Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
It's not easy being part of the big-beat elite. By the time 2000 runs around, you're ignored by the electronic aristocracy, shunned like an illegitimate son at a Thanksgiving dinner party, and expected to sound exactly like Fatboy Slim. Yet under his nom de plume of Midfield General, Skint label owner and musician Damian Harris takes the "who gives a toss" approach to create a moody, antsy collection of breaks, beats, and a steadfast refusal to die. Luckily, music loves an iconoclast. One of the first warning signs of a quality comeback in the world of big beat was most assuredly Harris' own On the Floor at the Boutique, Vol. 3 mix album because much like that mix, Generalisation retains the unpretentious breakbeats and infectious eclecticism that made big beat such a good idea in the first place. Over here, for example, "General of the Midfield" combines a swishing house beat with pogo-ing bass licks. Or even close by, "Stigs in Love" goes from high keyboard notes and then slowly mutates into a jungle-influenced monster. Both songs certainly show how so much other dance music is tragically conservative. However, not all is as effective. One aspect of the album that one has to quickly become acclimated to is its odd shift of moods. From the fantastic thumps of the old favorite "Devil in Sports Casual" to the cartoonish electro-pulses of "Ricky 39" to the odd fatherly addendum of "Birthday," the album feels uncertain what mood to keep bouncing off of within its own time constraints. As if to prove the point, "Reach Out" -- the song a scant three tracks in -- is Generalisation's summit. It should remind listeners of the inventive nostalgia of songs like Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" or Groove Armada's "At the River," yet it wisely avoids the former's idiosyncratic nature and the latter's melodrama. Linda Lewis' vocals keep cycling to new heights as Harris keeps the song's expressive musical character building until everything has an emotive sheen. Which all helps make Generalisation a follow-up uppercut to Harris' On the Floor at the Boutique comeback punch. A dignified (albeit erratic) album that renews big beat's varied personality as well as its emotional potential.
© Dean Carlson /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From 12.49€/month
Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Composer, Writer, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Linda Lewis, FeaturedArtist - Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 1996 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Noel Fielding, FeaturedArtist - Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
ELVIS COSTELLO, Writer - Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Composer, Writer, Performance - Produced by Damian Harris, Producer
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 2000 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Fatboy Slim, Remixer - Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Composer, Writer, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 1997 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 2000 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 2000 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
ELVIS COSTELLO, Writer - Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Composer, Writer, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 2000 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 2001 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 2001 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 2000 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 1996 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Midfield General, MainArtist - Damian Harris, Performance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 1996 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Album review
It's not easy being part of the big-beat elite. By the time 2000 runs around, you're ignored by the electronic aristocracy, shunned like an illegitimate son at a Thanksgiving dinner party, and expected to sound exactly like Fatboy Slim. Yet under his nom de plume of Midfield General, Skint label owner and musician Damian Harris takes the "who gives a toss" approach to create a moody, antsy collection of breaks, beats, and a steadfast refusal to die. Luckily, music loves an iconoclast. One of the first warning signs of a quality comeback in the world of big beat was most assuredly Harris' own On the Floor at the Boutique, Vol. 3 mix album because much like that mix, Generalisation retains the unpretentious breakbeats and infectious eclecticism that made big beat such a good idea in the first place. Over here, for example, "General of the Midfield" combines a swishing house beat with pogo-ing bass licks. Or even close by, "Stigs in Love" goes from high keyboard notes and then slowly mutates into a jungle-influenced monster. Both songs certainly show how so much other dance music is tragically conservative. However, not all is as effective. One aspect of the album that one has to quickly become acclimated to is its odd shift of moods. From the fantastic thumps of the old favorite "Devil in Sports Casual" to the cartoonish electro-pulses of "Ricky 39" to the odd fatherly addendum of "Birthday," the album feels uncertain what mood to keep bouncing off of within its own time constraints. As if to prove the point, "Reach Out" -- the song a scant three tracks in -- is Generalisation's summit. It should remind listeners of the inventive nostalgia of songs like Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" or Groove Armada's "At the River," yet it wisely avoids the former's idiosyncratic nature and the latter's melodrama. Linda Lewis' vocals keep cycling to new heights as Harris keeps the song's expressive musical character building until everything has an emotive sheen. Which all helps make Generalisation a follow-up uppercut to Harris' On the Floor at the Boutique comeback punch. A dignified (albeit erratic) album that renews big beat's varied personality as well as its emotional potential.
© Dean Carlson /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 21 track(s)
- Total length: 01:59:10
- Main artists: Midfield General
- Composer: Damian Harris
- Label: Skint Records
- Genre: Electronic Dance
© 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company ℗ 1999 Skint Records Limited, a BMG Company
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.