A musician from Heaton Chapel, on the Manchester and Stockport border, is set to release a new album inspired by the emotional response music can create, following several years away from the scene.
Tom, who records as Unruly Disturbance, spent nearly 20 years in the underground dance world. Starting out as a DJ at 14, he went on to perform at festivals including Creamfields and Gottwood, as well as venues such as Sankeys.
But after years in the club scene, producing techno and running events, he stepped away in 2016 after losing his connection to it.
“I just fell out of love with it,” he said. “After that long in the scene, I needed a break.”
He sold his equipment and stopped making music, also choosing to step away from social media.
“Back then it felt like you had to be on everything,” he said. “I didn’t enjoy it, so I got rid of it.”
Although he walked away from the industry, the urge to create remained.
“The producing bug never really leaves you,” he said.
When he returned to music, it was with a different mindset. Instead of going back to the sound he had built his career on, he began experimenting with more ambient and cinematic ideas, focusing on atmosphere, texture and emotion rather than rhythm.
“I didn’t want to make the same kind of music,” he said. “I had to figure something else out.”
That shift led to a new body of work under the name Unruly Disturbance, with earlier releases including Music for Scenes and Melodic Drone.
Now, his latest album Frisson brings that journey together.
The title refers to the physical sensation some people experience when listening to music, often described as chills or goosebumps, something that became the central idea behind the project.
“That’s what I was aiming for,” he said. “I want people to feel something, wherever they are.”
While the album is rooted in the ambient sound he developed over recent years, it also marks a return to electronic elements, reintroducing beats in a more subtle and considered way.
“This is the first time I’ve felt comfortable using them again,” he said. “It’s about bringing everything together — where I started and what I’ve learnt since.”
Rather than focusing on dancefloor-driven tracks, the album leans into mood and emotional response, combining ambient textures with electronic sounds and more experimental influences.
Tom is continuing to take a different approach to releasing his music, choosing to build his audience through Bandcamp and his own website instead of returning to social media platforms.
“I’m not chasing trends,” he said. “I just want people to listen and take something from it.”
Frisson will be released on 15 June, with a two-week pre-order period beforehand.
More information can be found at:
https://unrulydisturbance.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-scenes
http://www.unrulydisturbance.com/
