Midland - Graded 001

  • Share
  • The tracks that brought Midland his fame sat at the more polished end of the UK house spectrum, full of dramatic reverb and epic melodies. But after a brief hiatus and a return with this year's massive "Trace," he seems to be homing in on a dirtier, more bass-heavy sound. He's started a new label, Graded, and the two tracks he's chosen to inaugurate it are even more rough-and-tumble. "Archive01" seems to glean inspiration from bassline house. Midland's typical echoey vocal samples are chopped up into an infectious stutter, and the track pivots on a rather rude LFO bassline that lends it an easy swing. It feels like Midland's own house-centric version of the grime-dubstep-funky fusion peddled by acts like Visionist and Wen. Using the same wordless chop-ups, "Realtime" is like a lo-fie version of "Bring Joy," a highlight from Midland's early career. Cavernous synth breakdowns crash-land into a more standard beat, but its moodiness and analogue grit give it a nicely menacing edge.
  • Tracklist
      A Archive01 B Realtime
RA