Album Review: Illum Sphere “Ghosts Of Then And Now”

by Ashley Kolpak

Manchester-based Ryan Hunn, better known as  DJ Illum Sphere, released his full-length album Ghosts of Then and Now this Monday. The album is a compilation of heightened sensual soundscapes, both deliberate and dramatic. Each track sneaks up on listeners like scenes from a vintage  horror movie. The songs are abound with a Victorian-era haunted house feel.

Some tracks feel discordant and disconnected, namely “It’ll Be Over Soon,” which is reminiscent of Thom Yorke and the gang. At times  the album takes a turn for the elaborate cinematic, like the track “Sleeprunner,” calling to mind a cold, calculated, fast-paced thriller. Something in the vein of Tom Tykwer’s Run Lola Run or perhaps something akin to the quieter moments on the soundtrack for Requiem for a Dream.

With its mix of organ and harpsichord sounding beats, Ghosts of Then and Now seems to have dreamily floated in from a distant time. Overall the record possesses a markedly theatrical style, punctuated with moments of suspense and anticipation. The songs  feel as if they are holding their breath, sitting in an old fashioned parlour and waiting for a guest to arrive. It feels distinctly vintage, harkening something borrowed, yet something fresh as well.

The whole album alludes to the “Ghost” theme, nowhere more directly than in the in the gripping “One Letter from Death.” The record presents an interesting collision of analog and digital sensibilities, yet it all moves forward with a twirling propulsion that’s difficult to ignore. At times the tone rings ethereal, at others it pulses with electronic precision.

Ghosts of Then and Now introduces vocalists from time to time (Mai Nestor and Shadowbox), adding new texture and allure of the ambient instrumentals. This record feels contemplative, nearly a lament, of something that just slipped through someone’s fingers. A collection of thoughts on the past. It is polished without feeling slick and experiments with subtle beats that together create an unmistakable ambience.