London based drummer, composer and producer Tom Skinner has been a vital and central figure in the burgeoning underground music scene in London throughout the last 20 years.

In 2012, Skinner released his debut self-titled solo record under the alias Hello Skinny to critical acclaim, MOJO Magazine describing it as “…existing in that fertile zone where jazz, dub, techno and avant-pop deliquesce into an exhilarating free-for-all.” The second Hello Skinny album Watermelon Sun, released on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood label in 2017, featured a collaboration with acclaimed veteran New York composer and trombonist Peter Zummo.

Tom is also an original member of award-winning band Sons Of Kemet alongside band-leader and frequent collaborator Shabaka Hutchings. Their third album Your Queen Is A Reptile [Impulse! 2018] garnered worldwide critical acclaim including a Mercury Prize 2018 nomination. Their last album Black To The Future [Impulse! 2021] was met with rave reviews, NME giving it 5 stars, claiming the album to be the band at their “most dynamic and urgent”.

In 2022, Tom released his eponymous debut Voices of Bishara via the three label collaboration of Brownswood, International Anthem & Nonesuch Records. It was inspired by and named in reference to cellist Abdul Wadud’s 1978 solo album By Myself, which was privately pressed on Wadud’s label, Bisharra. Featuring Kareem Dayes on cello, Tom Herbert on bass, Shabaka Hutchings and Nubya Garcia on woodwinds, the album was called “a terrific affirmation of what makes Skinner so interesting as both a drummer and now a composer” by Treble. Following the album’s release, Tom reformatted his Voices of Bishara ensemble for live performances, with woodwind players Chelsea Carmichael and Robert Stillman in place of Hutchings and Garcia.
Between 2021-2024, Skinner was active as co-leader of The Smile with Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead. Across those 3+ years The Smile toured extensively and released three critically-acclaimed albums (A Light for Attracting Attention, Wall of Eyes, and Cutouts).

Throughout his career, Skinner has performed and recorded with many other notable musicians including Alabaster DePlume, Ruth Goller, Graham Coxon, Grace Jones, Kano, Zero 7, Floating Points, The Invisible, Meshell Ndegeocello, David Byrne, and many more.

Stream + Buy Music