Name: Madeleine Cocolas
Nationality: Australian
Occupation: Producer, composer, sound artist
Current Release: Madeleine Cocolas's new album Syndesis is out via room40.
Recommendations on the topic of sound: Acoustic Territories, Sound Culture and Everyday Life by Brandon LaBelle; Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music

If you enjoyed these thoughts by Madeleine Cocolas and would like to stay up to date with her music, visit her official homepage. She is also on Instagram, Facebook, and bandcamp.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

It really depends on the context in which I’m listening to music. However, my absolute favourite way to listen to something deeply is lying down with my eyes closed, in the dark with headphones on.

It feels like my body enters some sort of liminal space between awake and asleep where I just have intense focus on the sounds themselves to the exclusion of anything else.

How do listening with headphones and listening through a stereo system change your experience of sound and music?

As an ideal listening experience, I much prefer listening with headphones on. I like the directness of that type of listening, and the way it can feel very controlled within an environment.

I should add that I mostly listen to music through headphones at home or when I’m working. I never listen to music with headphones on a commute or to block out other sounds.

I also love listening through a stereo system as well but this feels like a very different listening experience. It is less direct and less controlled than headphones, and if I’m listening through a stereo system I’m likely to be doing something else, so it may be a less attentive listening experience for me.

If I want to listen to something deeply and with my full focus, I’ll definitely grab my headphones and close my eyes.

Do you experience strong emotional responses towards certain sounds? If so, what kind of sounds are these and do you have an explanation about the reasons for these responses?

If I’m in the right mood, sitting at the piano, playing a single note and letting it ring out can unleash what feels like a huge dopamine release for me.

Perhaps because piano has long been my “go-to” instrument, and it is still the instrument I gravitate towards as the most organic way to express my emotions. I find listening to the sound ring out and change over time incredibly cathartic.

There can be sounds which feel highly irritating to us and then there are others we could gladly listen to for hours. Do you have examples for either one or both of these?

I love the sounds that can emerge when I’m walking around big cities.

Each city has a different and unique soundscape, but the sounds I hear when I’m walking around often give me a sense of energy and vibrancy. In particular, I listen out for drone-like and rhythmic sounds, and I like to find relationships between different sounds.  

I also love sounds that machines make, which can be highly rhythmic and drone-like. I actually collected sounds from machines a few years ago and created an EP that specifically explored the beauty and musicality of machines such as trucks reversing, industrial air conditioners, building sites and cranes.



When I listen closely I hear unexpected beauty in them as they slowly progress over time.

What are among your favourite spaces to record and play your music?

I don’t have a dedicated, recording studio and I generally operate with very little equipment. Unless I’m recording keys, piano or vocals, I tend to just be able to work on my laptop and take that wherever I want. I like the spontaneity and flexibility of that approach. I do all my producing and mixing with headphones rather than studio monitors which again allows for flexibility.

In terms of favourite spaces to play, I love performing in spaces that have a warm, inviting atmosphere and great sound quality (being able to perform on a grand piano is a significant bonus!).

One of my favourite shows was at Alchemix Studios in Brisbane, which is a recording studio that also hosts live shows including a long running program of experimental music called Oscilloscope. During my performance, the audience were sitting or lying on the ground on cushions, the lights were turned down, and I was performing electronics and playing their grand piano. It was small and intimate, and the sound quality was impeccable.

Do music and sound feel “material” to you? Does working with sound feel like you're sculpting or shaping something?

When I’m creating music and sounds, I often feel like I’m making a collage, piecing things together and trying to work out the best way they might fit. So yes, it definitely has a certain ‘materiality’ about it to me.

I like to think about what textures certain sounds or musical elements contain and how they might be applied within a broader sonic collage. I love finding relationships between different sounds, and exploring how they intertwine and interact with each other to create a larger work.

How important is sound for our overall well-being and in how far do you feel the "acoustic health" of a society or environment is reflective of its overall health?

I believe sound is imperative to our personal well-being.

If people are surrounded by sounds they find uplifting and fulfilling to them, it is likely that would have a positive effect on their overall wellbeing. Conversely, if people are surrounded by sounds they find irritating or distracting, that could have a negative impact on their well being and functioning as a person.

I think it is very telling that a lot of people gravitate to ‘natural’ sounds such as those of water, rainforests, birds and animals. It shows a deep connection between people and our natural environment.

A lot of people (such as myself) also love the sounds of an urban city environment. I personally love cityscapes and I often feel vibrant and energised from sounds that emerge from them. I strongly believe there is a direct link between the sounds I hear and my personal well-being.

R. Murray Schafer is of course a writer who comes to mind as someone who has written prolifically about this topic. I don’t particularly subscribe to the notion that the “acoustic health” of a society or environment is reflective of its overall health, and I find some of Schafer’s writings to be problematic.

I think that sometimes people, often out of necessity, find themselves in an acoustic environment that is not ideal for them. However, I don’t agree with the underlying assumption that human made “noise” or “noise pollution” is necessarily “bad”. Of course, it can be in some situations and circumstances, but I don’t believe that to be the case as a general rule.

I enjoyed the book Acoustic Territories: Sound Culture and Everyday Life by Brandon LaBelle which focusses more on listening experiences within environments.

Tinnitus and developing hyperacusis are very real risks for anyone working with sound. Do you take precautions in this regard and if you're suffering from these or similar issues – how do you cope with them?

I have had tinnitus for years, as I never took much care to look after my ears unfortunately. It is only recently that I invested in a pair of custom ear plugs, but, as I’m now in my mid-40’s I fear the damage has already been done!

My tinnitus presents as a high pitched sine-like tone. I’ve made peace with it, and now I try to accept it as part of my overall listening experience. For example, as I’m writing this the high pitched sound of my tinnitus is interacting with the drone of the bathroom fan and a high pitched drone coming from outside creating some kind of bespoke soundscape.

We can surround us with sound every second of the day. The great pianist Glenn Gould even considered this the ultimate delight. How do you see that yourself and what importance does silence hold?

When I read this question I think about the distinction between quiet and silence. I don’t know when I last experienced true silence, as in the absence of all sound. Even when things are extremely quiet, I can still at least hear myself breathing.  

When I’m feeling anxious or stressed, I often try the mindfulness technique of trying to identify how many sounds I can. Sounds make me feel connected to my surroundings, however quiet they may be.