As one of the originators of the Electro House sound, mash-ups and dirty bass lines, UK producer Tim Healey has seen it all.
Longevity and perspective are two incredibly rare assets in the music business. Fashionable trends tend to take hold and sweep up everything in their path leaving very little room for reflection and experience. As one of the originators of the Electro House sound, mash-ups and dirty bass lines, UK producer Tim Healey has seen it all. Widely known as the ‘Godfather of Electro’, Healey’s work with Pete Martin from around 2001 as Coburn brought him his first taste of popular success. They got into the space between rock and dance music and pushed a diverse range of sounds.
Speaking to me from his studio in Brighton it’s something that Healey looks back on with good memories, and with a continued sense of pride. “The Coburn project was sort of coming out of progressive house and looking for something new. It was great – we worked out that you could get away with some pretty crazy noises. Our bootlegs and mash-ups work reminded us that you could put fat baselines after melodies and that changed our approach.” We Interrupt This Programme, released in 2005, brought Coburn their first major break from a fairly underground base before that. The tune features a heavy edit style that almost sounds like fidget house and a great bassline. It was a bold track but it gained support from all over the place. “When Electro appeared around 2003 we realised that we had been producing tracks sounding like that. I have been championing it ever since then,” explains Healey.
Coburn finished up with a full length album in 2007 and in 2008 Healey decided to push forward with his solo career. He hasn’t looked back. “It has been an eclectic career so far but I think that’s how I like it,” he laughs. With a new album on the way, this year is going to be a big one: “2011 is all about my album. I am making some last minute tweaks to tunes right now. We’re hoping to release that around late March or early April on my own label, Surfer Rosa, in the UK, and licensing it to other labels overseas” he tells before pausing to draw his breath, “The album is going to be called Rest In Beats. It’s electronic but like most stuff I do it’s quite diverse. There are a few guests – Tom Croft, Calvatron, and Atomic Drop are all on there plus there are vocal collaborations with MCs from all over the place!”
Healey is no stranger to collaboration – it has defined his career so far. His latest single with Deekline, The Mexican feat. Babe Ruth, has been getting great airplay in Australia, as well as being up for contention in this year’s Triple J Hottest 100. “I have been really happy with the reception for The Mexican in Australia! It’s great to be touring with that on the airwaves.”
Healey will be playing as part of the diverse line-up at the Rainbow Serpent festival which suits him just fine. “Australia, for me, has always represented a particularly eclectic and open minded place to me. Other places are more focused around certain genres whereas whenever I play in Australia I have been met by receptive crowds.” But does he prefer clubs or festivals? “I like a healthy mix of club and festival shows to be honest. I love the variety of acts at festivals though. Actually in London a lot of events have moved to warehouses and car parks from clubs! The heydays of the late nineties and early 2000s are gone for clubs and a lot of them are struggling now.”
With such long experience I wonder where his favourite festival is to play? “The Fuji Rock Festival is one of my favourite places. It’s a full on rock festival but it also has dance. It’s crazy – all the acts stay in this ski resort because it’s held in the off-season during Summer. There is this terrible canteen where you can be queuing behind someone like Basement Jaxx or Franz Ferdinand!” And Healey’s current love outside of producing music? Apparently that’s producing music videos: “Yeah I have loved it!” he laughs . His video for Stripper Feat. SirReal track Stuka uses footage from base jumpers and bungee jumps around the world, combined with some blue screen action from SirReal, and this year is going to bring more. “We’re just about to shoot three more videos. One of them will be featuring a whole heap of roller derby girls and there will be another one in February featuring 3D mapping.”
So how does Healey balance the label and his music? “I never thought I would have to do this in my wildest dreams. The reality is that I run a taste-making label and we manage to license our stuff to major labels. It’s such a rewarding thing!”
Tim Healey [UK] plays the Rainbow Serpent Festival in Beaufort this weekend, spanning from Friday January 21 until Monday January 24.
