Dawn of Midi

Listenable and insane. That’s the sound Dawn of Midi spent years  shaping, culminating in their critically acclaimed album Dysnomia. In many ways, it’s the first record that truly reflects the trio’s critically acclaimed live show, a test of endurance and trust that involves bassist Aakaash Israni, pianist Amino Belyamani and drummer Qasim Naqvi performing their hand looped acoustic minimalism note-for-note, just as the composition was recorded. If anything, Dawn of Midi’s sets are as red blooded and rhythmic as a seamlessly mixed DJ set, casting spells on  crowds in the same way the group’s favorite experimental and electronic  acts have for decades. 

Having met at California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles in 2006, the  group found their original rapport through late night tennis matches on the  campus court. The chemistry they found there eventually led them back  indoors to improvise together; something they did in total darkness to  deprive themselves of all their senses except the crucial one – their  hearing. On Dysnomia, Dawn of Midi abandon improvisation in favor of  composition, utilizing sophisticated rhythmic structures from West and  North African folk music traditions to weave a sonic tapestry of trance inducing grooves. Up close one may see only pointillism, but stand back  and the whole undulating image is revealed.