the metronome and the sound of a waterfall is very noticeable in Midtown Manhattan, NYC. Midtown is the main central business district and has many artificial waterfalls embedded in the bubble of financial corporations, the entertainment industry, large-scale tourism, and international consulates. Between the skyscrapers is a considerable concentration of small gardens, plazas, and pocket parks with built-in artificial waterfalls. These spaces allow residents, tourists, and workers on lunch breaks to find solace and rest. This bustling city area uses the artificial waterfall as a short reset to the metronomic urgency of time and schedules.

This collection of recordings documents the sounds of the many Midtown artificial waterfalls and the ambiance surrounding them. The feeling of numbness and calmness through sonic immersion is part of empire-making and capitalism, as it boosts productivity and alleviates stress.


The download includes a 19-page pdf/booklet featuring photos of artificial waterfalls in several parks and plazas around Midtown Manhattan.

Carlo Patrao