One half of leading 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 stunning 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 Heathers’ is the perfect 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 award-winning ‘You Can Be Special Too’ and ‘They Live!’ albums received widespread acclaim and in the process collaborated with such heavy-hitters 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 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 breakbeats 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 towards the end of 2023.
