Search - Tom Middleton :: Renaissance 3d

Three-Dimensional Purity

LexAffection | Philadelphia, PA USA | 02/19/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After successful '3D' outings by Progressive and House giants Satoshi Tomiie and Faithless, Renaissance taps into the marvelously talented mind of Tom Middleton - better known (aside from his solo work over the years) as one half of the cosmic digital-duo The Jedi Knights, whose 1996 record "New School Science" wrecked '90s conventionality and rightfully earned its place amongst the most revered electronic albums to have surfaced during the 1990's. But, twelve years later, what has Tom Middelton got to offer the electronic masses?



The answer, as evidenced by Renaissance: 3D, lies almost beyond words. The first disc, "Club," is a fascinating and intricate movement-mix of contemporary electrohouse tune.; Without being tacky, "Club" is an album that you will find yourself bouncing to whilst simultaneously marveling at its supersonic and diverse tracks that drop in beautiful and harmonious succession. The entire disc feels like one solid, complete venture into the dimly-lit dancefloors of modern electronica. "Club" is composed, arranged and mixed so deftly that I would not hesitate to compare the overall product to the quality with which Tomiie represents the second disc of his Master's Series installment. Amongst such dance stalwarts as James Zabiela, Simian Mobile Disco, Funk D'Void, Hipp-E, Groove Armada and Ben Watt, Middleton embraces a wider, more varied dance experience with tracks by The Timewriter, Kenny Hawkins, Mood II Swing, Mike Acetate, Artec and WiNK. Certainly the most solid of the three "Club" discs released thus far, Middleton's dancecapade alone is a must-have.



"Studio," a ten-track unmixed disc, is an interesting proposition. Whilst I did not have Ableton or Logic at my fingertips to experiment with the tracks chosen by Middleton for the second disc in this collaborative effort, and neither being much of a fan of unmixed dance albums, I thought this "Studio" mix was completely satisfying. There are some straight-up masterpiece tracks included on this disc alone by the likes of Kerri Chandler, Francois Dubois, Ulrich Schnauss and Lamb; furthermore, every track on the disc (with the exception of The Modwheel's ''Spiritcatcher'') has been, in some capacity, re-worked by Middleton. In other words, this DJ has created an unmixed album of varying artists that is a complete reflection of his work in the studio; it is an excellent representation of the concept Renaissance originally pitched in regards to a "studio" disc, and serves its purpose very well.



Last, and certainly not least, is "Home" - in my opinion, the most fascinating and addictive of the three albums by leaps and bounds. With a generous selection of twenty tracks, "Home" is a behemoth of a dance genre's musical orgy; what ensues is nothing short of beautiful. Orbital's "Halcyon" and System 7/Derrick May's "Attitude" are some of the tracks one might recognize instantly; moving further into the album, however, the direction the first quarter of the disc seems to take changes completely; so, too, does this happen at the halfway point (roughly speaking) and again, towards the end of the disc. "Home" embraces beauty, without reserve, in widely varying aspects of atmospheric electronica, electrohouse, vocal house, R&B, Hip Hop and ambience. And again, Middleton seems to possess an uncanny, almost inbred knack for capturing the essence of what any of the three given albums is meant to represent musically. The third disc is best experienced as accompaniment to tasks and activities centered around home-living; that is, cooking, cleaning, work, reading, entertaining, and anything else one might care to add to the list. As good as, if not completely different from, Middleton's "Club" disc, "Home" rounds off what might be, for all intensive purposes, a flawless contemporary house album.



As I sit here listening to strumming guitar chords and harmonica-synth riffs shimmering beneath foreign-tongue spoken word, I write with complete confidence that thus far, Tom Middleton's Renaissance: 3D is the single most accomplished and compositionally flawless album of its kind this year.



Twelve years' time has shown nothing but the fine aging and appreciation of a DJ whose influence spans decades and - at this rate - shall continue to do so. I give this my highest recommendation.



~ Lex"

Tom Does NO Wrong!

Craig Luedtke | Wisconi USA | 02/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The thing I found which separates Tom from my other favorite EDM producers & mixers (Nick Warren, Sander Kleinenberg, Kerri Chandler, Digweed, etc.) is his diverse and befitting selections.

Disc 1 (club) gets going on block-bumping grooves from the likes of Funk D'Void, Shur-I-Kan, Ben Watt, James Zabiela, & even Groove Armada.. to name a few. An exceptional club set sewn & mixed to perfection.



However, in my opinion, the highlight of this 3-disc gem is Disc 2 (studio), in which Tom showcases his remixing talent. Any DJs/mixers lost on some fresh tunes to add to their mix, look no further! Again, the diversity! (remixes of Ulrich Schnauss, Kerri Chandler, Lamb & Tom's own, Cosmos & The Mood Wheel); all very upbeat cuts to get any body movin.



Disc 3 (home), perhaps the most varied third, is right up there in quality with Disc 2. Hell, throw Orbital on any home-made mix and Id probably call it a classic :) Slightly-mellowed, but progressive & catchy grooves that conclude the 3-disc journey in style, only to leave the listener grabbing for Disc 1 wanting more..



Rounding up.. if you listen to music you need to purchase this album. Doesn't matter what type of music you're into, everyone can find appreciation. 2008 will really need to impress me to top this one."

Remember Cosmos and Check this one out!!

Nathaniel Udel | Ft. Collins, CO USA | 02/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Remember the success Tom had in the "Sound of the Cosmos". I was preping a meal one time and I played this 3CD set. My father doesn't like electronic, but he defintly loved the "Sound of the Cosmos". This 3CD set shows that the guy doesn't stick to just one thing, he experiments with all kinds of electronic stuff and pulls it out well in this 3D series.



All three CD's are good. The first CD deals with Tom's recent gigs and more of what he has been doing lately. It may not sound anything like Desyn Masiello's Balance release, but does not go over board. I hear pleasant "down to Earth" house music; very descent, underground, gentle, and well contructed. The second disc explores Tom Middleton doing different mixes of his own and Dub mixing. It sounds similiar to the Cosmos 3CD set and Tom gets an A+ for solid effort.



Think that is enough? Not quite! What about the third disc? There are tracks that make the third CD similiar to "Lifetracks". That is downtempo, chillout music, some ambient and mixture of other electronic stuff. It really reminds me of the "Cosmos" too. Very well done, organized mixing job for the Home disc. The one thing that this release has proven is that the "Jedi" has returned since the "Sound Of Cosmos".



There was a reason why Tom was chosen to get the job done for the 3D series and the Renaissance record label made a very smart move on behalf of their part. I knew that Tom would say something about the "Sound of the Cosmos" and that he could do a very productive job with this release. Tom said before doing this that he "wouldn't try to do it to be one of the best DJ's, but do it to produce an efficient release. This is exactly what he has done. Check this and Lifetracks out!!"