SoundCloud Voices

SoundCloud Voices is a weekly Community feature focusing on new spoken word creators found on SoundCloud. It might be a podcast, radio show, audio book, interview, audio messages, a poem, anything! Keep an eye out every Thursday for a new post.

This week we are entering the world of radio documentaries and features, created by two of the best in the world. RTÉ, Ireland’s National Radio Broadcaster, and ARTE Radio the French speaking online only radio station. Both award winning creators of amazing audio that we think you should take a listen to!

RTÉ (which stands for Raidió Teilifís Éireann) is Ireland’s TV and radio service. The radio service began in 1926 making it one of the oldest continuously operating public broadcasters in the world.  We are very pleased to show off some of the amazing content they are creating from their documentary wing, an award winning and respected world wide within the radio industry.  Take a listen to this fantastic piece called The Boys of Foley Street. In 1975, for a documentary about ‘Boot Boys in Foley St’ Pat Kenny interviewed four boys aged between thirteen and sixteen. Boot boys were gangs of youths who shaved their heads and wore nailed boots. All the boys interviewed were involved in petty crime and the documentary told the story of this slum area in the North Inner City and the lack of opportunity afforded to these children. Thirteen years later – in 1988 – Pat Kenny and producer Kieron Sheedy went back and interviewed those four children – who were now men in their mid twenties. All four men were unemployed. All four had been to jail. Twenty years on from those second recordings – Documentary on One’s Ciaran Cassidy – is making a follow up documentary – wondering what happened to these children?

Now moving from Ireland on to France with ARTE Radio. Created in 2002 by the European Cultural TV channel ARTE, ARTE Radio produces original creations (features, dramas, short pieces) with no format, no commentary and no music, so it’s like your are there listening in! ARTE productions include sound postcards and poetic pieces, features and dramas, political satires and plain silly stuff. Beginners and professionals alike contribute, under ARTE’s supervision. Take a listen to this set below which are all short sounds features, we particularly liked the piece called New York Stories.

If you are interested in trying out SoundCloud as a spoken word podcast platform, you can sign up for via this form. Successful candidates will be emailed with further details.