Hoya:Hoya boss and esteemed DJ/producer Ryan Hunn marks up an engrossing debut LP under his Illum Sphere guise. As the title infers, the grey matter of 'Ghosts Of Now and Then' feels trapped between eras, at once deeply informed, shackled by the vintage roots of hip hop - classic jazz, soul, funk and Brazilian music - whilst acknowledging modern electronica and the beat scenes of LA (Brainfeeder, Low End Theory, Stones Throw), London (Eglo, Deviation, Young Turks) and Manchester (Fat City, Skam, Jon K). He consolidates these influences by successfully creating something timeless yet new. The results are hauntingly emotive, drawing subtle, sinuous electronic connections between the richly soulful vocals of Facit's Mai Nestor, Bonnie Baxter aka Shadowbox, and Shigeto's live drumming, blurring the distinctions between organic and real textures with a canny sleight of hand and scope for intricate, involving arrangement.
