Illum Sphere

Although he was born in London, it wasn't until he moved north to Manchester and founded the Hoya:Hoya club night in 2008 that the experimental electronic music of Illum Sphere (Ryan Hunn) began to reach a modest audience. Once the night -- organized in conjunction with fellow Manchester-based DJ Jonny Dub -- made the transition from an occasional event to a regular fixture of the scene, Hunn was invited to release a series of singles on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Fat+City%22">Fat City</a> label, including a track for their Producer series on the flip side of a split 7" with California artist <a href="spotify:artist:0rKc6ImQCM6pmYrQj5zcra">Mono/Poly</a>. This led to a 2010 EP for Dutch producer <a href="spotify:artist:68i1l0GWQ5dwzAy1UVNHNw">Martyn</a>'s <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%223024%22">3024</a> imprint, before Hunn fulfilled a lifelong dream by co-founding a label. "Sweat the Descent" was the lead track on the first 12" to be released on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Hoya%3AHoya%22">Hoya:Hoya</a> label, which surfaced in November 2010. Another dream was fulfilled the following summer when <a href="spotify:artist:4Z8W4fKeB5YxbusRsdQVPb">Radiohead</a> issued an Illum Sphere remix of their King of Limbs track "Codex."

While most of his earlier material had flirted with awkward, playful rhythms, his 2012 EP for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Young+Turks%22">Young Turks</a>, Birthday, was aimed squarely at the dancefloor. In late 2013, a remix of "Bluebell Fields," an album track by the Manchester-based, <a href="spotify:artist:2cGwlqi3k18jFpUyTrsR84">Verve</a>-inspired indie act <a href="spotify:artist:7MGmWHDOoRwlntYOO6vu5M">MONEY</a>, appeared online ahead of an announcement that Illum Sphere had been signed to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Ninja+Tune%22">Ninja Tune</a>. The single "Sleeprunner" was issued that December in advance of the haunting debut album Ghosts of Then & Now, which arrived in February 2014. Later that year, he delivered a Fabric mix inspired by his nights spinning at Hoya:Hoya. Hunn also created a mix for the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Dekmantel%22">Dekmantel</a> podcast, but his output slowed as he refined his sound. The Spectre Vex and Second Sight singles hinted at the stark yet atmospheric territory of his second full-length, Glass, which <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Ninja+Tune%22">Ninja Tune</a> released in late 2016. ~ James Wilkinson, Rovi