Tom Middelton has for many years been one of Britain’s most respected DJ´s and producers and has over the years been a mayor factor in the ever changing electronic music genre. He is the man behind Global Communication, Jedi Knights and Reload and last year his hit “Take Me With You” was a huge success on the dance floor. No doubt that Cosmos is a force to be reckon with and he showed that at this year Roskilde Festival where I caught up with him.

The beginning
 At that time we were youngsters, listening to American electronic music, people like Carl Craig, Kevin Sonderson, Derrick May, Atkins, Terry, Master At Works and getting a taste of new club music coming from Detroit, Chicago and New York. My own start was through Richard James (Aphex Twin) he really inspired me to make music, showed me how to use a sampler and messing around inside the equipment to change the factory preset.

Inspired by Sci-Fi
 In Europe we had the Dutch and Belgium hardcore scene, and in the UK the early days of rave music was happening. At the same time a few people started making music that seamed to have a little more complexity to it, a little more depth to it, and it was inspired by Sci-Fi, technology and the future.

Into Brian Eno in a big way
 At a nightclub I met Mark Pritchard where he was DJ’ing, I said hello and played stuff for him that I had done, and eventually we got to the point where we went to a studio and making tracks and came up with the concept of the Evolution Records and the Reload project. Later I came up with the concept of Global Communication, communication of emotions and sounds. I was really into soundtracks and into Brian Eno in a big way.

Running in circles
 I think it’s interesting the way fashion in music, clothes and culture is running in circles. In the middle of the 90’ Mark and I decided to look at electro again and came up with the Jedi Knights project, revaluing and reshaping it to fit at a modern dance floor.

Rhythm, melody and harmony
 With my new Cosmos project I will be doing 3-4 min. songs with vocals and lyrics. The album will be done around August and a release early next year, I will start promo and talk about it in the end of the year. The exciting thing for me has been a process for me questioning what my musically identity is, what is it I really want to say. So I am coming back to a compilation I did “The Sound Of Comos” with rhythm, melody and harmony, for me it was crucial to focus on these things. There is going to be 10 or 11 tracks on the album converting feelings into music and into words.

Words and photos: Christian Almind