Sound City

‘You know, I keep thinking about your earlier remark: building the town in a way so it tells a story. What if it wasn’t a story but a piece of music?’

book 2, travelling

Focus: Sound & music

Sound City — a city which is all about music. Not just in what it does but also in the way the city is composed and built, and in the way the city ticks.

Sound City was supposed to gets its big moment in book 4, building (in the easy town story). But when I wrote book 2, travelling, a little door opened, a chance to slip in Sound City early — and what a wonderfully energising moment it has become, starting with a chuckle and then erupting into a feast of ideas. In fact, once the rumour about the idea has spread, the whole team chips in with ideas for Sound City.

That makes me think, there could be many sound cities, some jazz towns, some pop havens, some rock valleys and so on.

The trick for any such town will be to approach it as broadly as possible while focusing.

How?

Take Sound City: of course, you would have musicians and music studios, but you would also have a research centre and production facility for ear aids; of course, you would have instrument builders, but you would also have a university for music therapists; and so on.

I can’t wait for the first Sound City to be built. Sound City is definitely one of my favourite towns.