JIM CARROLLon music

It’s such a good story it sounds made-up. But strange things do happen and the tale of how The Midnight Eez are now getting a release on All City is proof of that.

Dublin hip-hop fiend DJ Splyce is on a record-buying expedition in New York City in 1995 or 1996. He runs into two young lads hustling their demo tape of instrumental hip-hop outside famed hip-hop store Fat Beats.

They have a chat, and the Irishman departs with a tape of The Midnight Eez, while the producers go home to the Bronx, probably thinking they’re going to be become super-famous.

Fast-forward to 2011. These days, Splyce lives in Japan, while the Dublin-based All City label he co-founded with Olan O’Brien is noted for releases from Onra, Hudson Mohawke, Dam-Funk, Mike Slott, Ras G and others. When the tape was located in a house move, it was decided – “in the spirit of musical altruism” – to give it a proper vinyl release.

So what do The Midnight Eez think of all this? Where have they been since they bumped into Splyce all those years ago? Did they stay in the hip-hop game or did their career paths lead them elsewhere?

Here’s where the tale gets interesting, because no one knows what happened to them. All attempts to track them down have failed. The only contact info was a pager number, and that doesn’t lead anywhere. The Midnight Eez don’t appear to exist beyond that tape, and the only way they’ll find out their music has been released a release is by stumbling across some article or reference. There could be another twist in the tale to come.

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