One half of breakbeat duo Evil Nine, Tom Beaufoy is gearing up to release his debut solo album as EVL TOM— ‘Absolute Melt’. It’s out in early 2024 on Out Yer Box, the alternative sister label to Jack Said What headed by Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh.
The first single taken from the album is ‘The Heathers’, a cut of psychedelic, beat-driven electronica. Initially built around the insistent hook of an arpeggiated bell refrain, it evokes shades of beatific ‘90s electronica and ravey euphoria, falling somewhere between the filtered French touch of Alan Braxe and DJ Falcon, early-90s trance, synth-laden post-punk and the more breakbeat-heavy end of the Future Sound Of London’s oeuvre.
The track is the taster for Tom’s forthcoming ‘Absolute Melt’ album campaign. The album itself is rich in agrarian textures, organic soul, evocative beatscapes, and 420 flavours, with a nod to the breakbeat hardcore of his roots.
As half of Evil Nine with Pat Pardy, Tom was originally signed to Adam Freeland’s label Marine Parade. Their ‘You Can Be Special Too’ and ‘They Live!’ albums apparently received widespread acclaim and in the process collaborated with artists such as El-P from Run The Jewels, Danny Brown, Aesop Rock and Emily Breeze.
They toured the world several times, DJing far and wide, and remixed a whole host of acts such as The Temper Trap, UNKLE, Alex Metric, Timo Maas, Gorillaz and lots of others. The Evils also turned in compilation mixes for the ‘FabricLive’ and ‘Y4K’ series, establishing their credentials as a breakbeats act.
Tom now chiefly DJs and produces solo as EVL TOM, has a monthly radio show The Evil Tom Show, and will be celebrating the launch of the ‘Absolute Melt’ album with a big event in his home city of Brighton towards the end of 2023.
© justaweemusicblog.com