Ivan Shopov & Valance Drakes :: Unearthing Buried Chapters (Amek)

A carefully networked collection of sculpted organic electronics with a heartbeat.

Ivan Shopov recently did a split with Monolog (Veracity EP, Subtrakt 2018), described as “emulsified electronic debris, mutating, slow motion glitch, and bass infested mayhem… rolling by at a slow pace.” Well, Ivan and the prolific Valance Drakes certainly know how to unearth similar mysteries and have allegedly been working together for years. Ten low-end fissures of delicate glitch, tempered guitar flickers, and even a few cascading voices along the way (courtesy of Mariya), allows Unearthing Buried Chapters to be an exquisite listening experience. Calm, disjointed, and yet with an air of sweet percussive clutter, tracks like “A heart with no instructions” dabble with the audiences’ emotions. The downtempo shuffling beauty found on “A prophecy keeps hope alive” is the soundtrack to a drama not yet directed—the shoegaze production, drifting ambient undercurrent and string elements bring the artists’ scope of work to another level.

Chilled and crumpled beats take a front seat, as evidenced on “Pursuit for those of kindness,” where meandering piano keys interact with kaleidoscope drones and tones from a far away place. “Atoms Gasping for Oxygen” is an apt title, delivering crisp drums wrapped around echoed field recordings as a slight breeze passes through. In summary, Unearthing Buried Chapters for Bulgaria-based Amek is a carefully networked collection of sculpted organic electronics with a heartbeat. Available as vinyl and digital, this release is well-worth adding to the collection.

Unearthing Buried Chapters is available on Amek.