Chimerism
(Adhuman) 2xCD $20.00 (Out-of-stock)
Based in Hamilton, Ontario, and operating with scant regard for the cultivation of listenership or exposure, Nathan Ivanco bears similarities to the mid-00s era of grimy USA basement noise and home taping, interpreted perhaps by the lo-fi obscurantism of fellow countrymen Korea Undok Group or the equally murky Makade Star outfit. Mangled, stripped-back samples are subjected to the crudest of electronic processing, while washed-out ambience saturated with tape hiss and eerie recurring motifs gently propel themselves across multiple tracks. Elsewhere more outwardly experimental and freeform works appear in the mix. Quiet sophistication is evident in the arrangements and pacing, which evoking the most classical instincts of concrete sound obsession even within such deeply homemade sonic environs. Presented in free-flowing sequence across both discs, the formerly distinct tracks play out in a longer form which lends new shape and context to the music. Despite sitting firmly in ‘reissue’ territory, Chimerism offers a refreshing angle from which to indulge in Shadow Pattern’s rough beauty and may well highlight areas of the project’s vision which have until now gone unnoticed. All music originally recorded during 2019-2023 and previously released on Hamilton Tapes and Radiant Clay Records