Artist: Coburn
Title: How To Brainwash Your Friends EP
Label: Frontier Recordings
By: Simon Jones | 22 September 2003
Tracklist:

• A: Ska Song
• B: Illegal

Coburn "How To Brainwash Your Friends EP"

Coburn is the new 'band project' of Mr Electric Tease himself Tim Healey and Pete 'Slide' Martin (he of Cass & Slide fame). Brought together by a common liking for all things electronic and rock based, the duo have been working on creating their own unique sound, which they also plan to take into a live environment. It's an interesting idea, but it remains to be seen if it would work. However, it's not that we need to focus on right now, it's this EP called 'How To Brainwash Your Friends', but it seems the results speak for themselves.

'Ska Song' draws from good old electro influences, a kick ass b-line and pulsating synth combination meshing into a funky groove that rocks along. Big guitar riffs, a soulful female vocal and some twisted vocoder action add to the mayhem of this gnarly number, and it's almost punky energetic stance will get the dancefloor rocking back and forth in no time at all.

'Illegal' is of a similar vein, taking a more subtle direction with a Daft Punk-esque vocal being the main focus of the track. Building up with use of some bass layers, the vocal is edged in at just the right moment, as the quirky percussion and structure of the track fades backwards. A roughly structured and raw sounding track, but it works surprisingly well.

With further Coburn singles set to drop soon, and an album under construction, the mind boggles to think what Coburn have up their sleeves and where they intend to take this project, but for now, this 12" says all that needs to be said, so listen carefully.