XL Middleton is a California-based artist/producer whose sound falls into the funk-laden style the region has long been recognized for. Hailing from the city of Pasadena in the northeast corner of Los Angeles, he has been hard at work for years crafting melodic, chord-heavy tunes. These songs have earned him accolades on major websites such as Uproxx, Okay Player and HipHopDX, where a collaboration with Eminem signee Crooked I made the rounds. He also garnered national print coverage in the Washington Post and major local print coverage in LA Weekly, where his album Tap Water made it to a Best of 2015 list. He has toured internationally in Japan, Canada, and throughout Europe, notably contributing to a revival of synth-based ‘modern funk’ music. He is also one of the organizers of the LA-based Modern Funk Fest, which provides a live platform for the scene as a whole.

XL has released volumes of work, the sound of which largely embodies a party feel, bringing music back to where it was before it found its way into upscale clubs, while at the same time mixing it with a futuristic brand of funk inspired by legends such as George Clinton, Roger Troutman, & Cameo, not to mention hip hop funksters like Battlecat & DJ Quik. He evolved from his beginnings as a hip hop artist to a full-fledged modern funk musician, educated by the music he once sampled in the course of creating rap beats. At an XL show, you might find him singing notes through a vocoder, rapping, or shredding solos on a shoulder synth, or "keytar." He operates his own label, MoFunk Records, dedicated to furthering the modern funk sound. He has also released music in conjunction with noteworthy labels & collectives such as Bastard Jazz, Soul Clap, Omega Supreme, and Voltaire, effectively bridging the gap between fans of modern funk/80's boogie and 90's g-funk, both of which have been tremendously influential to the XL Middleton sound.

In addition to his own solo material, XL produces music for labelmate and modern funk songstress Moniquea, as well as Zackey Force Funk. He has also done remixes and production for noteworthy artists including Soul Clap, Lynda Dawn, Libretto & Buscrates, B. Bravo, and many others.