Peeping Tom

Peeping Tom

Peeping Tom is a United States-based group led by Mike Patton and active from 2000. It is an experimental electronic, rock and trip hop project with a rotating lineup of collaborators rather than a fixed band structure.

History and line-up

The project is conceived by Patton in 2000 and takes its name from the 1960 film Peeping Tom. Work on the project’s album begins that same year, but the release is delayed for several years while Patton is involved in other projects, including Mr. Bungle, Fantômas and Tomahawk. During this period he also works with Björk on Medúlla and appears in the film Firecracker.

The group includes a changing cast of collaborators. Named members and contributors include Stu Brooks, Dale Crover, Dan the Automator, Robert Del Naja, DJ Disk, DP Holmes and Kid Koala, as well as Amon Tobin, Massive Attack, Dub Trio, Odd Nosdam, Norah Jones, Bebel Gilberto, Rahzel and Kool Keith.

Releases

Peeping Tom releases one self-titled album, Peeping Tom, on Ipecac Recordings in 2006, along with three singles. The project’s recordings are built through collaboration, with Patton writing with different artists on individual tracks. Norah Jones contributes to “Sucker”, Kool Keith to “Getaway”, and Massive Attack to “Kill the DJ”.

The first single, “Mojo”, features Dan the Automator and Rahzel. A video for the song includes appearances by Danny DeVito, Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 and Rachel Hunter. Ipecac Recordings later releases “Pre-School Love Affair” in 2023; it had previously appeared as a B-side to “Mojo”.

Style

The project is described as one of Patton’s more accessible works after Faith No More. Its music combines rock, heavy metal, experimental pop, pop, trip hop and hip hop, and is also identified with electronic, experimental, rock and trip hop styles.