Tip: Tom Middleton’s ‘Sleep Better’ is the Natural Secret to a World-Class Night’s Sleep

TOM MIDDLETON Sleep Better

Globetrotting DJ/producer/sound designer Tom Middleton has been burning the creative candle at both ends since the late ’80s in Cornwall, England. At the start of his production career he struck up a friendship with a then unknown chap named Richard D. James, whose Aphex Twin project was just getting off the ground. Not too long after Middleton had found his groove, creating genre-defining music with Mark Pritchard in Global Communication. (The duo’s 1994 album, 76:14, is a benchmark of excellence in the field.)

Middleton’s lengthy discography is truly something to behold — countless productions, remixes and a spate of brilliant mix CDs spanning ambient, deep house and downtempo. (2002’s sprawling three-disc opus The Sound Of The Cosmos is as sublime a mix collection as they come.) Factor in a variety of work as a sound designer, sample pack producer and that equals a busy man.

More recently, Middleton has come to learn and better understand the science of sleep, which invigorates the mind, body and soul, reduces stress, energizes, calms and plays an important role in overall wellbeing. If you don’t get enough of it on a consistent basis — a challenge for many of us in our always-on culture — then serious health problems may develop.

The cost of sleep deprivation in the US costs 1.2 million lost working days a year, costing $411bn or 2.28 percent of GDP. Middleton says if we could get just one more hour of quality sleep to make up to 7 hours plus, it would add £24bn back to the UK economy.

Middleton trained to become a sleep coach, learning about sleep architecture, sleep health and hygiene. Before long his two passions converged. It led to Sleep Better (Universal Music), an album of soundscapes designed to help inspire relaxation before bedtime. The tracks he created slow respiration with the goal of reducing blood pressure and stress levels, with the goal of activating the relaxation mechanism.

On the eve of the album’s release on World Sleep Day, Middleton recalls how he became interested in sleep science and why Sleep Better could be the important project of his career. Continue Reading

Tom Middleton On His Bedroom Studio Days With Aphex Twin

Tom Middleton loopmasters

DJ/producer/sound designer Tom Middleton cut his production teeth in the late ’80s in Cornwall, England, after striking up a friendship with Richard D. James while Aphex Twin was in its infancy. Middleton’s studio experiments with James influenced him greatly and set the stage for his groundbreaking ambient work with Mark Pritchard in Global Communication. (The duo’s 1994 album, 76:14, remains a benchmark of excellence in the field.)

Middleton has since gone on to fine-tune his own impeccably diverse sound, one which  spans the spectrum from deep house to classical. With a spate of wondrous albums, singles, remixes and DJ mix compilations, the lessons he learned all those years ago in Cornwall continue to resonate.

As James presents his much-ancticipated Syro after a decade-plus absence from music, the constantly innovating Middleton has just unveiled his second sample pack for Loopmasters, Dub Bass House, and is finishing up a series of album projects.

We spoke with Middleton about how he came to work with James and the experience that made an indelible mark on his musical psyche.

Tom Middleton presents Dub Bass House is out now on Loopmasters.
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