HIDDEN SPHERES レコード& CD

Review: Four effervescent jackers from manx party starter Hidden Spheres. The opener 'Step To Me' is a slippery broken beat anthem landing somewhere between Alex Attias' smoove keys and DJ Haus' brash MIDI trumpet two-step, which lapses into the full pelt, swaggering 'Don't Front', which feels exactly like the kind of song you want to stride into the club to. Side two brings us two more orthodox sax workouts. The aptly named 'LUVR MAN' is a cheeky, slap n' tickle two steppa, while 'SO SXY' applies the blinkered focus of DJ Rashad's best breakdowns to a laid back house beat.

Review: Hidden Spheres had some great and well deserved praise for his outing on Rhythm Section but now the Fruit Merchant label head is back to his own stand with some fresh and juicy offerings. 'Get Lover' is a big one - a classy dance floor banger with fat and bouncy bass, analogue cow bells, a rude vocal and plenty of old school rave stabs. On the remix is Manchester's don of the dance floor banger, DJ Absolutely Shit. His version makes more of the big piano energy with bright loops and dusty breaks.

Review: British electronic music producer Hidden Spheres creates music characterised by warm and soulful house beats with elements of jazz, disco, and funk. He has released music on labels such as Lobster Theremin, Rhythm Section International and Distant Hawaii - his latest comes via the latter's new incarnation: Distant Horizon. The Waiting EP features the breezy and lo-slung deepness of the title track, with more balmy mood music to follow on 'Upsndown' on the first side. Over on the flip, the dusty, emotive late night jam 'Be A Man' calls to mind classic Moodymann followed by the hypnotising slo-mo disco journey 'Bill Loves You'.

Review: Manchester's Hidden Spheres becomes the latest artist to showcase his cosmic, percussion-heavy reworks and re-edits on Talking Drums' offshoot Drum Chums. As you'd expect, the sometime Lobster Theremin, Moods & Grooves and Rhythm Section International producer is in fine form from the off, delivering ear-catching, mildly Balearic reworks of genuine obscurities. The highlight for us is 'Stolen', a version of an early South African kwaito number that's big on proto-house bass, densely layered percussion, lo-fi synth melodies and fine lead vocals. Over on the reverse, 'You Better Dance' is a deliciously dreamy, reggae-influenced, mid-tempo Afro-Balearic treat, while 'Together' sounds like a re-wire of an eccentric bit of mid-to-late '80s bubblegum brilliance.

Review: Tom Harris AKA Hidden Spheres is in a fine run of form. He's a talent who can vary his sound at will and after EPs on Church and Distant Hawaii he now finds himself on Oath. Opener 'Breathing Deep' is a richly percussive track that sounds like what Roy Ayers might make if he was into underground basement parties. The lushness of the sound pallet continues on 'Tiamo' which is awash with bird calls and new age ambiance. 'Ruhani' is a broken beat jam with a London vibe that keeps you on your toes and 'Believe' rounds out in lush jazz style.

Review: Rhythm Section International, helmed by "Executive Producer" Bradley Zero, has barely put a foot wrong since launching in 2014. Here, the Peckham imprint welcomes Tom Harris AKA Hidden Spheres into the fold. He hits the mark from the off, layering up twinkling pianos, mutant synthesizer lines, bluesy vocal samples and huggable deep house grooves on "Well Well". Another deep, sun-kissed, almost horizontal house excursion can be found on the B, with the intricate and tactile "Your Effect" impressing. Elsewhere, Harris explores the dusty, downtempo side of his repertoire, with the jazzy "Land" sounding like a long lost Ninja Tune jam from the mid '90s.