Founded by Stephan Crasneanscki in New York City in 2000, and joined by Simone Merli in 2008, the collective currently operates in a continuously rotating constellation of sound artists and musicians. Distinguished collaborators include American singer, songwriter and poet Patti Smith, Ethiopian Jazz musician Mulatu Astatke, American photographer Nan Goldin and French- Swiss film director Jean-Luc Godard. The collective have also written original scores for contemporary dance choreographer Sasha Waltz.

Their approach to composition combines anthropology, ethnography, non-linear narrative, psycho- geography, the observation of nature, and explorations in recording and synthesis. The source material of their works is always linked to specific locations, natural or artificial, and requires long periods of investigative travel and field work.

Along the years, with Soundwalk Collective, Merli performed live at Opéra de Lyon, CTM Festival, KW Institute of Contemporary Art, Barbican Centre, Berghain, Centre Georges Pompidou, Florence Gould Hall, Mobile Art by Zaha Hadid in Hong Kong, Tokyo, New York; MUDAM, MuCEM, Museo Madre, National Museum of Singapore, New Museum, Palazzo Reale in Milan, La Triennale, Radialsystem V, documenta14 in Athens and Kassel, Funkhaus in Berlin, Manifesta12 in Palermo.

The collective has also recently released a trilogy of albums inspired by literary figures, together with Patti Smith via Bella Union in 2019-2020. One of these albums, The Peyote Dance, was nominated for the Grammys nomination in 2019. Separately, What We Leave Behind: Jean-Luc Godard Archives, was released via The Vinyl Factory. It was followed by a Remixes EP featuring reworks by Jan Jelinek, Petre Inspirescu, Ricardo Villalobos.