In the ‘Listen with…’ section, Soundtrackcity interviews residents from De Pijp about the meaning of sound in their lives. What sounds do they hear and which sounds do they find appropriate in their living environment? For this sixth episode, we speak to Juul. She thinks De Pijp could do with a bit of noise now and then.
I’ve lived around the Albert Cuyp all my life. The last two years there has been a lot of noise in the neighbourhood because the streets are being renovated. They start early around 7am. It will be beautiful, of course, but I will be happy when it is finished.
Certain sounds belong to certain days
I notice that certain sounds belong to certain days. On Friday night and Saturday morning, you hear people going out and coming home. Then you also hear a lot of bikes being put in bike racks. And the clatter of chain locks being taken off. That sometimes wakes me up. When I hear the deafening screeching of seagulls, I know it’s Thursday morning. That’s when the rubbish is collected. The gulls pounce on the rubbish bags placed next to the containers. Sunday is the most quiet day. On that day, I hear the bells of the Church of Peace from our house. I like the sound of that. We used to go there when I was a child. I can really miss the Sundays of the past when the shops were still closed.
One sound I remember from back in the day is the sound of my mother’s sewing machine that she worked on almost every day. I thought that was a cosy sound. There were three of us girls and my mother made clothes for us. We also had a record player. We played all kinds of things; Wim Sonneveld, Count Basey, Peggy Lee. I remember when the Oebele record came out and we listened to that.
A little commotion can’t hurt
In recent years, we have invited befriended musicians to come and play on the flat roof of our house a few times. We were inspired by a 1969 Beatles gig where they play on top of a building. Such a concert lasts about an hour and the sound is quite loud. But that’s fine. Amsterdam is so cluttered. A bit of noise can’t hurt. People from the street come to listen. And of course the police always come too, because someone complains. Once, the Fatal Flowers guitarist played at a concert. Then a local resident came running all the way from another street who recognised his sound. That was fun.
Listen with Juul is part of the Luister met… of Urban Sound Lab, where local residents, sound artists, and architects listen to the city together. Together, they explore how to achieve a better-sounding city and how that contributes to the personal well-being of city dwellers. Find the other episodes here.
