From The Floppy Disk
Tim McEwan
Tim McEwan | |
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McEwan performing live with The Midnight in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Tim Daniel McEwan |
| Also known as | Data, iAmData, Varsity Blue |
| Born | September 16, 1979 Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) |
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| Instrument(s) |
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| Years active | 1999–present |
| Member of |
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Tim Daniel McEwan (born September 16, 1979) is a Danish drummer, songwriter, and producer. He is the primary producer and songwriter of The Midnight.
McEwan grew up in a musical family and started drumming at a young age. Around the age of 17, he began producing and did a few productions in his native Denmark. In 2008, he joined the Danish production group Deekay and began writing and producing for many popular artists.[1][2]
In 2012, McEwan met Tyler Lyle at a songwriting workshop in Los Angeles. The two made an instant connection and began writing songs. McEwan and Lyle formed The Midnight and self-released their first extended play (EP) in 2014 and have continuously released music since.
Early Life
McEwan was born in Copenhagen, Denmark to Tom McEwan and Terese Damsholt. His father is an actor and musician and his mother is an actress. He has a brother, Oliver, who is also a musician. Being the son of a musician, McEwan was exposed to music from a young age, having access to a guitar, drum, and piano at home growing up. He started playing the drums as an adolescent and began producing at the age of 17.[3]
Career
Throughout the early 2000s, McEwan produced a few songs and did some remixes.[4] He gained higher prominence in 2008, writing and producing several songs on Show the World, the debut album from Danish singer and The X-Factor winner Martin.[5] Also in 2008, McEwan became a member of the production/songwriting team Deekay,[1][2] a Danish-based outfit that has written and produced songs for many popular artists including Jordin Sparks, Sugababes, JLS, and New Kids on the Block.[6] In 2009, McEwan served as the drummer for Niels Brinck, who performed the song Believe Again as part of Denmark’s entry to that year’s Eurovision Song Contest. The song made the contest final where it finished in thirteenth place.[7]
McEwan has stated that his musical influences include Avicii, deadmau5, Porter Robinson, Dirtyloud, Arty, and Mat Zo.[8]
The Midnight
Still residing in Denmark, McEwan visited Los Angeles in 2012 and met Georgia based singer-songwriter Tyler Lyle at a songwriter’s workshop in North Hollywood organized by Katie Donovan, Lyle’s A&R representative at the time.[9] Prior to meeting, McEwan had listened to some of Lyle’s previous work and liked Lyle’s folk sound. The two began writing songs and on McEwan’s suggestion, based their sound on 80s synth, having prior exposure to the synthwave genre and being inspired by the movie Drive. Their first song written as a duo was WeMoveForward,[9][10] and their first release as a band under The Midnight moniker was the 2014 extended play Days of Thunder. McEwan is the primary producer and songwriter in The Midnight. While Lyle is the primary vocalist and lyricist, McEwan wrote the lyrics and sang the vocals on the songs Synthetic and Comet.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Multi-platinum Record Production Team Deekay – Pro Music Magazine – Inside the Music Business". Pro Music Magazine. September 21, 2008. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Multi-platinum Record Production Team Deekay". My Hit Online. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- ↑ "THE MIDNIGHT: Tim McEwan And Tyler Lyle On Bringing 'Monsters' To Life!". Icon Vision. July 9, 2020. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
- ↑ "April 1, 2010". Discogs. Archived from the original on May 30, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
- ↑ "Martin – Show The World (2008, CD)". Discogs. May 30, 2008. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ↑ "Credits - DEEKAY Music". Deekay Music. January 1, 2022. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
- ↑ "BT TV: McEwan-brødre skal føre Brinck til sejr | BT Underholdning - www.bt.dk". BT. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
- ↑ "The Midnight on Seminal Album "Monsters" and the Volcanic Potential of Synthwave Culture [Interview] - EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists". EDM.com. August 18, 2020. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Who Are The Midnight?: An Interview with the Masters of Modern Nostalgia". Vehlinggo. November 12, 2017. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
- ↑ "Retrowave Sessions Ep 2: The Midnight - YouTube". YouTube. May 30, 2019. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
External links
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Dance With Somebody
| "Dance With Somebody" | ||||
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| Single by The Midnight | ||||
| from the album Monsters | ||||
| Released | June 10, 2020 | |||
| Length | 4:17 | |||
| Label | Counter Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Tim McEwan | |||
| Monsters track listing | ||||
Monsters | ||||
| The Midnight singles chronology | ||||
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Dance With Somebody[1] is a song by The Midnight. It is the third single and third track from their album Monsters. The single was released on June 10, 2020.[2][3]
The song was written by band members Tim McEwan and Tyler Lyle and produced by McEwan. The synth bass on Dance With Somebody was performed by Oliver McEwan and the saxophone was played by Thomas Edinger. It has a running time of four minutes and 17 seconds and is in the key of A-flat major.
Tyler Lyle said about the song:[4]In an interview with Magnetic Magazine, the band said about Dance With Somebody:[5]’Dance With Somebody’ is essentially telling the shy kid in the back of the class not to put up too many barriers and to take off your armor. Sometimes it’s Friday night and you just can’t help it, you have to go dancing.
Tim: We had the hook sitting around for a long time but the verses were so hard to crack. It took us many re-writes to get it right. From a production standpoint I wanted this one to be a bop that you could throw on while getting ready to go out but while still having a deeper meaning behind it.
Tyler: This was tricky. We re-wrote the verses to this at least four or five times. We knew what the hook was, and we knew we wanted the narrator to give a kind of invocation to lose yourself to the music. We carry so much armor around. I never thought much about dancing until I went to a religious college that forbade it. When I escaped that place (I only lasted a year), I decided to dance at every opportunity. Sometimes the only way out of your head is to get into your feet.
The Dance With Somebody poster seen in the single artwork is a slight variation of the poster for the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing. The faint caption below the title Dance with Somebody says "Some dance partners need a dance partner too...", a reference to a lyric in the song. Next to the poster is a taped note that says "Life's too short to dance by yourself ♥", which is another lyric reference.
Demo version
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An early demo of Dance With Somebody was released as a prize during the Fall 2020 ARG. Titled Dance with Somebody v5 GUIDE VOX (60%), it is considerably different from the final version. The demo is slower, has different instrumentation in some parts, is in a different key (B-flat major), has a different lyrical structure, and the vocals are sung a little differently in some parts. The second verse is missing and there are some other small variations in the lyrics. The demo has a guitar solo instead of a saxophone solo.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Tim McEwan and Tyler Lyle.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dance With Somebody" | 4:17 |
| 2. | "Deep Blue" | 3:57 |
| 3. | "America Online" | 5:49 |
| Total length: | 14:03 | |
Lyrics
Take off your armor
Friend of mine
I have no arrows
But I got time
All your sorrows
Keeps you glued to your seat
Can we get you you outta your head
Into your feet
It’s not that the rest of us
Don’t have the blues
It’s just that some dance partners need a dance
Partner too
Is that you
Life’s too short to dance by yourself
Think you should dance with somebody
Life’s too short to dance by yourself
Think you should dance with somebody
Take off your armor
Let down your hair
You could sit on your hands or
You could get closer if you dare
And it’s not that the rest of us don’t have to fight
For every bit of love for and every bit of light
But tonight
It’s Friday night
Life’s too short to dance by yourself
Think you should dance with somebody
Life’s too short to dance by yourself
Think you should dance with somebody
Lyrics source[1]
Official versions
Dance With Somebody (Instrumental)
from Monsters (The Instrumentals)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Dance With Somebody | The Midnight". Bandcamp. July 10, 2020. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ↑ "the midnight on X: "-DΛNCΞ- Dance With Somebody. Out now. New album MONSTERS out July 10. Preorder here: Artwork by @ecstaticpsd" / X". Twitter. June 10, 2020. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ↑ "Spotify – Dance With Somebody". June 10, 2020.
- ↑ "The Midnight Share "Dance With Somebody," Discuss New Record". American Songwriter. June 10, 2020. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ↑ "The Director's Cut: The Midnight - MONSTERS - Magnetic Magazine". Magnetic Magazine. July 10, 2020. Archived from the original on March 28, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
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Nocturnal
| Nocturnal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Album by | ||||
| Released | October 13, 2017 | |||
| Genre | Synthwave | |||
| Length | 42:20 | |||
| Label | The Midnight Music | |||
| Producer | Tim McEwan | |||
| The Midnight chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Nocturnal | ||||
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Nocturnal is the second album by The Midnight. It was released independently by the band on October 13, 2017.[1] Crystalline was the lone single to release from the album.
Background and composition
The first hint of new music from The Midnight after the August 2016 release of Endless Summer was a snippet Tim McEwan posted to social media in December that same year.[2] The snippet had a title of Comet and featured McEwan as the vocalist, which would have been the first time since Synthetic that a song with his vocals was on a The Midnight release. Ultimately, Comet did not end up making the then-unknown album but was promised by McEwan to be released one day. The song was eventually included on the 5 Year Anniversary Edition reissue of Endless Summer.
In February 2017, a video of Nikki Flores singing to an unidentified song (which would turn out to be Light Years) was shared by the band.[3] McEwan shared in early March that he was en route to New York City to write new songs with Tyler Lyle.[4] The same week, McEwan said that there were some "moody vibes in the studio right now."[5] Also in March, it was posted on social media that a song titled Maniac Cop was being worked on, but no snippet was shared.[6] As no song on Nocturnal has that name, it is not known if the title was later changed or if the song was cut from the album. In late March, continuing production of new material was hinted at with McEwan posting that he was "struggling with the ever elusive kick drum."[7]
More information about new songs and a new album continued to be shared over the first half of 2017. In April, the band shared that the next album "will have a slightly darker tone"[8] and also shared a snippet of a song presumably titled Lone Wolf.[9] This particular song did not make the album but was later confirmed by McEwan to appear on a future album instead.[10] A clip of Collateral was posted in early May.[11] In June, McEwan shared that he was "going through guitar takes for one of our new songs" and further stated that "the lead sound is SO PERFECT. Very 'In The Air Tonight'."[12] In June, the band shared that "there's a track on the new album that'll make your nose bleed."[13] Lyrics from what would end up being the song Crystalline were posted in early July.[14]
On August 9, 2017, The Midnight officially confirmed that a new EP (later regarded as an album) was being released on October 13.[15] About a week later, an upcoming single titled Crystalline was teased and was referred to as a song that "will set the tone for the new EP."[16] Later in August, a clip of Tokyo Night Train was shared. On August 23, the EP's title of Nocturnal was announced alongside a snippet of the title track.[17] A few days later, the artwork for Nocturnal was teased with McEwan saying "if you like movies like Drive, Blade Runner, Thief, Manhunter and The Terminator then you going to love the artwork for Nocturnal."[18] The band said in early September that the new EP "will be slightly more introvert" and "less concerned about big hooks and more about creating mood and vibe."[19] A short clip of Crystalline was shared on September 9 and the single was said to be "coming soon."[20] On September 13, the band said they were "putting the finishing touches to the mix of our first single Crystalline."[21] Two days later, the band referred to Crystalline as being "different, yet still familiar" and stated that they "went off book a little bit" with the song.[22] Another snippet of Crystalline was shared on September 18 and a release date of September 22 was announced.[23] The single artwork was revealed on September 21.[24]
After the single release, more new lyrics (this time from Shadows) were posted towards the end of September.[25] It was also shared in another post that a track from Nocturnal would have a solo "that is a straight up homage to Whitesnake's Is This Love."[26] During an interview with LA Music Blog on the release day of Crystalline, McEwan said the following about Nocturnal:[27]A small snip of the album artwork was shared on October 6, [28] and a collaboration with Timecop1983 was teased on October 7.[29] Names of the tracks from Nocturnal were shared over the following days, and the full artwork was revealed on October 9.[30] A duet with Nikki Flores titled Light Years was revealed on October 11 and was said to be a "spiritual successor to Jason."[31] The complete tracklist was revealed on October 12,[32] and Nocturnal was officially released the following day on October 13.[33]It’ll be more in line with “Vampires” or another track called “Equalizer”. What inspires me is usually movies. The aesthetic I’m going for with this new EP is more older Michael Mann movies like Thief and Heat or James Cameron’s The Terminator from 1984. That kind of nighttime, Los Angeles, cruising around the city, streetlights, neon, maybe a little bit of rain coming down the windscreen. It’ll have more moody, cooler vibe. It’ll be less John Hughes and more Miami Vice at night.
Two days after release, Nocturnal was the top-selling release on Bandcamp and it remained in the top spot for over a week.[34][35][36] The album charted at number seventeen on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums Chart after release and the following year it peaked at number seventeen on the Billboard Heatseekers Album chart.[37][38] Nocturnal received mainly positive reviews from critics, who noted the darker and more mature sound compared to Days of Thunder and Endless Summer.[39][40][41][42][43] It was chosen by NewRetroWave as their top EP of 2017.[44]
Nocturnal contains seven tracks, but there was originally planned to be more, with the band deciding to cut several songs that didn't fit the overall theme of the album.[45] Lyle initially envisioned the album as a "full Halloween/October release that was bit darker than the usual The Midnight fare." The idea of a Halloween-themed EP was later revisited by The Midnight in 2020 with Horror Show. The band said they were inspired by several noir themed shows and films, including Stranger Things, The Terminator, and the movies created by John Carpenter.
Nocturnal sees The Midnight collaborating again with Nikki Flores on the song Light Years. Flores co-wrote the song and provides vocals to accompany those of Lyle. She previously worked with the band on the song Jason from Endless Summer. Additionally, The Midnight also collaborated with popular synthwave artist Timecop1983 on the track River of Darkness.
Singles
Track listing
All tracks are written by Tim McEwan and Tyler Lyle except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shadows" | 6:27 |
| 2. | "Crystalline" | 6:02 |
| 3. | "Collateral" | 5:46 |
| 4. | "River of Darkness (feat. Timecop1983)" (Lyle, McEwan and Jordy Leenaerts) | 6:05 |
| 5. | "Nocturnal" | 7:03 |
| 6. | "Light Years (feat. Nikki Flores)" (Lyle, McEwan and Nikki Flores) | 5:21 |
| 7. | "Tokyo Night Train" | 5:36 |
| Total length: | 42:20 | |
Credits
Additional instrumentation was provided by Thomas Edinger (saxophone), Pelle Hillström (lead guitar on Crystalline & River of Darkness), Mads Storm (synth guitar solo on Collateral), Dan Rockett (guitar harmonics on Collateral), Kristiane (Crystalline whisper) and Nikki Flores (vocals on Light Years).
The album was mixed by Tim McEwan and mastered by Anders Schumann.
Artwork by David Legnon.
Songs that inspired Nocturnal
On January 26, 2018, The Midnight shared a Spotify playlist of songs that inspired the music on Nocturnal.[46][47] The songs on the playlist are:
- "Paint It, Black" (The Rolling Stones)
- "The Terminator Theme (Extended Version)" (Brad Fiedel)
- "Bad As Me" (Tom Waits)
- "In The Air Tonight - 2015 Remastered" (Phil Collins)
- "Red Right Hand - 2011 Remastered Version" (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds)
- "You Belong To The City" (Glenn Frey)
- "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness" (The National)
- "A Thousand Years" (Toto)
- "Waiting Around to Die" (Townes Van Zandt)
- "Theme from "St. Elsewhere"" (Dave Grusin)
- "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole" (Martha Wainwright)
- "Pretty Pimpin" (Kurt Vile)
- "Is This Love - 2007 Remastered Version" (Whitesnake)
- "The Thunder Rolls - Cover" (All That Remains)
- "Love on a Real Train" (Tangerine Dream)
- "Because the Night" (Patti Smith)
- "Frankfurt" (Pryda)
- "Midnight" (Coldplay)
- "Clean" (The Japanese House)
- "When the City Sleeps" (Voyager 12)
- "Paint It Black" (8-Bit Misfits)
- "Infinite" (Notaker)
Release history and variants
| Date | Edition |
|---|---|
| October 13, 2017 | Standard |
| December 15, 2017[48] | Instrumentals |
| April 2, 2021 | Stems |
| Year | Format | Color/Design |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Cassette | White |
| 2018 | Cassette | Blue |
| 2018 | LP | Blue |
| 2018 | LP | Pink |
| 2022 | CD | - |
| 2024 | LP | Transparent Blue |
References
- ↑ https://themidnight.bandcamp.com/album/nocturnal
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/TheMidnightOfficial/videos/1798807050344106
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/TheMidnightOfficial/videos/1836541939903950
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1839389036285907&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1840036032887874&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1843002199257924&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1849686015256209&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1859728167585327&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1859828360908641
- ↑ https://twitter.com/TheMidnightLA/status/1198463902842941440
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/TheMidnightOfficial/videos/1872524036305740
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1890587614499382&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1898480393710104&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1903497283208415&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1918051898419620&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1920779604813516&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1924036174487859
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1925869540971189&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1927901600767983&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1930558317168978
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1932148527009957&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1932583993633077&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1934127390145404
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/1396858670538948/photos/a.1423071464584335/1935311236693686
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1936371556587654&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1938284856396324&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20180130121456/http://lamusicblog.com/2017/09/interview/interview-with-the-midnight/
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/1396858670538948/photos/a.1423071464584335/1941183679439775/?type=3
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1941971689360974&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/1396858670538948/photos/a.1423071464584335/1942497015975108
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1943530275871782&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/1396858670538948/photos/a.1423071464584335/1944001235824686
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1944114642480012&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/1396858670538948/photos/a.1528254687399345/1944439209114222/
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1946294448928698&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1948361688721974&id=1396858670538948
- ↑ "The Midnight - 'Nocturnal' is no. 17 on @billboard... | Facebook". Facebook. October 30, 2017. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/music/the-midnight/chart-history/TLN/song/1049930
- ↑ Sievers, Alex (October 16, 2017). "Album Review: The Midnight - 'Nocturnal' | KillYourStereo | Australian and International Punk, Hardcore, Metal, Rock and Indie Music News, Reviews, Interviews and Comps". KillYouStereo. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ↑ https://newretrowave.com/2018/09/17/the-midnight-the-nocturnal/
- ↑ https://newretrowave.com/2017/10/23/the-midnight-nocturnal/
- ↑ https://vehlinggo.com/2017/10/31/recommended-listening-the-midnight-mr-eff-more/
- ↑ https://synthspiria.com/the-midnight-nocturnal/?fbclid=IwAR28-skbnQvaA7qa8F13dH91eZTj31Q9DlZWVeiWMOsO5RD80Mj5aBR63-Q
- ↑ https://newretrowave.com/2017/12/28/top-ten-retrowave-eps-of-2017/
- ↑ "Who Are The Midnight?: An Interview with the Masters of Modern Nostalgia". Vehlinggo. November 12, 2017. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
- ↑ "The Midnight - -Spotify Playlist- As you'll hear, Tyler and... | Facebook". Facebook. January 26, 2018. Archived from the original on March 16, 2024. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ↑ "The Midnight: Songs that inspired Nocturnal - playlist by The Midnight | Spotify". Spotify. January 26, 2018. Archived from the original on March 16, 2024. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ↑ https://themidnight.bandcamp.com/album/nocturnal-the-instrumentals
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