alex barnett: chew from the mind

Midwich is proud to present the full-length debut of Alex Barnett under his own name. Barnett is a Chicago-based electronic musician known for his work with dark ambient group Oakeater and collaborative work with Faith Coloccia in Barnett & Coloccia on Blackest Ever Black, in addition to a handful of cassettes and collaborative projects. Barnett's personal blend of sound design and composition comes from many hours building, repairing and breaking electronics. Chew From the Mind is a raw yet elegant synthesizer album that is surreal, beautiful and evocative of previous horror-score theme work, while expanding his sound toward more raw electronic influences. The album draws from a heady mixture of early new wave and synth-pop, '70s-era Miles Davis, science fiction literature and the past 15 years of the American underground. Within its thematic unity, Chew From the Mind paints a variety of scenarios, ranging from claustrophobic to vast, ethereal to rawly physical. The tracks were recorded and mixed in his home studio, employing a diverse set of drum machines and synthesizers in various states of functionality or development. Chew From the Mind is not only a defining statement for Alex Barnett, but for the Midwich and the midwestern electronic underground. It is an alluring and addictive listen. 'This record focuses on themes of consciousness: embracing my own human ineffectiveness and mutant qualities, exploring machine personality, contemplating the functions and malfunctions of the mind, and mapping the suspense of everyday life'--Alex Barnett. Chew From the Mind was mastered by Ruud Lekx and cut by Josh Bonati at Bonati Mastering in New York. It comes housed in a full-color UV gloss jacket featuring retina-burning artwork by renowned sci-fi illustrator and painter, Mark Salwowski with uniform Midwich layout by Beth Hall.