For Ear Sake

The Midnight Eez - The Midnight Eez (2011)

Genres: Hip Hop, Instrumental

First thing's first, the story behind this release seems a tad bit offbeat. The Midnight Eez is an unknown duo from the Bronx, NY. No one is aware of their whereabouts or has any leads on how to contact them. But oddly, their demo which dates back to 1995/1996 still managed to get released on vinyl through All City Records. Here's what All City had to say about the release:

"So this is how the story goes.. A long long time ago in a galaxy far away, that is to say pre-internet, 1995 or 1996 to be not very exact, All City co-founder Splyce found himself on one of his regular record buying sojourns to New York. Approached outside the Fat Beats store by two guys who had heard he was a DJ from out of town and were eager to spread word of their production work outside their homeland, he was given a mix tape demo of their beats. Named The Midnight Eez, from the Bronx, they were one of thousands of budding production units on Manhattan Island. The tape came only with a name and pager number, which hardly surprisingly now goes unanswered in 2011, but after relocating that same tape in a recent house move, in the spirit of musical altruism we have decided to give it the proper vinyl release it deserves. Hopefully this release will see The Midnite Eez them get some belated but deserved shine."

It's great that their material will finally see the light of day, instead of covered in dust particles and only God knows what else in a "long forgotten" portion of DJ Splyce's old home. However, something doesn't sit well. When reading about the outlandish story of the album's origin, I quickly thought, "Where do the proceeds go? Will All City Records reap benefits from material that wasn't authorized to be sold? What happens if the group is never to be found?" In addition, the individuals shown in the album cover are far from the duo; the picture was taken by the New York photographer Sue Kwon. It doesn't seem fair. Regardless of how unfair and far-out the story is, it didn't keep me from allowing my ears to partake in the eargasmic Hip Hop instrumentals.

Another thought that came to mind was, "How can material released so long ago stand tall with material released today?" The self titled album The Midnight Eez will leave listeners in astonishment. There's a 15/16 year gap in between now from when they created the demo. These guys were clearly beyond their time; and if they're still making music, one can only image what their material sounds like now.

You can easily get lost in the mellowness of their instrumentals. Their music takes you to a placid dominion where wanting to lyrically float above the beats is an understatement. The Midnight Eez is strongly recommended to everyone that enjoys Hip Hop instrumentals. All City Records has copies of the vinyl (here) for 9 euro, which equals out to 12 US dollars. I've also included two tracks that I personally favor below, so be sure to check them out, and purchase yourself a copy if you enjoy what you hear.

The Midnight Eez - Night Walk

The Midnight Eez - Dust