The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome

The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome

Brazen

In December 2016, a US official in Havana went to the embassy medical centre to report a debilitating and confounding illness. The symptoms included headaches; nausea; hearing loss; problems with memory and vision – and its onset was characterized by hearing… something. A buzzing, hissing, grinding… sound. Soon, a second official came down with the same symptoms. Then a third. Then a fourth. By the time the story went public in summer 2017, dozens of US diplomats, as well as some Canadians, had come down with what was becoming known as “Havana Syndrome.” In this deep dive investigation, journalist Nicky Woolf peels back the layers...

Introducing The Illuminator: Art, Conspiracy and Madness

Introducing The Illuminator: Art, Conspiracy and Madness

The Illuminator is OUT NOW.  Subscribe to get early releases and listen ad-free. http://brazen.fm/plusMark Lombardi, a conceptual artist on the cusp of international success, had everything to live for. So why was the 48-year-old found hanged and deemed suicidal? Was his death the ultimate conceptual art, an afterlife laugh at those who doubted his brilliance? He did, after all, carry business cards eerily portending "death defying acts of art and conspiracy." Or was he ultimately overw

Nov 28, 2024 • 2:38

Introducing Fur & Loathing

Introducing Fur & Loathing

Thanks for listening to The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome. You might be interested to know that Nicky Woolf is back with a new investigative podcast – and we think you're going to like it. It's called Fur & Loathing, and this time he's digging into another very different unsolved mystery.In early December 2014 at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Rosemont, Illinois, an unusual gathering was taking place: Midwest Furfest, the world’s largest convention for a subculture known as Furries.The party was

Jun 5, 2024 • 27:20

Introducing The Professor: Hunting for the Mafia's Missing Masterpiece

Introducing The Professor: Hunting for the Mafia's Missing Masterpiece

This week on The Sound we’re sharing the first episode of a new four-part series from Brazen called ‘The Professor’. William Veres is in trouble. In 2018 he was arrested following the largest ever investigation by the Italian police’s art squad. They accuse him of running a pan-European art-smuggling ring with ties to the Sicilian mafia. He is alleged to have stolen $40 million worth of art and antiquities from Italy. Charged with 14 counts, including money laundering, forgery, wire fr

Dec 5, 2023 • 40:21

Spy Valley: An Engineer's Nuclear Betrayal

Spy Valley: An Engineer's Nuclear Betrayal

This week on The Sound, we’re sharing a special preview of Spy Valley: An Engineer's Nuclear Betrayal. This new series uncovers Silicon Valley’s origins as a laboratory for espionage. At the dawn of the hi-tech age, Moscow’s spies opened up shop in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. In this podcast, you’ll get to know the group of FBI spy hunters who assembled to stop them—and solve the case of a lifetime.  Hosted by national security journalist Zach Dorfman, Spy Valley will walk you through a ma

Aug 22, 2023 • 13:04

Introducing Ritually: Exploring spirituality in a secular world

Introducing Ritually: Exploring spirituality in a secular world

This week on The Sound, we’re sharing a special preview of the first episode of Ritually, a brand new Brazen podcast exploring what spirituality looks like for our secular world. Join journalist-turned-guinea pig Nelufar Hedayat as she tries a new ritual in every episode. From sacred readings of Harry Potter to tarot cards, Nelufar dives in with the help of a different spiritual guide each week to see if these practices can actually make us feel better. In episode one, Nelufar struggles with pat

Aug 1, 2023 • 38:35

Gateway: Cocaine, Murder & Dirty Money in Europe

Gateway: Cocaine, Murder & Dirty Money in Europe

This week on The Sound, we’re sharing a special preview of the first episode of Gateway: Cocaine, Murder & Dirty Money in Europe, Project Brazen’s podcast that takes you inside the hidden world of cocaine. In this six-part podcast series from Project Brazen, host Mitchell Prothero explores Europe’s cocaine crisis through the dramatic stories of cartel leaders, cops, journalists, and the victims caught in the middle. From RPG attacks on newspaper offices to the slaughter of entire f

Jun 28, 2023 • 22:55

Free Evan Gershkovich: How a US reporter was imprisoned in Putin's Russia

Free Evan Gershkovich: How a US reporter was imprisoned in Putin's Russia

This is a special episode from Project Brazen. How did Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich end up wrongfully imprisoned in Russia, and what happens now? On March 29, Russian authorities arrested Evan and accused him of spying on Russia on behalf of the US government. Evan was imprisoned in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison, where he remains today. In this special podcast episode from Project Brazen, you’ll hear from those close to Evan — his friends, newsroom colleagues, even his for

May 18, 2023 • 26:07

Introducing Night of Show: Prince's Super Bowl Comeback Shakes the Music Industry

Introducing Night of Show: Prince's Super Bowl Comeback Shakes the Music Industry

This week on The Sound, we’re sharing a preview of Night of Show, the latest podcast from Project Brazen. To listen to the rest of this episode, search for Night of Show, wherever you get your podcasts. In Night of Show, accomplished concert promoter Adam Wilkes joins music industry legends as they share behind-the-scenes stories about the pressures superstar artists faced when staging some of their biggest performances. Most Prince fans forget he was once in the wilderness after his 1

May 9, 2023 • 24:32

Introducing Dynamite Doug

Introducing Dynamite Doug

This week on The Sound, we’re sharing a preview of Dynamite Doug, the latest investigative podcast from Project Brazen. Hosted by Ellen Wong (of Netflix’s GLOW and Scott Pilgrim), the 6-part series delves into the alleged crimes of Douglas Latchford, an art dealer who collaborated with a genocidal regime to loot Cambodia’s entire cultural heritage. Latchford’s stolen goods remain in the New York Metropolitan Museum to this day. This is the story the art world doesn’t want told. To keep

May 1, 2023 • 15:39

Bonus: The Music Behind The Sound with Attacca Quartet

Bonus: The Music Behind The Sound with Attacca Quartet

A behind-the-scenes conversation with Attacca Quartet, the Grammy Award-winning group that composed and performed the haunting string melodies in THE SOUND: Mystery of Havana Syndrome. Lead producer Max Johnson and audio engineer Rebecca Seidel speak with three members of Attacca Quartet—violinist Domenic Salerni, violist Nathan Schram, and cellist Andrew Yee—about how they approached the score, what it was like to hear their music included in the podcast, and what’s next for them as a

Apr 24, 2023 • 29:18

Bonus: Live from the International Spy Museum

Bonus: Live from the International Spy Museum

This week’s episode comes in collaboration with SpyCast, a podcast featuring in-depth conversations from the world of global intelligence and espionage. In this bonus, you’ll get to listen in on a panel discussion recorded live at the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Andrew Hammond, the host of SpyCast and historian and curator at the museum, and included The Sound host Nicky Woolf, former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos, and attor

Apr 11, 2023 • 51:50

Episode 8: Hammers and Nails

Episode 8: Hammers and Nails

We answer our central question: What happened here? And we try to chart the path forward for “Havana Syndrome” victims. The Sound is a Project Brazen production. Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts or at brazen.fm/plus and get exclusive bonus episodes for The Sound and all our shows, as well as ad-free listening and early access to new podcasts. For more fearless storytelling visit brazen.fm, home to all our podcasts, documentaries and newsletters. At Brazen, we show you h

Mar 13, 2023 • 40:17

Episode 7: The Two Exits

Episode 7: The Two Exits

Host Nicky Woolf goes to the scenes of the alleged crime in Cuba where we find “the sound” and see the human impact of the Havana Syndrome story. The US Embassy has reopened just as Cubans leave the island en masse. The Sound is a Project Brazen production. Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts or at brazen.fm/plus and get exclusive bonus episodes for The Sound and all our shows, as well as ad-free listening and early access to new podcasts. For more fearless storytelling visit brazen.fm, h

Mar 6, 2023 • 32:57

Bonus: Fresh Doubts out of Washington

Bonus: Fresh Doubts out of Washington

While we were crafting our last few episodes, some big news dropped. A new report from the CIA and other intel agencies found that no foreign actor, attack or technology could be behind the Anomalous Health Incidents, aka Havana Syndrome. Co-creators Nicky Woolf and Max Johnston sift through the noise to find out what’s going on. The Sound is a Project Brazen production. Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts or at brazen.fm/plus and get exclusive bonus episodes for The Sound

Mar 1, 2023 • 13:35

Episode 6: A Silent Injury

Episode 6: A Silent Injury

A CIA officer in Moscow gets sick, and his story fundamentally changes the narrative surrounding “Havana Syndrome.” We hear first-hand accounts of Soviet radiation that go back decades, and learn that the Cold War may have never really ended. The Sound is a Project Brazen production. Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts or at brazen.fm/plus and get exclusive bonus episodes for The Sound and all our shows, as well as ad-free listening and early access to new podcasts. For mo

Feb 27, 2023 • 35:14

Episode 5: The Great British Nuke Off

Episode 5: The Great British Nuke Off

Nicky heads to the UK to build a microwave device that could be the key to the mystery of Havana Syndrome. And we take a deep-dive into the American military industrial complex to see what the future of warfare and weaponry looks like. Is Havana Syndrome just the beginning of something much scarier? The Sound is a Project Brazen production. Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts or at brazen.fm/plus and get exclusive bonus episodes for The Sound and all our shows, as well as ad-free listening

Feb 20, 2023 • 33:34

Episode 4: The Frey Effect

Episode 4: The Frey Effect

The Havana Syndrome story is bigger than Cuba now. Cases are being reported on nearly every continent, so some investigators propose a new, strange theory. We wade into the science to see if Havana Syndrome is just the latest in a long pattern of attacks using microwave energy. The Sound is a Project Brazen production. Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts or at brazen.fm/plus and get exclusive bonus episodes for The Sound and all our shows, as well as ad-free listening and e

Feb 13, 2023 • 36:14

Episode 3: Speak of the Devil

Episode 3: Speak of the Devil

When recordings of a strange sound in Havana go public, some wonder if these “Havana Syndrome” health problems are real or imagined. We take a critical look through the research – and enlist the help of a mentalist – to try to answer the question: is this whole thing in our heads? The Sound is a Project Brazen production. Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts or at brazen.fm/plus and get exclusive bonus episodes for The Sound and all our shows, as well as ad-free listening an

Feb 6, 2023 • 37:44

Episode 2: The Immaculate Concussion

Episode 2: The Immaculate Concussion

Havana Syndrome cases are spreading. Investigators flock to Cuba while politicians start hunting for a culprit. Host Nicky Woolf breaks down the early investigations by the US and Cuban governments while our own search ramps up. Meanwhile, a political narrative starts to take shape. The Sound is a Project Brazen production. Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts or at brazen.fm/plus and get exclusive bonus episodes for The Sound and all our shows, as well as ad-free listening

Jan 30, 2023 • 34:32

Episode 1: Jericho

Episode 1: Jericho

There’s a mysterious outbreak of neurological problems among American spies and diplomats in Cuba. Host Nicky Woolf documents the first cases with never before heard accounts from Havana, while parsing through classified intelligence to learn how this mystery began. The Sound is a Project Brazen production. Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts or at brazen.fm/plus and get exclusive bonus episodes for The Sound and all our shows, as well as ad-free listening and early access

Jan 23, 2023 • 30:48

Meeting Nicky Woolf: Answering the Global Mystery of Havana Syndrome

Meeting Nicky Woolf: Answering the Global Mystery of Havana Syndrome

What is Havana Syndrome? Nicky Woolf speaks with Project Brazen co-founder Tom Wright about his upcoming investigative podcast, THE SOUND: Mystery of Havana Syndrome. Nicky shares his experience following the unexplained phenomenon from Havana to Washington DC, Miami, London, and beyond. He talks about meeting victims of the devastating illness, efforts to understand the science that could have caused it — even building his own device — and how new cases of the syndrome continue to app

Jan 13, 2023 • 6:06

Introducing The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome

Introducing The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome

In December 2016, a US official in Havana went to the embassy medical centre to report a debilitating and confounding  illness. The symptoms included headaches; nausea; hearing loss; problems with memory and vision – and its onset was characterized by hearing… something. A buzzing, hissing, grinding… sound. Soon, a second official came down with the same symptoms. Then a third. Then a fourth. By the time the story went public in summer 2017, dozens of US diplomats, as well as some Canadians, h

Jan 9, 2023 • 2:58

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