In certain respects, Tom Ford (aka Peverelist) could be described as the Levon Vincent of the hardcore continuum. Both producers champion twisted simplicity; both make a point of utilizing skull-rupturing bass frequencies; and both make music that is both creepy and transcendentally tough — depth charge tribal physicality that demands a stern cerebral commitment on behalf of the listener. And while the cult Livity Sound label — a vinyl-only imprint run by Pev, Kowton, and Asusu — tends to find Ford at his most direct and aggressively floor ready, the few 12″s he’s released thus far on Livity have nonetheless been shot through with his hallucinatory aural signifiers: drone synth, bizarre drum patterns used by nobody else, and arrangements that demand to be left to roll or be damned. His music is strongly connected to the UK soundsystem lineage, only somehow reimagined in the fleeting seconds before fitful slumber — Bristolian sunstroke and smoky luster entwined in cold embrace.
But while Pev tracks do not necessarily sit easily in a mix (they tend to be rather mischievous sprites, capable of tying whatever sits on either side in perplexing knots), the two tracks on his latest Livity Sound release are somewhat direct. “Aztec Chant” is a relatively low-paced, deep, tribal roller that hinges on a selection of down-tuned percussion and reverb-drenched subs. “Livity” is a more peak-time track, based around a twisted and roiling acid bass inflection which drunkenly lurches about the place. His music remains refreshingly out of step with anything else (indeed, take a listen to his superlative 2009 debut LP, Jarvic Mindstate now and try to find the expiration date), with more parallels to be be drawn with the aforementioned East Coast mystic. His is music that can be played in clubs but also remains far outside its constraints. Aztec Chant is a record you’ll be able to return to down the years; something real, something lasting.
