The river Anydrus becomes the focus for section B4 of our Utopian map, with two takes on one of the principal geographical features described in More’s book.

Ancient River Anydrus – Mike Moolenbroek, Zoetermeer, Netherlands

‘I decided to make a short drone track to capture the flowing water of Anydrus.

At first I was working with recordings of real water sounds mixed with guitar but it sounded to modern and it didn’t match the ancient feel of Utopia.

Therefore I recorded guitar drones on cassette to get a nice flutter sound which simulate a feeling of constant motion.”

 

Freshwater Utopia – Alyssa Moxley, Santorini, Greece

“This location of the map contains the fons of the freshwater river, which according to More’s tale is protected from poisoning by outsiders by a kind of secure enclosure.

Travelling inland from the sea, to the river, across a bridge, the water fall, and to the hiding place of the spring, the composition portrays the meeting point of two lovers, condemned to slavery by their crime of adultery.

In Utopia, as a compassionate gesture, adulterers are permitted to be slaves together.

The recordings used in this composition are from Santorini, Syros, and Taigetos in Greece, Banff in Alberta, Canada, Koh Samui, Thailand, and Stari Grad, Croatia.

The percussive elements at the end are composed of recordings of stones thrown onto an ancient well in the Stari Grad plain. The singing is a recording made inside a 15th century well in a monastery in Syros.”