Lee Coombs is a British-born electronic music producer and DJ, born in 1971 and active in breakbeat, breaks, big beat, dance and electronica. He works across tech funk, house, electro, techno and acid, and is also associated with breakbeat and tech funk DJing.

Career

Coombs begins DJing in 1989, playing within the acid house scene around London and Cambridge. His approach to DJing and production develops from mixing styles rather than staying within one genre, and he becomes known for combining breaks, house, electro, techno and acid.

He makes a major impact on the breaks scene in 1998 with Finger Lickin’. His 2001 album Future Sound of Retro establishes his name more widely, and his remix of Quivver’s “One Last Time” earns an “Essential New Tune” recognition from Pete Tong. Paul Oakenfold then commissions him, leading to the album Perfecto Breaks in 2002.

Coombs remixes a range of artists including Oakenfold, Moby, New Order, Lamb and Planet Funk. In 2003, he travels to Prague with the BBC to record the theme music for the television programme Born to Win with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

Albums and releases

His 2004 album Breakfast of Champions marks a shift towards tech funk, bringing in house, electro and techno elements. It includes collaborations with Dylan Rhymes, Christian J, Andy Gardner of Plump DJs and Jem Panufnik of Soul of Man. The album features “Shiver”, with Katherine Ellis, which is released by Azuli and becomes a major vocal house track in 2005. The singles “Alright All-Night/Dubhead” and “Obsessional Rhythm” reach number one in the DJ Mag Beats & Breaks chart.

In 2005 he leaves Finger Lickin’ and releases music through his own Thrust Recordings, as well as Adrift and Lot49, also known at the time as Whole9Yards. He starts Thrust club nights in San Francisco, which become quarterly events.

He later joins the Lot49 team and mixes the label compilation Lot49 Presents – Lee Coombs. He also works with Primeloops.com on sample packs, including Tech Funk Producer Vol 1 and 2, Lithium Synth Loops, Acid BreakBeat Grooves and XXL Dance FX.

His album Light and Dark appears on Lot49 in 2009 and covers a tempo range of 100 to 128 bpm. It includes collaborations with Seasunz, Katherine Ellis and Uberzone. A remix album, Light and Dark Remixed, follows on Lot49, with remixes by Coombs, Meat Katie, Dopamine, Zodiac Cartel and Atomic Drop.

Performance and touring

Coombs tours internationally, with regular appearances in Europe, the USA, Australia, Asia and the UK. He also appears repeatedly at Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada.

Associated acts

He is associated with Frog Junkies, The Freakazoids, Invisible Men and Exodus to Paradise. His labels include Thrust Recordings and Lot49.