A taste maker, a hit maker, a true industry icon, LEE COOMBS just released his long awaited album “Light and Dark” (Lot49).
Light and Dark is the culmination of Lee’s nearly 20 years on the forefront of electronic music and takes listeners through a history of electronic music, whether they know it or not. The album carries the raw essence and edginess of 1991’s burgeoning musical birth without seeming contrived. Lee has managed to warp time it seems by creating a masterpiece of a record that seamlessly blends his musical experience and genius from both the past and the present. Grimey old school analog sounds fused with bold techy drum progressions and the BIG tech funk sound that Lee is known for. The innovative use of vocal cuts and Lee’s innate ability to infect all his music with that little touch of dirty sonic mayhem really take this record to the next level.
Fusing all the elements of the genres he favors is a definitive mark of Lee Coombs’ music. By integrating elements of Tech-Funk(a genre that didn’t exist before Lee and a few other industry vets –Elite Force, Meat Katie, Dylan Rhymes, coined the phrase), Breaks, House, Electro and Techno, Coombs has once again has broken the boundaries of music and how we perceive it. Light and Dark pushes all the right buttons by somehow fusing essential elements of everything we love about electronic music, those intangible parts that can never be explained, just experienced.
CD: Lee, with your start back in 1989, you’ve witnessed the electronic music scene transform and morph; you’ve also seen the birth of many new electronic genres. Which era in electronic would you say was the most exciting in your tenure? LC: Electronic music has evolved very quickly and as technology gets better so does the production. To me it was most exciting at the start, back in the late eighties and early nineties. This is mainly because that was when I first discovered dance music. I think things are always more exciting when you first discover them. But after that the mid to late Nineties were amazing; this was the time that we created the Breakbeat genre as we know it today. Bands like the Chemical Brothers broke the mold back then. Musically things have never been better now. There are so many amazing producers in the world and there really is something for everyone out there. We are having a lot of fun with our 'Tech Funk' sound at the moment. I think it is one of the most exciting underground sounds out there now.
CD: This question is a bit of the wall, but are there any movies that inspire you when creating dance tracks? LC: I love Lalo Schiffrin sound tracks. He did most of the Dirty Harry movie music and loads of other cool films like Enter the Dragon with Bruce Lee. His music inspired some of my early breaks tracks. I’m also really into Gorgio Moroder, Midnight Express has some of the most amazing music to me. Vangelis is another big influence, Bladerunner is one of my favorite soundtracks. You can probably hear some of these influences in my new 'Light and Dark' Album.
CD: Seb Fontaine and Pete Tong noted you as the ‘man to watch’ after your ‘Future Sound Of Retro’ album was released on Finger Lickin’ in June 2001, what came about as a result of that album release? LC: Well, I got asked to remix some of the biggest bands in the world shortly after, New Order, Moby, Lamb, Planet Funk, Quivver, Sister Bliss etc.
CD: You worked with legendary Paul Oakenfold on a few projects including the remix of his single “time of your life”, how did that relationship originally develop? LC: Paul was playing my tracks and remixes in his DJ sets. He wanted to start a Breaks compilation series on his Perfecto label and asked me to compile the first one. It was great fun and an honor to work with someone I’ve always admired so much musically. Some of the first records I DJ’d with were Paul Oakenfold remixes back in 1989.
CD: With your album 'Light and Dark' fresh out on vinyl and every other medium, how has the response been? LC: Great! I’m currently doing a tour of Australia and it’s been amazing to see the reactions to the album on my way round. I’ve done a lot of press and radio all over the world leading up to the release and afterwards too. It’s nice to see people getting into it especially after the huge amount of work it took to get it to a finished product.
CD: This new album is not only ground shaking but ground breaking as well. From beginning to end, it felt like a journey in a musical time machine. How would you explain this incredible album to someone who hasn’t heard it yet? LC: A musical ‘Tech Funk’ journey! That is what I set out to do; my music has elements of Techno, Electro, Funk, Acid and Breaks. I love drawing influences from anywhere I feel and in doing so I think it becomes genre less. I wrote some tracks that I have always wanted to write ever since I first began producing. I felt that I have the production knowledge to actually do what I have in my mind now. I write music on my own much of the time, so it’s a mission of self fruition mostly. If you had to give it a genre that other people know about then I suppose it’s a cross between Electro and Breaks. But it’s so much more than that. We call it ‘Tech Funk’.
CD: You graced the decks at Burning Man in September, giving fans a large pre-dose of your new album, now you’re travelling the world on your “Light and Dark Tour”, I can only imagine your excitement and the rush you get watching fans experience something you created. How’s the tour going? LC: Amazing! It’s so great to see people getting off on all the hard work that has gone into the music leading up to the tour dates. I’m just finishing up my tour of Australia now and then I’ll be back in the U.S. for more dates leading up to Christmas. I’ve still got that urge to create energy on the dancefloor which I think is the essence of DJing.
CD: “Blues I’m Singing” was a pleasant surprise; I was a huge Echo & the Bunnymen fan in the 80’s. Was Ian McCulloch involved in the production? LC: No, it started out as a bootleg mix that I did for my own DJ sets made out of loops from the original track. It was getting such a huge reaction when I played it that I decided to recreate the parts and make my own version. It was a huge job as I really wanted to do it justice and make a version that fans of the original would get into. Then I sent it to the Band and their publishers who came back with approval to use on my album. Happy Days!
CD: Do you miss the days of vinyl or are you embracing the digital age even more? LC: I love my record collection and will never sell it. I am a Dj that grew up on playing vinyl for years but you have to go with the times and embrace what is going on around you. I think I have found a happy medium and play cds now. I still get to feel like I am Djing but the bonus is not having to lug that heavy box around anymore. Record shopping is greatly missed though. There is something missing in the world today, where people can do all their shopping from a computer screen and not have to go to a shop. Obviously it makes better sense and is quicker, but there was a huge social interaction with record shopping that is gone from the world now.
CD: Outside of “Light and Dark” what can we expect from Lee Coombs in 2010? LC: Well I haven’t thought about a new album yet; I think it’s still too close to this one to have those ideas right now. I’m remixing at the moment so a few of those will pop up in the near future. Also I am working on my producer sample packs for Primeloops.com This is something I have been working on over the last year and will be doing more of next year.
CD: Where can we find you this New Year’s Eve? LC: Maybe Peru… We are sorting details out now. But other than that, I will be at home with my family as I have been away touring for quite a while these last few months.
A taste maker, a hit maker, a true industry icon, LEE COOMBS just released his long awaited album “Light and Dark” (Lot49).
