Customer Reviews

Renaissance 3d

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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.

I had no idea who this guy was before I picked up this mix. The best test for a mix, in my opinion, is longevity, and this baby has been on replay now for almost a month... it's just damn good. Lots of wonderful grooves that blend perfectly with summertime... I always come out of the summer with that one album that defines it for me, and I think this might be it. The best part of it for me is the unexpected track selection. I read a bit about this guy and it looks like he's been around for a while, doing a lot during the early nineties. I'm getting a little tired of younger djs competing to pump out the same new tracks with all their releases. He has a great diversity of tracks on these discs, and almost all of them completely original to my ears. I recognized the track 'Halcyon' immediately from the Mortal Kombat soundtrack I used to listen to as a kid... an oldie, but put a big smile on my face when I heard it.

Truly a well thought out, cohesive, and FUN mix. Highly recommended!

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!!

Tom Middleton does one of the best and varied 3 disc sets that I have ever heard, even for those of you who don't like electronic music this will keep you going at home, in the car or just chillin. Have 3 discs that cover: home, club and studio tracks. MY best 08 CD of the year, and I bought this without ever hearing a tom middleton track before.

I finally hear a proper mix this year! Definitely one of the best comps of 2008.

Disc one - club: SICK! Tom lays it down. I think what I like most about this mix is how easily it flows. It seems as if though Tom just went into the studio, hit 'record', and started playing. The mixes are RAW, and it's a total "club" experience.

Disc two - Studio: Honestly, I could do without this disc. I guess I wish he would have "mixed" it, (as Satoshi did before him) even though he deliberately left them unmixed. It's hard to sit at home and listen to these full length versions. Props to Tom for giving these tracks as a gift for DJ's, but I didn't think it was the best idea for a Renaissance release.

Disc three - Home: Perfect! When most DJ's would take this opportunity to insert a bunch of "classic" (10+ years) tracks. TOM HAS CREATED CLASSICS. Again, this mix is RAW and thrown together with perfect flow & soul.

...in the words of the creator:

"*Beautiful Music - the most treasured of songs, as precious as gem stones, that could be buried for years, unearthed, rediscovered and shared again, none of their listening pleasure and exquisite properties having been diminished over time."

-Tom Middleton

In 2002, Tom Middleton released "The Sound of the Cosmos", a triple CD mix on Hooj Choons that defined his eclectic approach to music; Rhythm, Melody, and Harmony. The approach was to hit off with a thumping club mix, encompassing everything from breakbeat to deepstep and beyond. Next, the deep house disc refined Tom's approach to melodic and vocal house, while keeping a good portion of funk and soul for good measure. Lastly, the chill disc showed Tom doing what he did best, laidback grooves for the ultimate headtrip. Here, Tom again takes that approach; Club, Studio, and Home. While again following the same formula, you can defintely see his growth as a DJ, as well as the changes that have taken place in dance music this decade. You will not find a finer variety of mixes for every occasion this year. I would also recommend picking up Tom's debut solo album, "Lifetracks" which continues the approach of his classic electronic band Global Communication and delivers beautiful ambience with flawless melodies.

i had all cds of renaissance... tom... perfect... listen ... and listen... thanks Tom!