The third single from EVL Tom’s forthcoming album on Out Yer Box, ‘Absolute Melt’, is this late-night breakbeat roller. On ‘Eternal Lids’ the break rolls throughout the track incessantly, while the Reese bass — harking back to early-90s jungle — travels alongside it. There’s almost a hint of speed garage and the darker end of UKG to the track, but with an overall raw-like feel of 1990s MPC-led hip-house cuts. The Gary Numan-esque synth stabs that come in later on echo off into the ether.
EVL Tom: “I love movies, so when I think of what image this track conjures up, or how I wanted it to feel, it’s kind of like something out of a Michael Mann movie. Thinking cinematically, to me it evokes midnight journeys through cityscapes, with neon reflecting in the windows. You’re on a mission, there’s a sense of promise in the air but it’s a serious business… Or it’s just a moody, heads-down in the smoke-filled rave type of stepper. It’s a bit of both, I think.”
EVL Tom also records as one half of Evil Nine with Pat Pardy, 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 they collaborated with El-P from Run The Jewels, Danny Brown, Aesop Rock and Emily Breeze. They were residents at Fabric London, did a Radio One Essential Mix and toured the world several times performing at Fuji Rock Festival, Space in Miami, Twilo in NYC, Coachella and Arcadia at Glastonbury.
They have remixed a whole host of acts such as The Temper Trap, UNKLE, Eagles Of Death Metal, Timo Maas, Gorillaz and a tonne of others. The Evils also turned in compilation mixes for the ‘FabricLive’ and ‘Y4K’ series, establishing their credentials as one of the most sought-after breakbeat acts in the business in the process.
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 soon.
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