Tommy Four Seven

Tommy Four Seven is a British-born electronic music producer and DJ who developed an interest in music production at the tender age of just 12. After leaving college, Tommy went on to take a degree in music technology and, while honing his DJ skills, earned himself a weekly residency at the Fire Club in London. His first release, “Eat Me,” came in 2006 after he sent a demo to David Duriez’s label Brique Rouge, and with subsequent releases on the label and its darker offshoot, Kill Brique, Tommy started to develop his own unique take on tech-house. In 2008, he set up his own label, Shooting Elvis, which released a handful of 12”s and saw him working with James Kronier. 2009 saw a mysterious white label 12” released with just Bauhaus stamped on the label, the two tracks caught the techno scene’s attention with its harsh industrial sounds and solid, driving beats. Eventually, the mysterious act were uncloaked as techno pioneer Chris Liebing and Tommy Four Seven, and this pairing saw the start of a new chapter in Tommy’s sound. “Sor,” the first Tommy Four Seven release on Chris Liebing’s CLR Records, took Tommy’s new production technique of using sound design to create techno to another level, and in 2010, he set about recording his debut album. Bolstered with Liebing’s studio skills, the album saw Tommy eschewing the usual route of synthesizers and digital production, instead using field recordings, sound sculpture, and manipulated vocals to create a dark, deep, and industrial-inspired brand of techno. 2011 saw the first results of this work, with the release of the double A-side 12” “Armed 3/Ratu,” which was followed a few months later by the album Primate. ~ Richard Wilson