The Dry Well is a dark and emotionally charged work of musique concrete, created by extreme digital processing of acoustic sound sources.
The first three tracks ("Two-Thirds God", "Descent of Inanna", and "Under") are based on the Epic of Gilgamesh, a Sumerian legend that may be the oldest surviving work of literature. They evoke ritual, mythic journey, and the transition from the material to the spiritual realm.
The last three tracks ("For Want of a Nail", "Valence", and "The Dry Well"), by contrast, are based on the formal idea of achieving as much as possible with severely limited means. Every sound in the three pieces originated from a kalimba (African thumb piano) built by one Molly Clark, age 8. From this child's instrument, a wealth of sound was created, gradually moving away from "natural" kalimba tone and toward the realm of pure noise.
Originally released in 1995, now (f)ree-released on Just not Normal Check out our JNN home