Akase

Akase unites London-based tech-house producer Midland, whose real name is Harry Agius, with singer/songwriter Robert Redway. Although Midland typically crafts beats aimed squarely at club environments, the material he crafts alongside Redway takes on a more subdued and introspective character, its emotionally exposed lyrics resting atop intricate yet unobtrusive instrumental layers. The pair first joined forces as friends in 2012, yet they avoided any hurried push toward finished recordings, instead meeting only occasionally for casual idea exchanges that gradually yielded enough tracks for a full album by 2014. They inked a deal with !K7 in 2015, which promptly issued the two singles “Murmur” and “Rust.” Ewan Pearson handled partial mixing and co-production duties on the project, allowing Akase’s first long-form release, Graspers, to surface in early 2016.