


MUSIC

VIDEOS

Side A Glasgow Memories Max Video Project (Clip)
Side A Glasgow Memories Max Video Project (Clip)

Side B Chinese cities Memories Max Video Project(Clip).mov
Side B Chinese cities Memories Max Video Project (Clip)

ABOUT

Glasgow Memories
The cover of ‘Side A’ features a sculpture of Glasgow. This piece of music captures the city's industrial heartbeat, the flowing waters of the Clyde symbolizing hope, and the bustling sounds of street performers on Buchanan Street. These sounds, often perceived as noise, carry all the memories of the author's year abroad. They have been reimagined into a richly layered work, with each layer drawn from real locations, transforming Glasgow's historic urban fabric into music that embodies its resilience, beauty, and indomitable spirit.
Memories of Chinese cities


The cover of “Side B” comes from Shanghai, China. It is not a nostalgic postcard, but a vivid collage. The music explores how tradition and progress intertwine in the soundscape of contemporary China, from the elegance of the traditional Chinese instrument guzheng to the fast pace of modern nightlife, showcasing the pulse of contemporary China, full of memories and momentum.

ABOUT
This project is a two-part sonic journey exploring how cities can be heard, remembered, and reimagined through sound. Each side of the LP presents a distinct urban portrait, shaped by location-specific field recordings and layered musical composition.
The first side focuses on Glasgow, revealing the city through its living soundscape. From the mechanical rhythms of transport and construction to the human voices that animate its streets, the work builds a textured narrative of place, offering listeners an immersive sense of its atmosphere and identity.
The second side shifts to the sound worlds of Chinese cities, weaving together moments from everyday life that bridge cultural heritage and contemporary urban energy. Traditional timbres blend with the acoustic signatures of modern city spaces, forming a continuous thread between past and present.
Through this dual perspective, the LP invites reflection on how sound encodes the essence of a place, preserves personal and collective memory, and shapes the way we connect to our environments. It treats urban noise not as interference but as music — a living archive of culture, movement, and human presence.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my Chinese friends Guo Yi and Zhou Ren for their generosity and support, and for capturing the soundscapes of Shanghai and Hangzhou. Their recordings bring authenticity and richness to this project, allowing the sounds, streets, and daily life of these cities to be heard alongside those of Glasgow. Their assistance made this work possible and deepened its connection to place and memory.

CONTACT ME
Qiming Xiao

School Email: Q.Xiao1@student.gsa.ac.uk
Personal Email: xiaoqiming2024@163.com
Contact Information: +44 07979257208
MDes in Sound for the Moving Image
School of Innovation & Technology
The Glasgow School of Art