Tom Middleton
Encyclopedia
Tom Middleton is a prolific British
recording artist, music producer, remixer and DJ.
A classically trained pianist and cellist, Middleton worked in the early 1990s with Richard D. James
(with whom he shares the same birthdate), co-producing "En-Trance To Exit" on the Analogue Bubblebath
EP for Exeter's influential Mighty Force Records
. 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 the popular Reload (featuring experimental techno
and ambient music
), Global Communication
(primarily ambient), and Jedi Knights (electro funk
and house music
), plus lesser-known aliases Chameleon, Secret Ingredients, and Link & E621. Global Communication's 1994 ambient album 76:14
is widely considered to be a landmark of the genre.
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 sublabel, Heard, then became E3 before finally winding down operations. The labels launched early releases from artists such as Matthew Herbert
, as well as Middleton & Pritchard under their various guises.
Aside from Schizophrenia, Tom's solo projects include The Modwheel (experimental house music), Cosmos (progressive house music) and AMBA (ambient/classical). , Cosmos's "Take Me With You" was his most successful track. 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 on 10 September 2007 while the album Lifetracks
was released on Big Chill Recordings on 1 October 2007 under the name Tom Middleton.
Predominantly using the Cosmos and Modwheel monikers (and his own name) Middleton has remixed numerous artists including Kerri Chandler
, Orbital
, Kylie Minogue
, Coldplay
, Underworld
, Fluke
, Super Collider, Prince
, Spiller
, Model 500
, The Beloved
, Rob Dougan
, Pulp
, Leftfield
, Ian Pooley
, Dubtribe Sound System
, All Saints
, Goldfrapp
, Lamb
, Röyksopp
, Gotan Project
, Amp Fiddler
, Mighty Dub Katz and Bebel Gilberto
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
recording artist, music producer, remixer and DJ.
A classically trained pianist and cellist, Middleton worked in the early 1990s with Richard D. James
Aphex Twin
Richard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"...
(with whom he shares the same birthdate), co-producing "En-Trance To Exit" on the Analogue Bubblebath
Analogue Bubblebath
Analogue Bubblebath Vol I was the first EP released by electronic musician Richard D. James under the alias of AFX and is the first release in the Analogue Bubblebath series.-Pressings:...
EP for Exeter's influential Mighty Force Records
Mighty Force Records
Mighty Force Records was a record shop and influential early techno label based in Exeter, Devon, South West England between 1990-1995. It was founded by ex-punk, ex-free festival activist and ex-warehouse party organiser Mark Darby and his partner, journalist Jess Shortis after they had visited...
. 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
Mark Pritchard (music producer)
Mark Pritchard is an electronic music producer and DJ from Sydney, Australia. Born in Yeovil, United Kingdom, he has released music on the labels Warp Records, Hyperdub, Dedicated and Sonar Kollektiv amongst others...
. The pair recorded under a host of pseudonyms, including the popular Reload (featuring experimental techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
and ambient music
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
), Global Communication
Global Communication
Global Communication is an electronic music act, composed of Tom Middleton and Mark Pritchard. Their debut LP, 76:14 is one of the most acclaimed albums from the ambient music genre and from 1990s electronic music in general....
(primarily ambient), and Jedi Knights (electro funk
Electro (music)
Electro is a genre of electronic dance music directly influenced by the use of TR-808 drum machines, Moog keytar synthesizers and funk sampling...
and house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
), plus lesser-known aliases Chameleon, Secret Ingredients, and Link & E621. Global Communication's 1994 ambient album 76:14
76:14
76:14 is an ambient music album by Global Communication, released in 1994. Originally released on Dedicated, the album has been re-issued a number of times, most recently in 2005 in an expanded and remastered version....
is widely considered to be a landmark of the genre.
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
Warp Records
Warp, commonly referred to as Warp Records, is a pioneering independent British record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the more enduring artists in electronic music....
in 1995 as The Theory of Evolution. The label name later changed to Universal Language Productions and launched a sublabel, Heard, then became E3 before finally winding down operations. The labels launched early releases from artists such as Matthew Herbert
Matthew Herbert
Matthew Herbert , also known as Herbert, Doctor Rockit, Radio Boy, Mr. Vertigo, Transformer, and Wishmountain, is a British electronic musician...
, as well as Middleton & Pritchard under their various guises.
Aside from Schizophrenia, Tom's solo projects include The Modwheel (experimental house music), Cosmos (progressive house music) and AMBA (ambient/classical). , Cosmos's "Take Me With You" was his most successful track. In 2007, Middleton abandoned the AMBA moniker, while still focusing on the ambient genre fusing classical traditions with electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
, featuring orchestral, choral and electro acoustic arrangements. A new EP, Excursions 1 was released on 10 September 2007 while the album Lifetracks
Lifetracks
Lifetracks is the debut solo album by respected British electronica artist Tom Middleton, released in the UK on October 1, 2007 and the US on November 6, 2007 . The title is a reference to representing different places, times, and people in the artist's life...
was released on Big Chill Recordings on 1 October 2007 under the name Tom Middleton.
Predominantly using the Cosmos and Modwheel monikers (and his own name) Middleton has remixed numerous artists including Kerri Chandler
Kerri Chandler
Kerri 'Kaoz' Chandler, one of deep House Music's originators, has been injecting soul into music since the early nineties. An ambassador of the 4/4 beat, Kerri's influences can be traced back to New Jersey growing up in a family of jazz musicians. His father being a deejay, provided Kerri with a...
, Orbital
Orbital (band)
Orbital are a British electronic dance music duo from Sevenoaks, England consisting of brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll. Their career initially ran from 1989 until 2004, but in 2009 they announced that they would be reforming and headlining The Big Chill, in addition to a number of other live shows...
, Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
, Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
, Underworld
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
, Fluke
Fluke (band)
Fluke are an English electronic music group formed in the late 1980s by Mike Bryant, Jon Fugler and Mike Tournier with Julian Nugent as the band's manager...
, Super Collider, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Spiller
Spiller
Cristiano Spiller is an Italian DJ.He had a #1 hit in the UK, Italy, Australia and other countries with the hit single, "Groovejet ", featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released in 2000...
, Model 500
Model 500
Model 500 may refer to:*A pseudonym used by techno music producer Juan Atkins*Smith & Wesson Model 500, a revolver*Model 500 telephone, a model manufactured by Western Electric...
, The Beloved
The Beloved
The Beloved are an English electronic dance music group, best known for the singles "Sweet Harmony", "Hello", "Your Love Takes Me Higher", and "Satellite".-Formation:...
, Rob Dougan
Rob Dougan
Rob Dougan, also known as Rob D , is a genre-blending music composer. Mixing elements of orchestral music, trip hop, and bluesy vocals, his work is tangentially relatable to electronic music. He was known primarily for his breakthrough 1995 single "Clubbed to Death ", further popularised by 1999's...
, Pulp
Pulp (band)
Pulp are an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their lineup consists of Jarvis Cocker , Russell Senior , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks ....
, Leftfield
Leftfield
Leftfield are a British duo of electronica artists and record producers, namely Paul Daley and Neil Barnes, who formed in 1990 in London, England...
, Ian Pooley
Ian Pooley
Ian Pooley is a German-born record producer and DJ. While incorporating samples of various musical genres, Pooley's creations are usually classified as house or tech house with Brazilian influence.-Career:...
, Dubtribe Sound System
Dubtribe Sound System
Dubtribe Sound System is a San Francisco based electronic musical group who produced and performed live world wide between 1991 and 2005.Dubtribe consisted of singers Sunshine Jones and Moonbeam Jones, but also included many sit in and "on tour" musicians over the years...
, All Saints
All Saints (band)
All Saints were a British/Canadian girl group. Founded in 1993 as All Saints 1.9.7.5, the group consisted of founding members Melanie Blatt and Shaznay Lewis, and sisters Nicole Appleton and Natalie Appleton...
, Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1999 in London, England, that consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory ....
, Lamb
Lamb (band)
Lamb is an electronic music duo from Manchester, England, whose music is influenced by trip hop and drum and bass. The duo consists of producer Andy Barlow, who also produces under the pseudonym Hipoptimist, and singer-songwriter Lou Rhodes...
, Röyksopp
Röyksopp
Röyksopp is a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø, formed in 1998. Since their inception, the band's line-up has included Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland....
, Gotan Project
Gotan Project
Gotan Project is a musical group based in Paris, consisting of musicians Philippe Cohen Solal , Eduardo Makaroff , and Christoph H. Müller .-History:...
, Amp Fiddler
Amp Fiddler
Joseph "Amp" Fiddler is an American keyboardist, singer, songwriter and record producer from Detroit, Michigan, U.S.. His musical styles include funk, soul, dance and electronica music. He is probably best known for his contributions to the band Enchantment, and as part of George Clinton’s...
, Mighty Dub Katz and Bebel Gilberto
Bebel Gilberto
Bebel Gilberto is a Brazilian popular singer often associated with bossa nova. She is the daughter of João Gilberto and singer Miúcha. Her uncle is singer/composer Chico Buarque...
.