Peverelist

Bristol-based electronic producer Tom Ford (aka Peverelist) is often associated with bass music or techno, but his innovative nature has placed him on the fringes of both. The founder of two influential labels, Punch Drunk Records and Livity Sound, Ford has earned a reputation as a lynchpin of Bristol’s electronic scene while releasing sharp, concise albums of his own including 2009′s Jarvik Mindstate and 2017′s Tessellations. While his later output has not been prolific, he has retained his high degree of quality. His 2023 EP Pulse featured bright, sparse arrangements full of personality and detail.
Ford was born in Essex and raised there in the ’90s. Although he grew up on a diet of rock music, the presence of hardcore and jungle crept into his life due to their popularity in Essex’s music scene. By the time he turned 18, his interest in electronic music had grown considerably, and he moved to Bristol to explore the scene there. He began making music with his friend and housemate Pinch on basic software; they focused on jungle and other forms of sound system genres. After a time, he found himself managing one of Bristol’s more influential record shops, Rooted. It was there that he came into contact with many of Bristol’s key electronic players. At the time, dubstep had begun to take off in London, while Bristol had its own thriving scene that wasn’t receiving as much exposure. To help promote Bristol’s dubstep community, Ford created his own label, Punch Drunk Records, in 2006. After a string of releases from himself and a host of other artists, Ford released his debut album through the label, 2009′s Jarvik Mindstate.
After a while Ford’s style of bass music began falling out of sync with the direction that dubstep was heading, so he became more associated with techno, leading to the creation of his second label — Livity Sound, alongside Asusu and Kowton — in 2011. The label garnered respect over the following years, and was soon regarded as an innovative platform with a unique style. For a while, Ford focused more on label management than production, but still found time for the odd release. In 2017, he released his second proper full-length, Tessellations. Hypnotic and agile, the album bolstered his reputation as one of Bristol’s premier techno producers. Over the next few years Ford’s solo work remained sporadic. He issued a two-track EP, IDLE050, in 2018, followed three years later by “Exhale,” a taut collaboration with Kowton. He eventually returned with a longer-form release in 2023′s lean, four-track Pulse EP. ~ Liam Martin