Evil Nine are an English electronic music duo comprising members Tom Beaufoy and Patrick Pardy. Their musical style is primarily classified as
breakbeat, although it additionally encompasses other influences.
Biography
The duo first came together in 1998 after meeting in
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
. After sending in a demo cassette they were signed by
Adam Freeland
Adam Freeland (born 7 August 1973) is an English record producer and DJ. He is also the owner and creative director of the record label Marine Parade, which has released material by artists including Evil Nine, ILS, Alex Metric and Jape. Born ...
to his
Marine Parade
Marine Parade is a planning area and residential estate located in the Central Region of Singapore. Straddling the tip of the southeastern coast of Pulau Ujong, Marine Parade serves as a buffer between the Central and East regions of the ci ...
record label, with their first release being the single "Less Stress". According to Beaufoy (in an interview given to Fabric Nightclub) part of the reason that their demo cassette tape was actually listened to rather than thrown away (by 1998 cassettes had become virtually obsolete in favour of CDs) was because of their friendship with
Jemma Griffiths, who worked for Marine Parade at the time. She has since gone on to achieve chart success as a singer-songwriter under the stage name "Jem".
After further single releases their debut album ''
You Can Be Special Too'' was released to critical acclaim in 2004, winning the breakspoll 2004 award for best album. Prior to the release of ''You Can Be Special Too'', Marine Parade suffered financial difficulties as a result of one of its distributors going into liquidation. This resulted in only 1000 copies of the album making it into stores initially, causing it to be a highly sought after item on eBay. The record eventually had a full release in greater numbers after the financial problems had subsided. The album featured collaborations with
Aesop Rock
Ian Matthias Bavitz (born June 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American rapper and producer from Long Island, New York. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emer ...
and
Juice Aleem
Juice Aleem is a rapper born in Birmingham, in ceremonial counties West Midlands, England.
Biography
After putting years of energy into the Birmingham hip hop scene, Juice's "Ghetto Grammer" freestyle rap sessions started featuring such other f ...
, amongst others. The album track "Hired Goons" features in the video game
Test Drive Unlimited
''Test Drive Unlimited'' is an open world racing video game developed by Eden Games and published by Atari for Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. Atari Melbourne House developed the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions. Being the e ...
.
In addition to their own material, Evil Nine has also released two albums for the ''
Y4K
Distinctive Records (formerly Distinct'ive Records) is a UK based record label founded in 1995. The label has hundreds of releases from artists, most notably Hybrid, Way Out West, and Ils.
History
Distinctive Records was initially founded ...
'' and ''
fabric
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not th ...
'' mix series (see ''
FabricLive.28''), as well as producing remixes for dance artists including Adam Freeland,
Timo Maas
Timo Maas (born July 27, 1969, Bückeburg, West Germany) is a German DJ/ producer and remixer whose career in electronic music spans well over 30 years. His remix of Azzido Da Bass's single "Dooms Night" helped launch his career in 2000.
In ...
,
Ils and
UNKLE.
The pair has developed a reputation amongst both fans and critics as not being afraid to push the boundaries of what is considered breakbeat music, and tend to incorporate a multitude of styles into their DJ sets. An example of this is the track listing for ''Fabriclive 28'', which includes artists as diverse as
Simian Mobile Disco
Simian Mobile Disco are an English electronic music duo and production team, formed in 2003 by James Ford and Jas Shaw of the band Simian. Musically, they are known for their analogue production. Ford is also known for his production work.
...
,
Bodyrockers
BodyRockers were an English–Australian electronic music duo, consisting of Dylan Burns and Kaz James, which formed in 2004. Their 2005 single, " I Like the Way", reached No. 3 on the United Kingdom Singles Chart, No. 12 on the Aus ...
,
Mystery Jets
Mystery Jets are an English indie rock band, formerly based on Eel Pie Island in Twickenham, London. The band consists of Blaine Harrison (vocals, guitar and keyboards), Jack Flanagan (bass and vocals), Kapil Trivedi (drums) and Henry Harriso ...
, and
The Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...
.
As well as regularly playing at various nightclubs both in the UK and Europe they have held residencies at
fabric
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not th ...
Nightclub in London and Audio in Brighton, and they currently hold the position of "Super-Residents" at Urban Gorilla in Sheffield.
On 24 April 2008 Evil Nine announced the completion of their second album. The album is titled 'They Live!' and was released in October 2008, preceded by the first single, the title track 'They Live!' on 4 August.
The song "Crooked" from the second album is on the video game
Midnight Club: Los Angeles.
In May 2009, Evil Nine released ''The Power ep'' on Adam Freeland's
Marine Parade
Marine Parade is a planning area and residential estate located in the Central Region of Singapore. Straddling the tip of the southeastern coast of Pulau Ujong, Marine Parade serves as a buffer between the Central and East regions of the ci ...
label and the single ''No Manners'' featuring
Spoek Mathambo
Nthato Mokgata (born 14 May 1985), known by his stage name Spoek Mathambo, is a South African artist, producer, singer-songwriter and rapper. Mathambo rose to fame in the late 2000s with his fusion of a wide array of musical influences. He is kno ...
in early 2010. The duo then launched their own record label, 'For Lovers' For Lovers on which they have so far released the singles Ultimo and Stay Up and Auto EP. In 2011 they released a single 'Little Prince' / 'Roar' on Bad Life Records.
Discography
Albums
* ''
You Can Be Special Too'' (2004, Marine Parade Records)
* ''
They Live!'' (2008, Marine Parade Records)
* ''The Power EP''
* ''Broken Dreams EP'' (2012)
* ''New Girl EP'' (2014)
Mix compilation album appearances
* ''Evil Nine Present: Y4K'' (October 2005,
Distinct'ive Records
Distinctive Records (formerly Distinct'ive Records) is a UK based record label founded in 1995. The label has hundreds of releases from artists, most notably Hybrid, Way Out West, and Ils.
History
Distinctive Records was initially founded ...
)
* ''
FabricLive.28'' (July 2006,
Fabric Records)
Singles
* "Less Stress/Special Move" -
Marine Parade
Marine Parade is a planning area and residential estate located in the Central Region of Singapore. Straddling the tip of the southeastern coast of Pulau Ujong, Marine Parade serves as a buffer between the Central and East regions of the ci ...
* "Technology/Big Game Hunter" - Marine Parade
* "Cakehole" - Marine Parade
* "For Lovers Not Fighters" - Marine Parade
* "Crooked" (feat. Aesop Rock) - Marine Parade
(8 December 2003)
* "Restless" (feat. Toastie Taylor) - Marine Parade
(26 April 2004)
* "Pearl Shot" (feat. Juice Aleem) - Marine Parade
(18 October 2004)
* "Twist the Knife" (feat. Emily Breeze) - Marine Parade
(3 December 2007)
* "They Live!" - Marine Parade
(7 July 2008)
* "All The Cash (feat. EL-P)" - Marine Parade
(1 December 2008)
* "No Manners (feat. Spoek Mathambo)" - Marine Parade
* "Ultimo" - For Lovers
* "Stay Up" - For Lovers
* "Auto" - For Lovers
* "Little Prince / Roar" - Bad Life
References
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
Breakbeat music groups
Musical groups established in 1998
Musical groups from Brighton and Hove
English electronic music duos
Big beat groups