Marine Remix

Part of The British Science Festival: 16–20 September 2026

In September 2026, the University of Southampton will host The British Science Festival 2026. This annual event which moves around the country each year, will take place at the University of Southampton, Highfield Campus and in the city centre.

Turner Sims, the University of Southampton’s music venue, is collaborating with the Southampton Marine & Maritime Institute on a multi-faceted project based on the work of four researchers:

• Professor Clive Trueman: the study of fish otoliths (the inner ear of the fish) and how this records the age of a fish and events in its life

• Jacob Kleboe, PhD Researcher: micro-plastic in coral 

• Amy Feakes, PhD Researcher & DoctorJulie Mestre: the feeding patterns of whales in the Antarctic

• Professor Helen Farr: maritime movement of people in deep time (65,000 years ago)

Marine Remix on Friday 18 September 2026, 7.30–9.30pm at the Stage Door

Marine Remix will showcase the next generation of electronic music producers. Marine Remixed will be co-curated and promoted by Turner Sims’ Assistant Producers – a group of young people developing skills in programming, producing and promotion.

Here’s how you can get involved:

About the Research

This project is inspired by four pieces of marine research:

The life story of a fish in a tiny bone — Professor Clive Trueman

Otoliths are small stony structures that detect sound in the ears of fish. Cutting through an otolith reveals growth rings (like the rings of a tree) which act as a record of the life of the fish and the oceans they live in. Clive studies these stone recordings to help us better understand the health of fish and the oceans they live in.

Mapping the feeding grounds of whales — Doctor Julie Mestre and Amy Feakes, PhD Researcher

Julie and Amy use underwater microphones to record the sounds of animals, humans, and the underwater environment in Antarctica. These sounds, along with location data, help us understand the lives of whales and their ecosystem, as well as the challenges they face from the noise of the humans sharing the ocean with them.

Deep time seafaring — Professor Helen Farr

Using boats to travel across water is at least 65,000 years old, moving people across the world. Helen studies the stories of the people making those early journeys across unknown waters and uses them to help us understand the changes that happen to communities and the environment over thousands of years.

Coral skeletons — Jake Kleboe, PhD Researcher

Coral reefs are vital ecosystems that are under threat from changes in the ocean, including microplastics. Jake has developed new techniques to help us understand how microplastics impact the skeletons of coral aiming to reduce this impact in the future. 

Remix Pack

Created in partnership with Music Production Collective, the Marine Remix Pack has loops and one shots taken from research recordings kindly provided by the marine researchers. We’ve also included the research recordings if you want you to work with those.

What’s in the Remix Pack?

• Ship Noise Chords  1 - F - 72bpm.wav

• Ship Noise Chords 2 - F - 72bpm.wav

• Ship Noise Chords 3 - F - 72bpm.wav

We took the recordings of ship noise, and used resonant filters to tune the sound to specific notes. We then used these as samples in a granular synth to play chords. We added effects, including a rhythmic “ducking” effect, where the sound dips in volume. We picked this “ducking” effect to mirror the way whales in the ocean make less noise in response to human sound. Doing that to the ship noise resonated as a reverse effect to the one whales experience.

• GPS Data HH - 72bpm.wav

• GPS Data Kick - 72bpm.wav

• GPS Data Nare - One Shot.wav

• Sperm Whale Tag Data Riser - One Shot.wav

We took the rhythmic clicks of the GPS Data and processed it to create our own rhythmic patterns and sounds. The steady clicks reminded us immediately of a HH loop. When we started to speed up and slow down the rhythms, we found interesting rhythmic patterns, along with new pitches. We used these to create kicks and snares.

• Blue Whale 1 - F - 72bpm.wav

• Fin Whale Bass 1 - F- 72bpm.wav

• Fin Whale Bass 2 - F- 72bpm.wav

• OBS Synth 1 - F - 72bpm.wav

• OBS Synth 2 - F - 72bpm.wav

• OBS Synth 3 - F - 72bpm.wav

• Whale Call - One Shot.wav

• Whale Chop Loop - F - 72bpm.wav

• Whale Low Lead - F - 72bpm

• Whale Sound Chords 1 - F - 72bpm.wav

• Whale Sound Chords 2 - F - 72bpm.wav

• Whale Sound Chords 3 - F - 72bpm.wav

• Whale Sound Chords 4 - F - 72bpm.wav

We took the sound of whales and pitch-shifted them as well as using flex-pitch to match the sounds to notes of the scale. Inspired by the intervals of whale melodies, we create chords from those sounds.

• Ice Lead 1 - F - 72bpm.wav

• Ice Lead 2 - F - 72bpm.wav

We took the sound of ice crashing and distorted it heavily to create sounds that felt more like the mechanical human sounds from other recordings.

If you create any interesting or exciting samples or loops, send them in, and we’ll add them to the remix pack

Submit your remix

Key dates

• Submission deadline: 10am on Monday 1 September 2026

Electronic Performance Mentoring

We’re looking to help four musicians to develop live electronic performances to share on Friday 18 September 2026 at The Stage Door, Southampton. 

This might include:

• Trying something totally new

• Working with loops to remix and perform live

• Work with a mentor to try new electronic instruments and apps to perform with

• Something new that even we’ve not thought of yet!

• Adding electronics to your existing set up, for example…

• A keyboard player who wants to try new and exciting sounds

• A guitar player who wants to play their guitar through new effects and processing

• A tabla player who wants to perform with electronic loops

• Instrument and electronic combinations of any kind!

To help you develop and prepare a performance, inspired by the marine research, you will get free mentoring from an electronic music expert. You will also have access to an exciting library of accessible and inclusive music technology to work with.

Get Inspired

Here are some live electronic performances to help get you inspired, including some from members of our team!