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Tom Of England | Sex Monk Blues

DJ Tom Bullock draws on PiL and New York No Wave for his darkly delicious EP.

WHO IS HE? Restess and rebellious DJ Tom Bullock, who does indeed hail from Britain, and has a globetrotting resume that includes stints with Tonka Hi-fi in England, Wicked Sound System in San Francsico, and so-called “viking disco” duo Rub n Tug in New York City. If that description doesn’t make you look them up, nothing will.

WHAT IS THIS? A darkly delicious six-track disc that leaves the dance tent for more edgier terrain inspired by the experimental dance-rock and yelpy vocals of PiL, along with the noisy, horn-fuelled No Wave scene of late ’70s New York.

WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE? Dance music that no one really wants to dance to. Constructed from trudging four-on-the-floor beats, buzzy tones, trippy atmospherics and vaguely unsettling adenoidal vocals, these songs might remind you of The Residents jamming with Suicide. That’s a compliment, BTW.

WHAT SHOULD IT BE TITLED? Kinda hard to top Sex Monk Blues — though the track Sniffin’ at the Griffin seems like a pretty strong contender.

HOW SHOULD I LISTEN TO IT? In an underground dance club where everybody is wearing black PVC clothes and staring at their feet.

WHAT 10 WORDS DESCRIBE IT? Nocturnal, hypnotic, creepy, weird, pounding, skronky, layered, circular, envelope-pushing, intriguing.

WHAT ARE THE BEST SONGS? The aforementioned propulsive groover Sniffin’ and the bass-driven heaviosity of Be Me.

WHAT WILL MY FRIENDS SAY? ‘It has six songs and lasts 32 minutes. Is that an EP or an LP? Then again, what does it matter?’

HOW OFTEN WILL I LISTEN TO THIS? If dark and weird are up your alley, you’ve come to the right place. And the right guy.

IF THIS ALBUM WERE A LIGHT, WHAT WOULD IT BE? A strobe light, shining right in your eyes.

SHOULD I BUY, STREAM OR STEAL IT? Sample the stream before you take the plunge.

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