Such is our commitment to high-quality investigative music journalism here at Tiny Mix Tapes that I just went ahead and Wikipedia’d the word “allotrope” for you. For realz. No need to thank me. Here’s what I discovered: it has something to do with science and is an etymological descendant of the Ancient Greek άλλοτροπἱα, meaning “changeableness,” which Wikipedia is pretending is a real word. Apparently, diamond and graphite are both allotropes of carbon.
This record, the latest from Melbourne composer Peter Knight on Aussie “new” and experimental music label Listen/Hear, offers a bunch of different allotropes of the trumpet. “Electroacoustic adventures” Knight calls them, created using the trumpet, flugelhorn, laptop electronics, amplifier, and pedals. They’re all pretty sweet, but I’m gonna go ahead and single out “Trumpet Latop Amplifier 1” and “CD and Contact 1” just for kicks. Joe Talia, most well-known for his work with fellow Aussie Oren Ambarchi, as well as Keiji Haino and Jim O’Rourke, features on the mixing desk.
[Visit full site to view media]Allotrope by Peter Knight
• Peter Knight: http://www.peterknightmusic.com
• Listen Hear: http://listenhearcollective.com