In 2023, I spent three weeks travelling across East Kalimantan, Indonesia, recording the forests, wetlands and tropical landscapes between Balikpapan, Samarinda, Bontang and the forests of Kutai.

The goal was to document as much of this diverse region as possible rather than staying in a single remote location. I travelled extensively, seeking out different lowland forest habitats, rivers, mangroves and quieter natural areas along the way. Getting around was not always easy, and outside the larger cities English was rarely spoken, so communicating in Bahasa Indonesia became an essential part of the journey.

All of the recordings in this library were made using a Schoeps ORTF 3D microphone setup, capturing the environments as immersive 8-channel recordings. Working with such a sophisticated microphone system in the hot, humid conditions of tropical Borneo was far from ideal. High humidity and sudden changes in temperature can be particularly challenging for sensitive recording equipment, and simply keeping the rig operating reliably in these conditions became part of the challenge. Despite this, I was able to bring back a substantial collection of recordings from the journey.

The library captures a wide range of tropical soundscapes: vibrant dawn choruses, dense insect activity, quiet forest mornings, night-time soundscapes, birds, wildlife, rivers, mangroves and rain. Some recordings were made from boats and observation platforms, while others document relatively undisturbed forest environments. I deliberately chose a broad itinerary rather than attempting to penetrate deep into remote primary forest. Even so, the journey brought me to places where the contrast between the remaining natural environment and the rapid transformation of the region was impossible to ignore.

East Kalimantan is undergoing profound change. The development surrounding Nusantara, Indonesia’s new capital, is bringing new roads, infrastructure and other forms of development into landscapes that still contain important forest habitat. During my journey, I also recorded in areas that were already facing significant pressure from development and forest clearance.

Borneo’s remaining forests have undergone enormous changes over the past few decades, and much of the island’s original lowland forest has already disappeared or been severely fragmented. The natural areas that remain cannot be taken for granted. Some of the places captured in these recordings may sound very different in the years to come.

This makes the library more than a collection of tropical ambiences. It is also a sonic document of a changing landscape, recorded at a particular moment in East Kalimantan’s history.

There is something especially meaningful about preserving these environments through sound. A forest can be cleared, a road can be built, and an entire landscape can change, but a recording can preserve a moment of what that place once sounded like. Recorded in 2023 across Balikpapan, Samarinda, Bontang and Kutai, East Kalimantan, Indonesia.