Since his first embrace of electronic music during the early days of acid house in London and Cambridge, Lee Coombs has risen through the ranks to become a worldwide party favorite. With his eclectic mix of acid, tribal, progressive, and nu-school breaks, Lee crushes barriers and leaves convention in the dust. His first mix compilation "Perfecto Breaks Presents Lee Combs" was critically acclaimed and fan-adored, which cemented his place as a "man to watch" in electronic music.
With two artist albums now under his proverbial belt, "The Future Sound of Retro" and "Breakfast of Champions", Lee's second mix compilation lives up to the hype and defies all efforts to be "sub-genred." "The Land of The Monkey Snake" is the description by Lee of his experience playing the Burning Man festival in Nevada, concentrated into a mere six words. The compilation features tracks and remixes from some of today's hottest and most forward-thinking artists including D. Ramirez, Elite Force, Meat Katie, and Koma and Bones, plus a slew of Lee's own remixes, re-edits, and original tracks. From the first second of his self-produced intro, the journey begins. Milke takes the honor of the having the first track in the mix with "She Says". His dub mix has a very acid-influenced bassline alongside some African percussion laden with various effects that give it a sound you could come to expect from Lee. The strings give the song a fuller feel and soothe the ears with their melodic song.
The next selection brought forth by Lee is his bleepy, acidic, highly sought-after remix of "Creeps" by Freaks. The female vocals describing the "Creep" are mindbending and paint the picture that might have been on the mind of the producer when this track was written. Seamlessly stitched to "Creeps" is the D. Ramirez remix of HARDSOUL presents Roog and Greg track "Uber." This acid electrohouse track is filled with crunchy bass and a mind-bending buildup that then unleashes the funk through the speakers. Deeper into the mix is Lee's deep and soulful track "Control," featuring gospelworthy vocals by Katherine Ellis and an ultra smooth remix by breaks superstar Meat Katie. This squeaky and gritty track contains Reese stabs and melodies that make this song a floor burner and is sure to wake the dead and have them shaking their bones.
When it becomes evidentially clear that the mix is coming to a close, which is a sad state of affairs to say the least, two gems are left to be aurally ingested. Lee teams up with Grant Plant and they "Don't Hold Back the Music." This remix by Lee is lighter and funkier with synth lines that slice through the bass and give the song an quality almost like it is breathing. Rounding out and tidying up this mix is the Lee Coombs smash "Outta My Mind." The tom hits along with the tough bassline and occasional vocal make you feel as if you are "…drifting outta my mind." This is a track that shows why Lee is a breaks mainstay and that he will not be tied down by tradition. He is pushing the envelope with this mix and electronic music fans should take notice. If you don't notice him now, it's OK, he'll be in your face before you know it!
