This photo notwithstanding, I really like Evil Nine, and have done for quite a while. I was (electronically) coming of age in the nu-skool breaks scene just as their debut album ‘You Can Be Special Too’ really started making waves in late 2003, so from the get go their particular brand of stomping, rock-tinged, snare-kick mayhem became the benchmark against which all other tracks were measured. Crooked, Restless, Hired Goons, Hazy Way, Sabot, Music – all were, and remain, solid place-getters in my ‘top dance tracks of all time’ list.

But then the Evil Nine boys, Pat and Tom, went quiet for five odd years. There was still plenty of DJing going down, but the entire period 2004-2008 witnessed at most a handful of remixes and, thankfully, a few suitably iconic mixes. In particular, their FabricLive 28 in mid 2006 was one of the first, and better mainstream statements from the then burgeoning electro/clash/rock movement (it managed to feature SMD, Justice, Riton, Mystery Jets, Boys Noize, Digitalism and Uffie, amongst others). Although, listening to their tracks from 2003/4, you realise that, as far as beats and sensibilities go, they were pretty much doing it before everybody else realised it was there to be done.

Then, in February this year, they released ‘They Live’ (September last year if you lived outside of Australia), a cranking assortment of suitably heavy, zombie themed numbers with appearances from El-P, Autokratz, Toastie Taylor and others. While still very much being the band that delivered up ‘You Can Be Special Too’, the album seemed to further fuse their signature one-two breaks style with the power-rock backdrop from which they both originally hailed. The result is a more detailed and more listenable LP, albeit one that is perhaps less immediately dancefloor friendly. But, given this, almost more exciting than the album itself (at least for me) has been the suite of EPs and remixes it has spawned, bringing in such esteemed producers as Breakbot, Trevor Loveys, Adam Freeland, Shir Khan, Alex Metric and U.N.K.L.E.

To date there’s been the first single They Live, followed by the El-P heavy All The Cash, and, most recently, the album closer Icicles. Not that they’ve been lazy in their own time: they’ve contributed a couple of remixes on their own releases, have put out a stonking remix for Marine Parade label boss Adam Freeland and have another EP due out in July, the appropriately epic (but very under wraps) The Power EP.

But that may well be the longest I’ve ever gone on this site without a joke. My apologies. To make up, here’s proof that Benny Hill makes everything funnier. And now: music!

Find enclosed their rolling, soaring, almost sublime 2005 take on Santos’ Sabot, their dancefloor-shredding remix of Freeland’s new politically charged electro-rock anthem ‘Under Control’ (taken from Freeland’s forthcoming, and much anticipated new album ‘Cope’) and finally their solid as Iraq reversion of one of the “They Live” highlights, Icicles.

Santos – Sabot (Evil Nine Remix)

Freeland – Under Control (Evil Nine’s Graveyard Smash)

Evil Nine – Icicles (Evil Nine’s Graveyard Smash)

The album They Live and the They Live, All The Cash and Icicles singles are all available now from iTunes and Beatport. Both the album and singles have pretty much unimpeachable track selection and are very much worth checking out and purchasing irresponsibly. They come with my highest recommendation. And, I assure you, I don’t get excited by muc- OH MY GOD, IT’S A CAT PLAYING A KEYBOARD!!!!

Yes.

-luke