Airport.

We all like a holiday don't we? 

One of the most enjoyable segments, for me at least, is the airport. I try and go as early as my fellow holiday makers will reasonably allow.

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I love the whole in transit, carry on luggage, tannoy announcements and constant meandering around of it all. 

I always feel I don't actually belong anywhere - I'm not at home but neither am I where i am meant to be. Fine by me that.

I collect a few bits and pieces of airport entertainment. 

For example:

Music:

My favourite album of 2011 - The Black Dog: 'Music For Real Airports". Is this a concept album? Ambient? Techno?  Probably. Difficult to categorise. The best stuff usually is. This takes you on a journey from departure in what sounds like a bird strewn , leafy neighbourhood through jet lag/insomnia to arrival. An accomplished, detailed and enjoyable album.

Brian Eno - 'Music for Airports. 

Enough said.

Various - 'Airport  Symphony'

Airport Symphony, commissioned by the Queensland music festival and Brisbane airport corporation, documents and synthesises the experiences of travel. 

Each of the pieces features a source recording made in and around Brisbane airport between March and June 2007 – in a raw form or transformed by processing.

Track 1-1 mixed at Black Faurest, (Brooklyn, USA). 

Track 1-2 re/formed 2007. 

Track 1-3 composed at Mobile Messor, June 2007. 

Track 1-8 composed 2007 using concrete sound material.

Packaged in a metal DVD case with obi, insert and carton CD divider. (mmmmm)

This includes all the in flight safety announcements and other background sounds from a long distance Quantas flight.

Sounds odd but is strangely relaxing.

Book:

Alain De Botton - 'A Week At The Airport' (A Heathrow diary)

This is good. Botton practically camps out in one of the terminals and interviews everyone from baggage handlers to pilots.

The sleeve says it is a meditative tome. I dunno. Was a decent read with some gentle laughs and some thought proving parts. Enough for me.

A reviewer on the rear cover states that she "doubts Botton has written a dull sentence in his life". I'm not so sure. I tried reading "How Proust can change your life' and it didn't. Gave me a headache to be honest.

On the way to Naples earlier this year I took some 'field recordings' of my own (on the iphone). Recorded about an hour of sounds from Bristol airport. Various conversations. The walk down the tunnel to the plane, safety announcements and take off noise. I'll post some of the better ones when I learn the technical bit about how to do it.