This is the fifth of our ten-part Sound Series where I talk to writers and artists about their work in relation to sounds they have chosen.
In this episode I talk to Brannavan Gnanalingam and Tokerau Wilson.
Brannavan Gnanalingam Tokerau Wilson
Brannavan chose the sound of rain on a roof and thought this was a good representation of what he was imagining.
Tokerau chose the sound of paper being ripped – here is his recording.
Exercise:
This is a free styling exercise.
Play either Tokerau or Brannavan’s sound in headphones and record yourself composing along to it.
That simple. What happens when you have rain or ripping paper as a back beat?
Exercise Showcase
At the end of this series I’m going to make an episode showcasing the responses to these exercises. Maybe you would be willing to share your exercises for this showcase.
You can leave your recordings or links to recordings in the comments below.
You can also email me them to me at: betterreadnz@gmail.com
If your sound files are big you can share a Google Drive link or use a service like WeTranfer
Better off Read is available on iTunes and Spotify and most podcasting apps.
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Or you can listen to it here:

Ep 112: Beyond a Joke 3 – Jordan Hamel talks to Pip Adam about his poem ’Death Coach’ – Better off Read
- Ep 112: Beyond a Joke 3 – Jordan Hamel talks to Pip Adam about his poem ’Death Coach’
- Ep 111: Beyond a Joke 2 – Jonny Potts talks to Pip Adam about Nikolai Gogol’s story ’The Nose’
- Ep 110: Beyond a Joke 1 – Anna Jackson talks to Pip Adam about Anna’s book ’Actions & Travels: How poetry works’.
- Beyond a Joke! Better of Read’s New Home at Substack.
- Ep 109: Andy Southall : Time, Love, Memory session from Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts
Made with the support of Creative New Zealand Toi Aotearoa

Pip – driven to respond to both Brannavan and Tokerau – back to my dance (rain and the body) and back to nature for paper ripping. Will give it a go Tokearu’s 9 second will be a challenge – but what fun
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That would be awesome Sudha! Love to hear your response.
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