Abandoned Oil Tank

By Katrine Amsler

$49

On a recording trip to the smaller Danish port town Struer, I came across an abandoned empty oil tank. Inside I found two giant wires attached to the floor and the ceiling of the tank, almost like a huge 2 stringed double bass. I’m telling you the reverb in there was longer than the Eiffel Tower on a cloudless day!

On the outside this was just an empty abandoned building, but it turned out it was not empty at all because it was full of sound and a few dead birds. I’m glad I was curious enough to go inside for a closer investigation and not just pass by.

Abandoned Oil Tank was recorded with a LOM basic Ucho stereo pair, a Zoom H6 and the LOM Geofon. All files are in 96 kHz/24 bit and contain the original recordings.

One-of-a-Kind Sound Collection

The Abandoned Oil Tank was a colossal petroleum storage tank located on the outskirts of Struer, Denmark, overlooking the North Sea. At around 30 meters long, the tank’s thick steel walls created incredible acoustics, with reverb times of over 15 seconds.

Recorded Before Demolition

Field recordist Katrine Amsler captured its sounds before demolition, making those recordings irreplaceable.

Crucially, the tank was demolished soon after these sessions, so the recordings in Abandoned Oil Tank preserve an acoustic environment that can never be visited again.