James Bright introduces us to the acid-infested landscape of the 'Zooniverse'

The laid-back maestro adds just a touch of gravel to his harmonic topography

Though we don't know James Bright personally, if his music is anything to go by, we can only assume that he's a devoted lover of sunsets and a proponent of seriously horizontal living. His production career started two decades ago when he connected with downtempo specialist, Steve 'Afterlife' Miller. He's amassed a fairly hefty catalogue of releases during this time – most of which involve silky production and mood-enhancing undertones– and has released EPs and contributed to compilations on labels including Nang, Enormous Tunes, AWAL and more. Following his recent 'Betamax' release, he's back on Quattro with his new five-track 'Zooniverse' EP. The title track is a typically refined mid-tempo groove, steadily building over a solid bottom end as carefully spaced textures and sweeps are joined by a supremely hooky lead synth, later garnished with hypnotic acid flecks and soaring strings. The acid theme continues into the wondrous chill-fest of 'Cosmos'. Weighted bass drives the downtempo groove as ethereal pads rise on the horizon, joined by endless melodic layers and licks. 'Time Lapse' offers a meditative escape from the toil of daily life, rolling breaks underpinning an elastic bass as the lush pads envelop the listener while the subtle 303 rasps in the distance.'Freq Out' is perhaps the most energetic of the collection, its elevated tempo adding dynamism as glassy chords rise over pads and driving bass stabs. Once again delicate acid layers add a subtle layer of dirt to the otherwise pristine soundscape. The now-familiar sonic palette extends into the rush-inducing space explorations of 'Patchouli', where all-encompassing chords provide endless width and depth, allowing room for the heavy bass to charge onward over the planet-filled panorama.This is a coherent and fully immersive release from Bright. Here he offers up the slick production and honeyed harmonics we've come to expect from him while incorporating just a touch of acid-induced deviance to provide a welcome psychedelic edge.

Though we don't know James Bright personally, if his music is anything to go by, we can only assume that he's a devoted lover of sunsets and a proponent of seriously horizontal living. His production career started two decades ago when he made a connection with downtempo specialist, Steve 'Afterlife' Miller. He's amassed a fairly hefty catalogue of releases in the time since – most of which involve silky production and mood-enhancing undertones– and has released EPs and contributed to compilations on labels including Nang, Enormous Tunes, AWAL and more.

James Bright

Following his recent 'Betamax' release, he's back on Quattro with the new five-track 'Zooniverse' EP. The title track is a typically refined mid-tempo groove, steadily building over a solid bottom end as carefully spaced textures and sweeps are joined by a supremely hooky lead synth, later garnished with hypnotic acid flecks and soaring strings. The acid theme continues into the wondrous chill-fest of 'Cosmos'. Weighted bass drives the downtempo groove as ethereal pads rise on the horizon, joined by endless melodic layers and licks. 'Time Lapse' offers a meditative escape from the toil of daily life, rolling breaks underpinning an elastic bass as lush pads envelop the listener while a subtle 303 layer rasps in the distance.

'Freq Out' is perhaps the most energetic of the collection, its elevated tempo adding dynamism as glassy chords rise over pads and driving bass stabs. Once again delicate acid layers add a subtle layer of dirt to the otherwise pristine soundscape. The now-familiar sonic palette extends into the rush-inducing space explorations of 'Patchouli', where all-encompassing chords provide endless width and depth, allowing room for the heavy bass to charge onward over the planet-filled panorama.

This is a coherent and fully immersive release from Bright. Here he offers up the slick production and honeyed harmonics we've come to expect from him while incorporating just a touch of acid-induced deviance to provide a welcome psychedelic edge.

James Bright 'Zooniverse' is out September 18 on Quattro, you can listen and buy it here