Midxnite – “Emotionless” – fluid, hypnotic heartfelt strokes

Midxnite, whose real name is Yusuf Salim, grew up in a South Asian family. The Phoenix-based artist credits singing traditional melodies with his family as his introduction to music and says it provided him an easier transition to contemporary R&B and Hip Hop. The artist, whose previous releases, “Live and Learn” and “Look at My Whip”, have accumulated hundreds of thousands of plays on streaming platforms, recently dropped his latest single, “Emotionless”. Recorded at HKStudios in Phoenix, AZ, the song narrates an afflicting and burdensome moment in the artist’s life when he believed the binding sacrament of matrimony was in sight.

Midxnite is an artist in the best sense of the word as he stretches his muscles throughout “Emotionless”. What you find her is a slow burning groove and heartfelt lyrics. The artist seems to be aiming at a progressive and alternative R&B audience. His vocals are great and his writing seems well above average when compared with his contemporaries.

The song feels passionate, with lots of interesting production tweaks, and with a very nice melody indeed. It makes absolutely no difference whether you’re interested in this sort of thing or not; because it is just so irresistible.

Midxnite is himself and it shows through his soulful vocals and honest prose. Rich and warm, notwithstanding the melancholy theme, “Emotionless” is music with very deep meaning. Midxnite’s understated soulful R&B croon, and a strong adherence to the under-four-minute rule for popular music, would make this track feel at home in any decade.

Moreover, there are plenty of moments in “Emotionless” that put the track clearly in the here and now. Accompanied by a slithering snare and hi-hat combo, as well as a resonant bass, the track shifts through a fluid urban style.

Midxnite’s vocals and lyrics are able to convey a warm humaneness while being surrounded by the modern musical gadgetry. And while the lyrical content of “Emotionless” could be described as confessional, most of the track’s story-line resonance seems to fall directly under the ‘frankly honest’ and ‘genuinely forthright’ school of writing.

The result is a thrilling listen. His vocal prowess and lyrical sensibilities, bring Midxnite right to the winner’s podium. Nothing shrouds the artist and his emotional directives – it’s all there, full of light and love, refracting through a stained glass of pain, loss and hope.

“Emotionless” is like a fractured portrait of Midxnite, as he attempts to pick up and put the pieces back together again. Midxnite paints the track in such fluid, hypnotic strokes. Few of his contemporaries have demonstrated this much control over their aesthetic.

Midxnite’s aesthetic often speaks louder than his sound – a fuse of the classic R&B feel and an enchanting futuristic vibe. It’s literally impossible to point at anything not to love about this artist. It is a fantastic combination of clean, classy and classic. Three distinguishing elements that you will hardly find side by side in almost any modern urban music release.

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