Tim Healey is one half of the tech-rock crossover duo Coburn, an electro-fuelled pairing that’s rapidly heading towards the dizzy heights of stardom. He produces electro-fuelled house music and heaps of notorious bootlegs under a number of different guises, often with his co-producer and other half of Coburn, Pete Martin. He’s no stranger to Radio One as their tracks almost have permanent residency. He’s played everywhere from superclubs in Delhi to festivals on Mt Fuji and his records are often found in the DJ boxes of the rich and famous. Along the way he’s produced and mixed for the likes of Anne Savage, John 00 Fleming and Tomcraft and his creations get rinsed by everyone from Danny Tenaglia, Sastoshi Tomei and Steve Lawler, to djs such as Judge Jules and Anne Savage.
Not content with hitting the airwaves of Radio One and XFM, his tracks appear on loads of compilations. Most recently his Coburn track ‘We Interrupt This Programme’ has been included on David Guetta’sF*** Me I’m Famousand the Ministry of Sound — Sessions 2 albums. His own outings as Body and Soul, Paris and Healey and Electric Tease have also been released to much critical acclaim.
Tim’s dj sets have propelled him from cult dj to the mainstream scene. Compromise is not in his vocabulary and yet his sound takes him round the world every year. It’s house but not as you know it — throbbing sexy grooves with more than a healthy dash of the 80s and punk-rock. If you love house, electro, breakbeat, punk, rock or just incredibly good music then come down to Turnmills to see the one of the world’s most talented dj/producers in action at Extreme Euphoria’s 2nd Birthday on Saturday 24 September. We promise you won’t be disappointed. Want to know more? Then read the following light-hearted interview with the man that is Tim Healey, and find out why he won’t be buying Paris Hilton’s new perfume...
Seeing as it’s Monday morning it would be rude not to ask what you got upto this weekend?
It involved scantily clad ladies and lady-boys some dwarves and a load of champagne enemas.
What has been your most memorable set or clubbing experience this summer?
Manumission at Privilege. I did a back-2-back set with XFM’s Eddy Temple Morris — and we took it from electro house thru booties and breaks to Pendulum’s ‘Slam’. OR I was found Djing in a tree-house at The Secret Garden festival two weeks ago — there were 1000 gathered round my tree. Fab.
Can you give us any gossip on Paris Hilton’s private party, which you and fellow electro-rocker Pete Martin (who make up the duo Coburn) were invited to perform at? How did it feel to be asked to play at one of the world’s biggest party girls’ parties?
Initially we were cook-a-hoop to be invited to play, then it turned out to be a launch for her perfume (!) AND her new single (!!) and worse she proved to be a spoilt b*tch. You can quote me on that. I had a few words with her when she demanded that I “play Madonna right now, or I am leaving my own party”. Then she brought her mum — yes Mrs. Hilton — in for support. We left her crap event very drunk and with a life-size card-board cut out of Paris under our jacket vowing never to suck corporate c*ck again. She was loathsome.
When can we expect Coburn’s debut album to hit the stores?
The debut Coburn long player is being put together right now due for release next year.
The highlight of September’s clubbing calendar is Extreme Euphoria’s 2nd birthday at Turnmills, are you looking forward to it?
Phew — it gets pretty pacey in there, but I guess I’ve been hired to do something different upstairs in the bar with Anne Savage. We’ll be dropping the usual electric-diet of edgy rock influenced house, breaks and maybe some grime.
What other sets have you got lined up this year that you’re particularly looking forward to? Things are pretty mental right now — we are goddamn busy every weekend — but here are a few gems: we are supporting the Prodigy in Luxembourg this month, playing with the Audio Bullys at Godskitchen next month, and The Chemical Brothers and Justin Robertson on New Years Eve at Turnmills...
You’re renowned for playing and producing diverse genres of music, which style are you leaning towards at the moment?
If you can make love to it, I am playing it (sic). As a DJ I go all over the place, but the tunes are linked by exceptional production and ideas making each one a serious musical/sonic hit in its own right. Breaks, four-to-the-floor, electro and even the odd bit of futuristic rock-tinged drum and bass. Put simply: I just play one kind of music: good.
Who do you take your influences from when producing music?
Despotic heads of state and tv evangelists.
Porno Cop
What are you working on at the moment?
The soundtrack to a new hard-core skin-flick being shot in a trailer-park in Detroit.
What was the last tune you downloaded onto your ipod?
I don’t believe in i-pods. I threw mine away after its battery went, 2 years ago. Complete waste of time — I am sent hundreds of pieces of music a week — I barely have the time to check them all, let alone put them first in my laptop, then on to my i-pod.
Thanks for your time Tim Healey.
Photography courtesy of Tim Healey. Not to be reproduced without permission.
What a year we’ve had at Extreme Euphoria! Not only have we been throwing regular parties in London, but we successfully exported our magic to the sun scorched island of Ibiza having teamed up with the masters of hard dance – tidy. If that wasn’t enough we released X top selling Extreme Euphoria compilations and made our mark on the world as one of the leading forces in hard dance.
That time of year is almost upon us when we celebrate our birthday, and for this, we’re back at mother ship, the legendary Turnmills. There is no other venue in the UK more suited to Extreme Euphoria than Turnmills, and we can’t wait to get back there for our 2nd Anniversary.
Make a note of Saturday 24th September, as this is when it’s gonna kick off! Answering to the birthday role call in the main room is Ms ANNE SAVAGE, ROB TISSERA, JAMES LAWSON, SCOT PROJECT, JAY PIDGEON DONNA BIRT and DICKON LAWS. T2 is under the control of Extreme Euphoria favourite GONZALO. He’ll be joined by PAGANO, LAW and a very special guest – the impeccable LISA GERMAN!! Lisa has been ruling the roost at Fabric for more than 2 years – her style of house is down right dirty!
There are a very limited amount of Early Bird tickets for this event, priced at a mere £12. The cost of a standard ticket rises to just £14 and if you fancy pushing the boat out with us, then stretch yourself to £25 where you’ve be treated to champagne and have access to the VIP lounge, hosted by DUMB BLONDE (Anne Savage) and her guests; TIM HEALEY and the FREAKY BEATS DJs. Demand for Anne’s alternative set have increased two fold in recent months, with the Dumb Blonde sound being called for around the world. It is well worth checking out!
From: Annabelon 19th Sep 2005 13:40.36 Tim Healey and Coburn are amazing.. Truely they are...
From: MostwantedJonathanon 21st Sep 2005 11:46.37 Yeah gotta second that. Been listening to their stuff since March, and they are gonna blow anytime soon.
From: Nikki Son 22nd Sep 2005 15:13.56 Tim Healy is an absolute LEEEEGEND! One of the funkiest characters in clubland! His sets are pure trashy house .. none of this hand bag shite... dirty dirty boy. I will definately be grooving it up and getting down dirty with Tim in the VIP area.
Nx