Tom Middleton (born 18 August 1971) is a British electronic recording artist, sound designer, composer, music producer, remixer and DJ. His solo albums include '' Lifetracks'' (2007), ''Glasstracks'' (2011) and ''Sleep Better'' (2018). Middleton and Mark Pritchard have collaborated under various names including

Global Communication Global Communication is an electronic music act, consisting of Tom Middleton and Mark Pritchard. Biography Global Communication's first LP, '' 76:14'', is an acclaimed album from the ambient and 1990s electronic music genres. Beyond their w ...

Biography

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 ''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 inaugu ...

'' EP for

Mighty Force Records 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 (having briefly worked with the Stonehenge Free Festival Campaign in 1983) and warehouse par ...

. 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 Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

and

ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It may lack net composition, beat, or structured melody.The Ambient Century by Mark Prendergast, Bloomsbury, London, 2003. It u ...

(primarily ambient), and Jedi Knights (

electro funk Electro (or electro- funk)Rap meets ...

and

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

), 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. 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 (or simply Warp) is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by record store employees Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell and record producer Robert Gordon.Southern, Richard (2003) "Label of Love: WARP", X-RAY, A ...

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 Matthew Herbert (born 1972), also known as Herbert, Doctor Rockit, Radio Boy, Mr. Vertigo, Transformer, and Wishmountain, is a British electronic musician. He often takes sounds from everyday items to produce electronic music. Career Mat ...

, 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) 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 Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

, 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. 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." 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

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Middleton, Tom 1971 births Living people Remixers Ambient musicians English dance musicians English electronic musicians People educated at Truro School Six Degrees Records artists