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Tom Middleton's Return Trip: 'The Trip Vol. 2'- Released This Month

Author: newz@tranzfusion
Sunday, November 5, 2006
Tom Middleton is a legend, theres no doubt about it! Lush of beard and eclectic of beat, Tom Middleton has carved a unique nook in the DJ business. His sets are a wonder of organised randomness, as indeed are his mix cds, his original 'The Trip' just one of several memorable selections.

Tom Middleton's widely acclaimed 2004 release 'The Trip Volume 1', set a new standard in compilation albums. 'The Trip' series is from Family Recordings (also label behind 12" 80s series), where a specially invited guest DJ has 'carte blanche' to create a unique album based around his or her personal record collection.

'The Trip' is undoubtedly one of the most exciting mix compilation series out there. Previous releases from the likes of Jarvis Cocker, Joey Negro, Tim Love Lee, Saint Etienne and Snow Patrol have given unique insights into the musical imagination of the compilers, as the listener joins them on a journey over two CD's of wonderfully diverse sounds.

When you see Tom Middleton's name attached to a compilation album you know you're in for a treat! Through his productions, remixes and legendary DJ sets, he has travelled to the furthest corners of sound. His recordings as Cosmos, Global Communication and The Jedi Knights (alongside Mark Pritchard) have consistently broken new ground in electronic music, and set the standard that others rarely reach.

Volume two kicks off in a similarly obtuse vein with the old Thames TV and This Is Your Life themes, somehow meshes seamlessly into uptempo funk 'n' hip-hop, then takes a more sedate route through leftfield beats and soundtracky bits.

Across the two CD's, Tom takes in classic hip-hop (Caveman, Eric B & Rakim), soul (Freda Payne, Lyn Collins), alternative pop (Goldfrapp, Stereo Mc's) & progressive rock (Tangerine Dream) .Theres also some real belters on view such as Air (Alpha Beta Gaga), Boards Of Canada (Dayvan Cowboy), Jakatta (The Other World), and Thievery Corporation (The Cosmic Game)

Add to this the dubby Boozoo Bajou, with S.I.P., and the excellent tranquillity of the closing Michael Stearns Varanassi Sunrise, complete with Vangelis excerpts from Bladerunner. Sandwiched between this fine collection are a couple of more hidden gems, notably Emiliana Torrini's beautiful acoustic track, Sunny Road, and Beck's orchestral Round The Bend - sounding rather like a modern Nick Drake.

Put in his own words: "The Trip 2 is a vertical and a horizontal selection of lifetracks for the iTunes generation. There's no shortage of nuggets to blend, it's all about the criteria you use to select and filter. These days for me it's about purity of emotional content; memorable melodies be they sung or played with strong rhythmic backbones. I'm not really concerned with the latest trends in sonic style, only timeless tunes from the present and recent past that just simply need to be heard and shared."

With 32 tracks in total, there's plenty more on offer in what is an inspirational, beautifully mixed CD. It's hard to imagine anyone who would not be impressed by this very sound collection to be honest .Surprising you with the unknown and thrilling you with the forgotten, 'The Trip 2' is never less than truly entertaining !!

Distributed by Stomp released on 6th of November by Family Recordings.

Track List
Disc 1 - Vertical
1 Thames TV Ident
2 Laurie Johnson - This Is Your Life
3 Moonbootica - Listen
4 Only Freak - Can't Get Away (From Your Love) Solid Groove Remix
5 Novika & Innocent Sorcerers - Finally
6 Simon Grey - Galactica Suite
7 Wicked Lestor - Skeewiff's Batucada Dub
8 Mahala Rai Banda - Mahalageasca - Felix B Jazzhouse Dub
9 Recloose - Manas Bounce
10 Kool & The Gang - Caribbean Festival (Edit)
11 Earth, Wind & Fire - Bad Tune
12 Jungle<
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