Apotome
By Khyam Allami x Counterpoint
Generative Audio/Visual Stream, Software Application, 2021 Apotome is a browser-based generative music system focused on using microtonal tuning systems and their subsets (scales/modes), developed as a tool to help counter the cultural asymmetry embedded in modern music-making softwares, which share a bias inherited from Western music theory and culture. Apotome will be continuously generating audio-visual material based on algorithms curated by creator Khyam Allami. During this time, anyone can sign-up for a predetermined time slot and have the chance to take over the system and »perform« on Apotome by manipulating its parameters – the results of which can be heard here. Khyam Allami is an Iraqi-British multi-instrumentalist musician, composer, researcher and founder of Nawa Recordings. His artistic research focuses on the development of contemporary practice based on the fundamentals of Arabic music, with a focus on tuning and microtonality. Counterpoint is a creative studio run by Samuel Diggins and Tero Parviainen. Navigating the intersection of design, music, and technology, the duo uses generative systems, interactivity, and artificial intelligence in their work.