LEE COOMBS is like an urban volcano. For years he lays dormant, bubbling away under the crust of his Orlando studio, and only once in a while will he release a puff of steam here or a rumble there. But it’s just to remind the townspeople that he is still here, still hungry. He is never forgotten.
Just when we least expect it, when our lives appear calm and invulnerable, he explodes back onto the scene with a cataclysmic eruption, this time around shooting out a lava-hot artist album full of tech house and break beat, cordially named ‘Light and Dark’.
“I wanted it to be a proper album, I wanted people to be able to go back and appreciate it a few years down the track” says the UK native. “What I didn’t want to do is put out an up-to-the-minute album that dates really quickly. I think I have been able to produce the complete opposite with this album” he admits proudly.
His past few years have been defined by a change of scenery, as Coombs deserted the bleak surrounds of England and made his way to the endless American summer that awaited in Florida. Here, Coombs has cultivated a deep appreciation for an entirely new way of living. “It’s very tropical here. It’s a great place to be and the sunshine helps a bit with inspiration, but I guess when I was back in the UK with the weather being so bad all the time it really forced you to stay inside in the studio so it was also good in a way” he admits with a laugh.
Away from his home life, Coombs’ American experience has been ruled by a deep connection with the city of San Francisco, the artist choosing the bay area as his regular haunt for club gigs.
“It’s such a vibey place” he says. “I just love going there. I love the attitude and the spark of it; it’s just different to anywhere else. You can find everything that is good in that city, whatever styles of music you like, that’s why I keep going back.”
When not living on the road, which Coombs admits is rare these days, he spends most of his down time in a new studio where he is currently reinventing his most famous incarnation as a break beat icon, exciting news for us older fans.
“The strange thing with that is that there are a lot of kids out there now who have never heard that stuff before so my finest moment to date is completely irrelevant to them” he laughs. “I have been inspired to get back into it recently. A bunch of us got together and decided that there is going to be a bit of a revival so we are going to start releasing a bunch of brand new underground breaks soon”. Just when you think the eruption has finished…
Lee Coombs will be playing at The Maram on Friday August 20. Tickets are available through Moshtix $10 + bf or $20 on the door.
