Slowpitch

Toronto, ON-based experimental turntablist Cheldon Paterson (also known as one half of Insideamind) ventures deeper into abstraction with Biosphere Stargaze. Sidestepping the loping funkiness of his other solo venture, ProEf, here Paterson is more remote sounding, with layers of crackle-laden drone and throb stacking up beneath starkly dubwise beats. The unfurling curtains of shadowy textures and haunted metronomic beats almost recall Seefeel's Succour or a more sedate Pansonic, yet the tactile presence of turntable manipulation and the omnipresent vinyl sounds inject the otherwise forbidding soundscape with ghostly warmth. "Moooon" is the highlight; its detailed patina of insectoid sounds crawls delicately across a funky, deadpan beat and a chorus of melted bells and alien wheezes. The spare, dubbed-out vocal interjections also provide a welcome, tangible, human reference point amidst the delightfully gaunt atmospherics. Closer "Brain Test Mantra" employs a series of bent, flanging clicks as its spine, suggesting a beat rather than firmly asserting one, as on previous cuts. As the loop writhes and winds through various effects, clouds of smeared-down phantom vocals and swarms of round synth buzz float in and out from the background. Shrouded in his brand of mysterious sonics, Slowpitch offers much, both for listeners to enjoy and to puzzle over.