In the 21st century, there has been a huge uplift in the demand and popularity of EDM based music and its relevant subgenres. There have been some successful artists in the subgenre of Breakbeat as well. General Midi is one of them. Although he is now a schoolteacher in London, this is his first major release and probably something historical of note. Let’s hear this album and see if it is any good.

Statement Of Intent begins this album with some clapping and cheering, followed by a wah-wah sound, hi-hats and launches quickly into a meaty and decent sounding breakbeat. Soon into it, some Rapping enters and this is undeniably awesome. A very strong start to this album, it has some Acid squelches throughout. This is obviously quite a party tune, and it is a great statement of intent, per see. There is a brief breakdown with Rapping, before continuing back into the track. This is a historical styled listen that is a good mixture of Hip Hop sensibilities and Breakbeat knowledge. Energetic and great. There is a percussive breakdown before it goes back into the main section. A cool and excellent piece to listen to, this is a fun and danceable listening experience. The primary instrumental finish is really great, and it sounds excellent from start to finish. Good hybrid tune of influences present.

Good To Go begins with some short silence, followed by processed vocals and a great groove to match. More Rapping emerges and we then launch into a fantastic Breakbeat groove that is impressive. This is intelligent, thoughtful and well delivered. An energetic and fantastic piece of music, this is an effortless mesh of Hip Hop styled vocals and tripped out EDM beats and sounds. It surprisingly is adrenaline pumping. There is a slowdown in the middle, quickly followed by some continually impressive sounds. An interesting and valuable tune, this does sound really fantastic. One can sense the Ecstasy being dropped on these tunes, there are continually great sounds and euphoria that isn’t either unoriginal or overly repetitive. Another great tune, General Midi is great at impressing. This one fades out gradually.

Rock This Place begins with some psychedelic Acid/Techno sounds and down pitched vocals. This quickly launches into an awesome piece of Breakbeat mastery that sounds original and unlike anything else out there. This is a fairly minimal listening experience, but an excellent one nonetheless. If you love EDM, beats, original and boundary-pushing tunes, then this is for you. A good breakdown occurs, with the down pitched vocals repeated stating some commands for the listener. A really fantastic and great listen, this is really awesome music. Uplifting, danceable and energetic, this is a cool listen. It is seemingly a good hybrid between straight-up danceable EDM and home listening Electronic music. Very cool and lively music, this is not necessarily the throwaway dance compilation with a shelf life of two weeks. The second half is a major breakdown with minimal sounds that keep you listening. A really good piece of electronic mayhem, this deserves your attention. An enjoyable five minutes of music. This piece ends abruptly.

Turn It Loud begins with some ambient styled sounds, quickly followed by some original vocal samples, more code like sound effects and some cleverly done breakbeats. This track quickly gets into a great mixture of Rap music and Breakbeat. Bear in mind that back in the early 1970s, DJ Kool Herc pioneered modern electronic music with such sounds combined. This tune is a nod to the history of music, and it does it with attitude. A different and clever listen, this is fist-pumping and crowd making music. There is a breakdown with a slight Reggae tone in the vocals, before this tune resumes and it is somewhat aggressive sounding. A really awesome and nicely delivered piece of well-crafted music, this is good for those who like their Breakbeat a bit differently. In the second half, the vocals finish, before this track has some great delayed sounds and textures. Interesting, although as a side note, it could be a little shorter as it is five and a half minutes long. Still, it is a great and simple musical piece that should grab your attention.

On The Run begins with some surreal and ethereal percussion sounds that sound unlike anything else. Soon enough, some very NuBreed sounding beats and textures enter. Obviously not the most original piece this time around, it quickly launches into Acid nirvana. This is a straightforward tune without vocals, and it sure sounds interesting. Some great semi-percussion continues throughout this track, in various layers and sounds. There are more additional textures that enter, making this a great and interesting listen. Although most electronic music is fairly generic, this piece is not as generic as one would think. The breakdown in the middle is fantastic, very psychedelic and outer space like. A fine and interesting sort of listen, it quickly enters into a more subtle area with different sounds and straightforward Breakbeats. It then goes back into the Acid heavy section which is very catchy and listenable. A really awesome and great piece of music throughout, this is inspired by many different types of music. Towards the end, there are some washes of basslines, followed by the ethereal sounds from the start of the track. This repeats throughout the fade-out, nice effort.

A Recording begins with strange mechanical sounds, followed by sampled vocals and far-out sounds that sound brilliant. Soon enough, it launches into a good and punchy Breakbeat that sounds massive. It goes into an awesome mixture of basslines and beats that are minimal, yet really catchy and fantastic. Very upbeat and punchy, General Midi is one dude who knew how to craft great tunes. A breakdown occurs just after the middle of the track that has some nice cut-up sounds, before going back into that heavy beat section from before. Even for a minimal piece of music such as this, there is so much going on melody and percussion wise to grab your attention. Groovy and powerful, this is one of the best pieces from this album. Excellent to listen to, this begins to wrap up with cut-up sounds and treated vocal samples, simply stating that the recording is ending. Excellent work.

Jason Calling is less than a minute long. It is an answering machine message that sounds totally weird. Probably not a necessary addition to this album, the message is just putrid. The most stupid track ever made that lasted under a minute.

Shadow begins with some strange bell-like sounds that repeat. Some spacey keyboard sounds then enter, and this piece sounds quite eerie. It gradually launches into a piece that sounds like suspense for a horror film, especially so given the name of the tune. It quickly goes into another Acid House inspired tune, but with Breakbeats and eerie sounds to match. This is good for what it is, although it doesn’t really fit with the rest of the flow of the album. In any case, this should have been used in the movies. In the middle is an additional melody that sounds cool. Glassy melodic sounding melodies are here before this piece continues on with the beats. Seemingly so, this is quite a good album to listen to, even with some bizarre tunes like these. A different and interesting listen, but only for when the mood strikes for something like this. A good mixture of sounds that slow right down at the end, before concluding. Nice.

Tell Me What You Want begins with some surreal Acid sounds and whispered vocals stating the song title. Soon enough, this launches into a great mixture of Acid House and Breakbeats. Perhaps General Midi was treading fairly standard ground on this tune, but despite that, he could make some killer tracks such as this one. A great and danceable piece of music, this is something that you can bop along to. A really cool and enjoyable piece of music that kicks along well, this is an interesting and exciting piece of music. A really upbeat and interesting piece of futuristic music, this definitely sounds intricate and intelligent music for those who like EDM with Breakbeats. Clever and cool, this pounds and drives along nicely. It is surprisingly an underrated tune, and if you like this sort of Electronic music, you should definitely give this a whirl. A really cool tune that sounds punchy and catchy, if you like great EDM, this track is a good starting point. Really cool music, it ends with some delayed vocals. Great.

The Eastoner follows and has some beautiful reversed sounds before an organ sound patch enters. This is very deep and beautiful throughout, and it sounds really clever and amazing. Hi-hats follow before this piece gets fairly busy. Soon enough, a basic drum part enters and this is quite cinematic. A very good bassline follows, which sounds really interesting and amazing. A cool and spaced out listen is on this tune, and the whole thing sounds very magical. A good and fresh piece of music, it quickly changes in the second half to trippy soundscapes that are indescribably good. There is some gorgeous piano to match as well. Deep and groovy bassline parts are present, which sound as though they are real bass guitar parts. A really good piece of music, and likely the most popular track from General Midi. It ends with gorgeous sounds galore, before ending with reversed keyboard patches. Nice job.

Rattle Ya Cage begins with Martin Luther King Jr. styled samples and some interesting percussion-based sounds that sound excellent. It quickly emerges into a Breakbeat heavy piece with some rather raspy vocals from a guest. This is a good piece of music, although the raspy vocals probably could have been done better. The tune is very much a driving Breakbeat staple of music, and it sure sounds excellent. Interesting tune, although the lyrics and raspy singing are probably better for a different type of music. Nonetheless, a good track but certainly not a great one. Interesting music, it ends with the vocal sample from the start of the track prominent in the fade-out.

Never Gonna Stop The Show begins with some tripped out sounding vocals and some beeps and bleeps before this track launches into a really good piece of music with Rapping in it. It is a catchy and excellent Rap tune over a firm backing track that sounds really decent and excellent. A good tune that sounds really groovy and danceable, this is an ode to the music of sorts. Good tune with a nicely penned set of lyrics, there is a small breakdown with the Rapping taking centre stage, before this piece resumes. A very energetic and interesting tune to listen to, there are some excellent Acid House inspired sounds throughout. The breakdown towards the end is good, and this is a really awesome-sounding piece. Towards the end, there are some layered vocal parts, before this tune ends. This probably could have been cut down somewhat in length, but it’s good.

The Westerner begins with some weird reversed harmonies and basic beats. This is minimalist music, once again. Soon into it, some extra realistic percussion and razor-sharp sounds enter. Eventually, this launches into a Plump DJs style groove that is awesome and fantastic, and it really is inspiring to hear. A great mixture of basslines and beats, this is a welcome listen from all the Rapping throughout the album. The sounds are interesting here, and this is a more danceable piece of good music. A nice way to end this album, it sounds very inspired and awesome to listen to. A fairly Progressive EDM sort of breakdown is in the second half, before going back into the dirty groove. This one is particularly good, it just is a really nice slice of Breakbeat EDM. A decent way to finish off a good album, this is an eclectic track. It slowly winds down before concluding with stereo panned sounds.

This is a good, but not a great album that is fairly minimal in its delivery. The quality is a mixed bag. Some tracks sound great, others clearly need some work on them. Like most EDM albums, the shelf life of this is somewhat limited and there is a real 2005 feel to this listen, rather than a listen that lasts forever. Should you listen to this? Yes, but only if you are a real EDM fan. Otherwise, this is something fairly forgettable and avoidable.

Minimalist Breakbeat.

7/10