Tyneside Sounds Society #7 - The Ashington Mix

The Tyneside Sounds Society is a monthly broadcast dedicated to the recording and reinterpretation of the sonic environment and sound heritage of Tyneside in the North East of England.

Ashington is in the North East of England with a population of roughly 27,000 . It’s a former mining town and was once one of the largest colliery sites in Europe. Woodhorn Museum is based on the site of the former Woodhorn Colliery.

http://www.experiencewoodhorn.com

We were invited by Woodhorn Museum to work with the young people at the YMCA group based in Ashington town centre and help connect the museum to the different communities and cultures in Ashington and South East Northumberland.

http://www.ymcanorthumberland.org.uk

We created mixtapes of their favourite music using compact cassettes, made sounds with samplers and DIY synthesisers, used time coded vinyl to create cut and paste mixes and remixes of the music they love. We introduced them to the culture of field recording and taught them interview techniques and how to use digital recorders. As part of a national takeover day of museums in england on 17th November, the group, who are all aged between 13 - 17, donned hi vis jackets and hardhats, interviewed visitors and made recordings around the Woodhorn Museum site, we also played their mixes and sounds we recorded in the galleries and buildings of the museum

The Ashington Mix is a fun and energetic composite of all the mixes, interviews and sounds they made.