5 Things to Know About the Album Deep Listening

The entire album is improvised and recorded live with no overdubs. Pauline Oliveros and her ensemble played together in real time without any pre-planned structure.

It was recorded inside a cistern. The underground concrete water tank creates a 45-second reverb that becomes part of the music.

The space itself acts as an instrument. The long echo shapes every note and silence, making the room as important as the players.

It offers a rare acoustic experience. The sound is like hearing music inside a cathedral made of water and concrete.

The album defines a genre. Deep Listening is both the title and the name of Oliveros’s practice of attentive, immersive listening.