Tom Middleton | |
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![]() Tom Middleton at Glastonbury Festival 2009 | |
Background information | |
Born | London, England | August 18, 1971
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Sound designer, musician, composer, music producer, sleep coach, disc jockey remixer, graphic designer |
Years active | Early 1990s–present |
Tom Middleton (born 18 August 1971) [1] is a British electronic recording artist, sound designer, composer, music producer, remixer and DJ. [2] His solo albums include Lifetracks (2007), Glasstracks (2011) and Sleep Better (2018). Middleton and Mark Pritchard have collaborated under various names including Global Communication.
A classically trained pianist and cellist, Middleton worked in the early 1990s with Richard D. James [3] (with whom he shares the same birthdate), [4] co-producing "En-Trance to Exit" on the Analogue Bubblebath EP for Mighty Force Records. [3] [5] This was followed by his first solo outing, "My Splendid Idea", under the name Schizophrenia for the same label.
Soon after, he teamed up with Mark Pritchard. The pair recorded under a host of pseudonyms, including Reload (featuring experimental techno and ambient music), Global Communication (primarily ambient), [6] and Jedi Knights (electro funk and house music), and the aliases Chameleon, Secret Ingredients, and Link & E621. Global Communication's 1994 ambient album 76:14 is considered to be a landmark of the genre. [6] [7]
The pair also founded their own record label, Evolution, which is sometimes informally referenced as Evolution (Crewekerne) to differentiate it from other record labels with the same name. A compilation of early Evolution material was released jointly by Evolution and Warp Records in 1995 as The Theory of Evolution. The label name later changed to Universal Language Productions and launched a sub-label, Heard, then became E3 before ceasing operations. The labels launched early releases from artists such as Matthew Herbert, as well as Middleton and Pritchard under various guises.
Aside from Schizophrenia, Middleton's solo projects include The Modwheel (experimental house music), Cosmos (progressive house music) [8] The Rebus Project, and AMBA (ambient/classical). In 2007, Middleton abandoned the AMBA moniker, while still focusing on the ambient genre fusing classical traditions with electronica, featuring orchestral, choral and electro acoustic arrangements. A new EP, Excursions 1 was released in September 2007 while the album Lifetracks was released on Big Chill Recordings in October 2007 under the name Tom Middleton. [9]
He collaborated with Matthew Herbert and Mark Darby of Mighty Force Records, releasing an eponymous EP as Fog City.
Middleton extends beyond the confines of house music and electronica to bring seemingly-disparate musical styles together. This approach was evidenced in his 2004 mix The Trip, which the BBC described as "a voyage of discovery full of originality and eclecticism." [10] A follow-up, The Trip II was released in 2008. Both releases consisted of two separate mixes.
Mixmaster Morris is an English electronica DJ and underground musician who has also recorded as The Irresistible Force. His work in the 1990s blended ambient music and chill-out influences with UK dance styles.
Ambient techno is a subgenre of techno that incorporates the atmospheric textures of ambient music with the rhythmic elements and production of techno. It was pioneered by 1990s electronic artists such as Aphex Twin, Carl Craig, the Black Dog, Pete Namlook and Biosphere.
Michael Paradinas, better known by his stage name μ-Ziq, is an English electronic musician from Wimbledon, London. He was associated with the electronic style intelligent dance music (IDM) during the 1990s, and recorded on Rephlex Records and Reflective Records. His critically acclaimed 1997 album, Lunatic Harness, helped define the drill 'n' bass subgenre and was also his most successful release, selling over 100,000 copies. Paradinas founded the record label Planet Mu, begun in 1995, where he has championed genres such as juke and footwork.
The Big Chill was an annual festival of alternative, dance and chill-out music and comedy, held in the grounds of Eastnor Castle during early August. The 2011 line-up included The Chemical Brothers, Kanye West, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Jessie J, Robert Plant, Calvin Harris, Neneh Cherry, Aloe Blacc, Chipmunk, Katy B & Example. The festival has not been staged since 2011.
Ambient house is a downtempo subgenre of house music that first emerged in the late 1980s, combining elements of acid house and ambient music. The genre developed in chill-out rooms and specialist clubs as part of the UK's dance music scene. It was most prominently pioneered by the Orb and the KLF, along with artists such as Global Communication, Irresistible Force, Youth, and 808 State. The term was used vaguely, and eventually fell out of favor as more specific subgenres were recognized.
Simon Green, known by his stage name Bonobo, is a British musician, producer, and DJ based in Los Angeles. He debuted with a trip hop aesthetic, and has since explored more upbeat approaches as well as jazz and world music influences. His electronic sound incorporates the use of organic instrumentation, and is recreated by a full band in live performances.
Analogue Bubblebath, also released as Aphex Twin ep, is the first record by musician and producer Richard D. James. The EP was released under his alias The Aphex Twin through Mighty Force Records in September 1991. It was the inaugural release for the label, which at the time was a record shop in Exeter. The record was hugely influential on the development of electronic music, particularly techno and ambient techno. Its release has been described as a key event in the history of dance music. It is the first release in what became the Analogue Bubblebath series.
Mighty Force Records was a record shop and techno label based in Exeter, Devon, South West England. It was founded by ex-punk, free festival activist and warehouse party organiser Mark Darby and his partner, journalist Jess Shortis, after they had visited visiting various club-based events in Plymouth and realised there was no focal point for the burgeoning rave scene in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.
The Bays are an English group of musicians who only play live improvised Electronic music. They have never rehearsed nor recorded in a studio as they do not release music commercially and are independent of record labels. Their slogan is "Performance is the Product".
Hangable Auto Bulb is a series of two 1995 EPs by electronic musician Richard D. James, under his alias AFX. The two were re-released by Warp Records as a single album on 31 October 2005. They marked James's first foray into rapid drill 'n' bass style beat programming.
Global Communication is an electronic music act, consisting of Tom Middleton and Mark Pritchard.
Classics is a 1995 compilation album by electronic musician Richard D. James, more commonly known by his pseudonym of the Aphex Twin.
76:14 is the second studio album by Global Communication, an English electronic music duo consisting of Tom Middleton and Mark Pritchard. Initially released via Dedicated Records on 1 June 1994, the album has been re-issued a number of times, most recently in 2020.
The Heights of Abraham is an electronica collaboration based in Sheffield and Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire in North-East England. Formed in the mid-1990s by Steve Cobby, Sim Lister and Jake Harries, they play electronica, ambient techno, and chill out.
Richard David James, best known as Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born British musician, composer and DJ. He is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic styles such as techno, ambient, and jungle. Journalists from publications including Mixmag, The New York Times, NME, Fact,Clash and The Guardian have called James one of the most influential or important artists in contemporary electronic music.
Selected Ambient Works 85–92 is the debut studio album by Aphex Twin, the pseudonym of British electronic musician Richard D. James. It was released on 9 November 1992 through Apollo Records, a subsidiary of Belgian label R&S Records. The album consists of ambient techno tracks recorded onto cassette reputedly dating as far back as 1985, when James was thirteen to fourteen years old. An analogue remaster of the album was released in 2006, followed by a digital remaster in 2008.
Mark Pritchard is an English electronic musician, currently signed to Warp. He has produced a large discography with a constant change of styles and genres, in both solo work under various aliases, and collaborations.
The Smokering is a Los Angeles, California music production duo Ed Vichnick and Jason D. Kuhar. Their music blends elements of downtempo, chill-out, hip hop, classical, dub, acid jazz, reggae, Indian classical, Middle Eastern, and ambient music.
Aquilo are an English musical duo from Silverdale, Lancashire, consisting of Tom Higham and Ben Fletcher. They began gaining recognition in 2013 for their singles such as "Calling Me" and "You There", in addition to their five EPs.
Bubblebath is the debut extended play (EP) by American singer and YouTube personality Poppy, under the name That Poppy. It was released digitally on February 12, 2016, by Island Records as her first and only release on the label. It preceded by a year and eight months the release of Poppy's debut studio album, Poppy.Computer, on October 6, 2017, after signing to Mad Decent.