I created Kinfolk for The Edges of Dreaming radio show, where the challenge was to create something that either sounded like crickets or was based on a field recording of crickets.

There are two inspirations for the track Kinfolk.

The title and theme is based on this quote I came across from the author Ursula K. Le Guin

“One way to stop seeing trees, or rivers, or hills, only as “natural resources,” is to class them as fellow beings — kinfolk.”

Secondly, the tiniest birds seem to have the loudest voices and huge personalities, just like people and I’ve always thought of them as our kinfolk. I’ve linked birds with people who are no longer here, so when I see them I still feel connected and they have made sonic appearances in tracks I’ve written such as Blackbird and Wren.

With these thoughts in mind, I began with a very short field recording Cricket chirping.wav by CGEffex on Freesound – Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0).

Listening to the field recording carefully, there were small chirps. After selecting short samples, I worked on them, transforming the sound into tweeting birds. The music is based around the birdsong, mimicking and in a call and response, with the overall effect of trying to create small sounds, fluttering, padding feet, beaks, and flapping wings.

Hopefully, it all combines into something that also expresses the joy I feel when I watch the tiny birds in my garden.

Thank you again to host Rebekkah Hilgraves for playing my track and to RadioSpiral for including it on the Nightfall release ( pay what you like).