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Tom Middleton

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For the Canadian singer of the same name, see Tom Middleton (Canadian singer). For the British Olympic rower, see Tom Middleton (rower).

Tom Middleton
Tom Middleton at Glastonbury Festival 2009
Tom Middleton at Glastonbury Festival 2009
Background information
Born (1971-08-18) August 18, 1971 (age 53)
London, England
Genres
Occupation(s)Sound designer, musician, composer, music producer, sleep coach, disc jockey remixer, graphic designer
Years activeEarly 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.

Biography

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.

Discography

  • Tom Middleton Presents Amba: Lifetracks (Big Chill, 2007)
  • Glasstracks (Big Chill/Six Degrees 2011)
  • Sleep Better (IMC, 2018)

References

  1. ^ "Tom Middleton - New Songs, Playlists & Latest News - BBC Music". BBC. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  2. ^ Barton, Interview by Laura (24 November 2003). "My media: Tom Middleton, music producer". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Global Communication's metamorphosis". Fact (UK magazine). 23 June 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  4. ^ Ward, Phil (July 1993). "Cagey, Canny, Krafty". Music Technology. United Kingdom: Music Maker Publications (UK). pp. 52–57. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  5. ^ Vine, Richard (14 June 2011). "Aphex Twin's first single Bubblebath released by Mighty Force records". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  6. ^ a b "CD: Global Communication, 76:14". The Guardian. 16 September 2005. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  7. ^ "Global Communication's Tom Middleton to play The Jazz Cafe". Mixmag. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  8. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 122. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  9. ^ "Tom Middleton: Lifetracks, PopMatters". PopMatters. 22 January 2008. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  10. ^ Dene, Lewis. "BBC - Music - Review of Tom Middleton - The Trip". BBC. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
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