SOUND NATION:
'Gwydion ap Hywel, the man behind the widely-revered Middlekid, is back with his first non self-released record. Amidst the glitchy middle ground between consumable breaks and beats and warped melodies 'Some Old B-Side' demonstrates this in a minimal and slightly unsettling fashion, whereas the jaunty techno of 'Bad Magic' ups the pace superbly. With so much solo 'dance' material being dismissed as self-indulgent and inaccessible, Middlekid allows you to get inside the tracks and see where the seams and glue are holding the music together. Through the nocturnal 'Sleep Crime' to the mid-tempo electronics of 'In The Wheel', Middlekid ensures that, for once, you can believe the hype.
RADIO 1:
'Next up, Middlekid Music - an intriguing album-length demo of minimal electronica from Cardiff-based techno newcomer Gwydion ap Hywel. Heavily percussive and melodically stark, with effects-twisted vocals issuing spasmodically from the foggy gloom, there's a cool Detroit feel to the finely-crafted likes of Dualism that's undeniably impressive, in a cold sort of way.'
|
WMF:
'There's a quiet revolution happening under the bedroom ceilings of South Wales' odd-looking 20-somethings. Electronic music is enjoying if not a purple patch then at least a small renaissance.
While not as madcap as the sonic and visual antics of the likes of Trauma Press' Presto & Spartanite, Middlekid - aka Caerphilly's Gwydion ap Hywel - makes music that challenges the listener and presents an alternative to conventional dance music.
This is, in many ways, dance music, even though you'd never hear it down the local Ritzy: its pounding beats outweigh its weirdo scratches and samples, taking it into the techno sphere of northern-European-influenced material (think of the pace of Jeff Mills or CJ Bolland). Plectrum SOS owes some to Underworld, even.
But still Worry Wires... is primarily left-field, as the fractured and jagged snatches of sound permeate the likes of Injuring An Insult. It's another shot in the arm for the scene.'
|
