Illum Sphere | Buy Ghosts of Then and Now

Manchester’s Ryan Hunn, better known as Illum Sphere, presses the boundaries of music in his newest release: Ghosts of Then and Now. It shows him taking a dystopian sci-fi approach to music. The entire album gives off a Bladerunner (‘Sleeprunner’) vibe.

Much as the title [track] suggests, you’ll find allusions to the sounds of old by way of shamanistic tempos and divine chorals rife throughout. Still, an eerie discordance via subtle electronic underpinnings serves to remind us that these are merely industrial representations of a past long gone. The vaporeal vocals of ShadowBox and Mai Nestor drive home that the soul of sound follows in time, no matter how it may change.

We know it’s still the first quarter, but feel free to quote us on saying this album will be among the year’s best. I’m personally hoping for a non-vocal feature (e.g. Inter5tella 5555, but far more neo-noir) to illustrate Ghosts of Then and Now.

Tracklist

1. Liquesce
2. At Night (ft. Mai Nestor)
3. Sleeprunner
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/illum%20sphere/03%20Sleeprunner.mp3]
4. The Earth Is Blind (Prelude)
5. The Road (ft. ShadowBox)
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/illum%20sphere/05%20The%20Road%20%28feat.%20Shadowbox%29.mp3]
6. Ra_Light
7. It’ll Be Over Soon
8. One Letter From Death
9. Ghosts Of Then And Now
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/illum%20sphere/09%20Ghosts%20Of%20Then%20%26%20Now.mp3]
10. Love Theme From Foreverness (ft. ShadowBox)
11. Lights Out / In Shinjuku
12. Near The End
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/illum%20sphere/12%20Near%20The%20End.mp3]
13. Embryonic (ft. ShadowBox)

Blackedout

I float through the bass.
Clutched by the warmth of her pitch.
We are lost, but alive.

Vessel will be on Blackedout’s forthcoming EP. ‘Til then, stay hazy.

Apolline d’Ash

Electronica gets spaced out thanks to Apolline d’Ash (Fabien Dalzin and Adrien Larouzée). Much like the psychic rhythms of HVOB or Recondite, this French duo’s fragile galactic sounds have guided us across the universe of our minds and back.

Blackedout | Soundcloud

Blackedout makes me think of the “one too many” bong-rip after a night of drinking. Melting into the couch. Drifting into never land. Contemplating on whether or not the last few shots were even worth it. As always is the case, probably not. But then you have this jam. Just let it take over and lay you to sleep in peace. It’s so dreamy. Thankfully Blackedout has it up for free download. Check this and his other winter vibe tracks on his soundcloud. His self-titled EP is downloadable free here.