Audio Clips
This audio track is drawn from the VR experience developed as part of the project. Designed to evoke the sights, sounds, and atmosphere of Corby’s steelmaking industry, it offers an imaginative entry point into the world of steel, from the heat of the furnaces to the rhythm of the factory floor.
We’re making it available here as an educational resource, so visitors can engage with the material in a different way, whether for teaching, learning, or sparking discussion.
Act 1
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A powerful orchestral mix crafted to accompany Corby’s transformation from a quiet Viking settlement to a thriving industrial steel town.
The first segment is built around eerie, low tones and soft electronic textures. These sounds create a sense of mystery, solitude, and suspense, evoking the isolation and atmosphere of the early Viking settlement. The pacing is slow and immersive, capturing a time when the land was quiet and untamed.
The second segment begins gently with flowing violins and light electronic elements. These layers gradually evolve, symbolising the town’s development through the centuries. As the music builds, it becomes richer and more powerful, representing Corby’s rise into the industrial age. By the end, the piece reaches an emotional peak before softening into a reflective, calm resolution, honouring the town’s enduring spirit and legacy.
Act 2
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This cinematic track underscores the intense atmosphere of a working steel factory. It begins with a low, tense hum that mirrors the slow awakening of heavy machinery under dim orange light.
As the music builds, rhythmic percussion and deep tones evoke the weight and danger of molten steel, moving draglines, and massive ladles in motion.
At its peak, the music swells with crashing drums and soaring layers, capturing the heat, sparks, and raw power of steel being poured. It then gradually softens, reflecting the factory calming down — a moment of stillness and awe after the storm of industrial force.
The pacing and instrumentation together create a vivid emotional arc of tension, intensity, and resolution.
Act 3
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This piece is a delicate and emotional solo piano composition that accompanies the end of Corby’s steelworks — a moment of collective grief and quiet reflection. It begins with slow, low piano notes that feel heavy and mournful, echoing the sadness and shock of the factory’s demolition.
The simple melodies move with care and restraint, allowing the weight of loss to settle — not just for a workplace, but for an identity tied deeply to the community’s soul.
As the music continues, the piano begins to shift — the chords grow slightly warmer, the melodies a little more open. There's a quiet sense of remembrance, as if the people of Corby are looking back not just in sorrow, but with pride.
In the final moments, the music turns subtly hopeful — still gentle, but more uplifting. The melody becomes clearer, steadier, suggesting that while the steelworks are gone, what they represented still lives on in the people. The track ends with a soft but affirming tone, capturing the resilience and unity of a town that will never forget who they were — and will carry that spirit forward into who they become.
