Tom Misch

Tom Misch

Tom Misch is a London-based musician associated with jazz-funk, neo soul and nu jazz, and also tagged across soul, hip-hop, indie, jazz and instrumental music. He builds a style that combines mellow beats, hip-hop rhythms, disco, jazz guitar, vocals and improvisation, and he often describes his music as uplifting, soulful, funky and upbeat.

Background

Born in 1995 in London, Misch grows up in south London and remains closely linked to that part of the city. His musical background is shaped by an artistic family: his father is a psychiatrist and a keen violinist who takes him to concerts and the opera as a child. Misch sings in a school choir, begins violin at the age of four, and later inherits a guitar from an older sister. He teaches himself guitar by playing Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana songs, and he later also plays bass, banjo and some keyboard.

He starts making beats in his bedroom and begins uploading roughly three tracks a week to Soundcloud at 16. He prefers an organic approach both to making music and to building an audience, and his fanbase grows gradually from that online activity. He studies music technology at school and uses Logic Pro to learn how to make a chilled, boom-bap-influenced 1990s hip-hop sound. He also later earns a degree in jazz guitar.

Early releases and collaborations

Misch’s first major turning point comes with “Follow”, a jazz-inflected collaboration with his sister Laura, who plays saxophone on the track while he contributes beats and vocals. After the song appears on the Majestic Casual YouTube channel, it gains a much wider audience and helps establish that music can become a career for him.

He later attracts attention from Soulection co-founder Joe Kay after a production appears on Soundcloud, leading to an invitation to guest on Joe Kay’s radio show. In 2014, he contributes to Soulection’s White Label series, combining jazz samples, guitar and vocals. That material includes “The Journey”, which becomes a fan favourite.

Beat tapes, EPs and album work

Misch’s Beat Tape series gathers his hip-hop instrumentals. He also releases the 5 Day Mischon project, which includes collaborations with grime MC Novelist and singer-songwriter Zak Abel. His 2016 Reverie EP presents some of his most developed songs at that point.

His work also includes collaborations with Novelist, Loyle Carner, Zak Abel, Carmody and Jordan Rakei. In particular, his partnership with Loyle Carner becomes a notable part of the south London scene of singer-songwriters, alongside figures such as King Krule and Cosmo Pyke. Misch’s productions often provide a laid-back setting for Carner’s vocals.

Style and influences

Misch’s sound draws strongly on jazz, including the work of Robert Glasper, Roy Hargrove and Cory Henry, as well as D’Angelo and Erykah Badu. He also takes inspiration from disco, house and techno, through producers such as Kaytranada and Motor City Drum Ensemble. The music of 1970s and 1980s disco, including Earth Wind & Fire and Gwen McCrae, alongside the energy of club spaces such as Fabric and Corsica, pushes him towards more rhythmic and dance-oriented writing.

He records in the same bedroom studio in his parents’ house and his mother creates his artwork, which fits the DIY approach that runs through his music and presentation.

Live profile and London identity

Misch develops a large audience through streaming and touring, including a sold-out tour across the UK, the US and Europe in 2016. He reaches a large monthly audience on Spotify and accumulates substantial streaming numbers across platforms. His song “South of the River” is dedicated to south London, especially areas such as Peckham, Dulwich and Forest Hill, and reflects his attachment to the area. He presents himself as an experimental musician who keeps refining his sound and pursuing music that feels new to him.