In Sant Andreu the clang of metal on metal and the call of “Bu-tan-oooo” brings residents to their apartment windows. At their window they call out to the person responsible for this sound, requesting their services. What the residents are after, and the source of the noise, is an orange butane gas bottle. The butanero, the person responsible for delivering the bottle, walks up the street hitting the canisters with a metal stick, shouting out to make their presence known and waiting for a willing customer.

The butane bottle is used by some residents of Sant Andreu for heating and cooking in their apartment. While there is the option to pick up the bottles from a local petrol station, the various butaneros in Sant Andreu offer to bring up the new bottles weighing 12.5kgs to your door in exchange for an empty bottle and hopefully a tip. In a hot and humid city, where many top story apartments must be accessed via stairs - it is a difficult job.

The job of the butanero is typically occupied by migrants to the city - often from Pakistan or Morocco. It’s a job that doesn’t pay well, with most butaneros relying on their tips alone in order to make a living. On top of this, it is also a profession that is slowly fading away, as apartment infrastructure gets upgraded to built-in gas. This shouting and the clang of metal, significant to the soundscape, culture and economy of the community in Sant Andreu, may soon be lost.