One day I was listening to short wave radio and came across a mechanical voice reading lists of numbers in spanish. After some research I discovered that these stations are presumably used as communication between governments and their spies.

The soundtrack (and accompanying type face) is the result of two years of work based on the ideas of conspiracy, technology and what it is to be us right now.

   Download the soundtrack at bandcamp

Short wave radio is unique in that a receiver can receive transmissions from many miles away. This is what makes the high band attractive to ham radio operators, long distance cultural programs, international propaganda stations and what people refer to as numbers stations.

Numbers stations are short wave radio transmissions that are extraordinary in that they appear out of thin air for a maximum of 40 minutes and then disappear, only to appear some time in the future, sometimes at the same time.

The transmissions are usually pre-empted by a call song (such as the Lincolnshire Poacher or Swedish Rhapsody) followed by a series of repeating sequences of numbers. It is believed that these numbers are connected to a one-time pad generator code, which spies have been known to use in clandestine operations in foreign countries.

All we know about numbers stations is that they are government sponsored and that at least Cuba and the UK operate numbers stations out of Cuba and Cypress, respectively. Photographs of powerful radio transmitters close to what people believe to be the sources have been published for both of these sites.

You haven't taken in the emptiness and disparity of these recordings until you've experienced them first hand. I have been listening to what's known to "Enigma" listeners as "V2a," a Cuban station known also as "attencion" that reads out numbers in a very rote and mechanical female voice.

3...9...7...1...5...... 3...9...7...1...5...... 3...9...7...1...5...... 3...9...7...1...5......

 

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