Field Recordings
Stricly speaking, a "field recording" is defined as any recording made outside of the studio, so it should come as little surprise that they often feature sounds from the outside world. Charles Seeger (father of Pete) and John Lomax (father of Alan) are widely regarded as the grandfathers of the field recording. These early ethnomusicologists set out to document American folk music during the early 20th century, and wound up recording other sounds from the culture which produced that music as well. Seeger consequently founded the Folkways label (later acquired by the Smithsonian Institute) for the express purpose of documenting the world's aural history. Field recordings have the unique capacity to instantly transport the listener to an utterly foreign environment.
