Broken Note began as a London-based duo comprising Thomas Southall-Andrews and Eddie Jefferys, who was also associated with 16 Bit. Southall-Andrews later continued the project solo. Their music combines dubstep, drum and bass and breakcore with heavy bass and cinematic sound design. Tommy has traced some of its inspiration to London’s free-party scene and underground soundsystem culture. Broken Note began releasing music in 2008, with early releases on Ad Noiseam and labels associated with Peace Off. Those early releases included music on Ruff and Damage.
The duo’s album Terminal Static appeared on Ad Noiseam in 2009. Other labels associated with Broken Note include Boka, PRSPCT, Peace Off, Ninja Tune, Division, Par Excellence and OWSLA. The project’s remix work includes music by Amon Tobin, I Am Legion and Juno Reactor. In a 2010 interview, Broken Note discussed remixing Juno Reactor’s “Tokyo Dub” and plans for a collaboration with DJ Hidden for Ad Noiseam. Broken Note also worked with MachineCode, the pairing of Current Value and Dean Rodell. In that interview, the speaker said Ben Watkins had introduced him to music production and engineering.
Broken Note’s music featured in Amon Tobin’s ISAM live performances, and the project remixed Tobin’s “Goto 10.” The Black Mirror EP followed in 2014. Southall-Andrews has described changing tools and working methods between records as a way to explore new sounds and stay creatively engaged. Exit The Void, released in 2019, was described by Tommy as politically influenced, with its music serving as a soundtrack for resistance.
Broken Note has also worked with Richard Devine. The project has played events in London, Berlin, Belgium and Bristol, and is based in the United Kingdom. Its first recorded event was in 2007.