Peter Knight // Shadow Phase LP [COLOR]

Peter Knight, ambient writer from Melbourne, Australiais a record released in October 2022 from Room10, a label presided over by Brisbane sound artist Lawrence English.

Contains 5 minimalistic ambient drone songs using trumpets, violins, cellos, and synths. Comes with DL code.Below is a commentary by the author himself. 

 “Most of this record was made in the shadow of COVID and deep in the mouth of Melbourne's long winter closures in 2020. It's a meditation on the nature of connection.

One of the only people I saw outside of my family during this time when I was restricted to a 5km radius was my old friend and teacher, Ania Wollwitz.We met on the waterfront near the Docklands where our zones overlapped and talked as we walked on a bright, cool winter afternoon.

When Ania passed away unexpectedly in September, that conversation became a big part of my thinking.Her voice was pulling threads of ideas, recording them on my cell phone and jotting them in my notebook while I worked on this music.

Ania's writing activity relied on an 'automatic' process.Her work was informed by everything (a lot) she read, but it was crafted in a dreamy way.It is a state in which the subconscious mind springs up and words shape themselves in meaningful ways, resonating rather than expressing.

I thought a lot about that while making this song.We recorded every day with trumpets, an old Revox reel-to-reel, some synths, a harmonium borrowed from a friend, and whatever else was out there.I mainly worked on diving a little deeper each time I sat down.

Through the simple process of exhaling, I explored my relationship with the trumpet, which has been through many twists and turns.The breath-generated timbre was unfolded in long tape loops, degraded beyond recognition by a chain of pedals and plug-ins, leaving only traces of the initial gesture.

Other times, while riding long distances on my bike, I listened to the previous day's work with an earpick, gliding through familiar streets where the lack of people and movement felt a little strange.We often rode the Footscray Rd adjacent to the harbour, coasting past the old boat moorings and down towards the Docklands to stop pedaling.The sounds coming from the dark studio were mixed with low air passing through helmets, bicycle gears, birds chirping, and cars.Then I remembered her last conversation with Ania.In the afternoon sun, squinting at the light on the water, she explores the different words for blue in Polish and Russian, and how words don't just change how we perceive things, they actually perceive us. He talked about changing things.

That afternoon, I felt like anything was possible.

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Includes DL code. Available on 12" black vinyl or 12" transparent blue vinyl. 

Artist statement from Peter Knight:

"Most of this record was created in the shadow of COVID and deep in the maw of Melbourne's 2020 long winter lockdown. It is a meditation on the nature of connection.

Restricted to a 5km zone, one of the only people I saw outside my family during this time was my old friend and teacher, Ania Walwicz. We met in the overlap between our zones on the waterfront near Docklands to walk and talk on bright, cool winter afternoons.

Those conversations became large in my thoughts when Ania suddenly passed away in September. Her voice was in my head as I worked on this music, trawling through threads of ideas, recordings made on my phone, and thoughts jotted down in notebooks.

Ania's practice as a writer relied on 'automatic' processes. Her work was informed by everything she had read (a lot) but it was created in the manner of dreams. In a state where the subconscious might bubble up and the words arrange themselves into meaning bearing forms that resonate more than represent.

I thought a lot about that as I made this music. I recorded everyday using the trumpet, my old Revox reel-to-reel, a couple of synths, a harmonium I lent from a friend, and whatever else was around. I worked mostly on just diving a little deeper each time I sat down to it.

Through the simple process of exhalation, I explored my relationship with the trumpet, which has been through so many twists and turns. I let the tones produced by my breath unfurl on long tape loops and degrade beyond recognition through pedal and plugin chains, until the only imprint of the initial gesture remained.

My process also involved long bike rides during which I'd listen to the work of previous days on ear buds, gliding through familiar streets made slightly strange by the absence of people and movement. Often my rides took me along Footscray Rd next to the port , and as I washed down towards Docklands past the old boat moorings I stopped pedaling to coast. The sounds from my darkened studio mingled with the low rush of air past my helmet, the click and whirr of my bike gears, a squalling bird, a And I remembered my last conversation with Ania. Sitting in the late afternoon sun, squinting against the light that raked across the water, she was telling me about all the different words for they have for blue in Polish and Russian, and how words don't just change our perception of things, but also actually change the thing being perceived.

As I rode home that afternoon, I felt like anything was possible."

Artist: Peter Knight

Label: Room40