TEN 4… IONA COBURN
1… Who is Iona Coburn?
I’m a singer/song writer from Oxford with a very varied taste in music - as such my own music covers various influences from soul to electronic, jazz to synth pop.
2… Your best Mayday memory?
My favourite memory of mayday (asides from all the maypole dancing - lol) would have to be breaking into Merton College after the bridge. Love a bit of trespassing.
3… How have you found lockdown so far?
Lockdown has been horrible and lovely, weird and normal, bleak and beautiful. Everyday is the same but somehow you wake up feeling different. Some days you feel motivated others you just want it to rain all day. I think it’s been an important time to reflect on everything because unlike normal life there are very few distractions. You have to live in your own company for days on end. That can be hard. But what’s surprising is that it’s forced me to do things that I might have struggled with usually. Banana bread baking aside (did that in week one mate), I bought a microphone and got a home recording setup and made a track remotely with my collaborator Barnabas Poffley. It’s been so cool to see how people are getting creative with the situation that faces us.
4… How has the Oxford scene influenced your musical taste and development as an artist?
I mean it’s no secret that I am a huge Radiohead fan, they have been an influence since day one. Foals, TEED and Stornoway were also huge sounds of my youth, so of course I was thrilled to have played at Cellar just before it closed (RIP) and The Bullingdon - a bit of a right of passage for an Oxford act.
5… Your debut EP ‘The Port’ dropped late last year and we finally saw your first visual in ‘Silence’ just a few weeks back. How do you reflect upon these projects now they’re available to the public?
Watching it back fills me with so many good memories. I spent 3 days lip syncing in the front seat of a Merc bathed in saturated lights, a smoke machine and loads of my friends. Seeing something you’ve dreamed up take physical shape was very rewarding and it’s a great reminder that it’s all possible with the right crew behind you.
6… Tell us about ‘Import’.
My next release is called ‘Import’, a remix album of my EP. It’s been curated by Simon from Deep Cover and covers a range of dance genres - wave, garage, DnB, Hip-Hop - whilst still maintaining that moody ambient vibe. We’ve got amazing producers from all over the place on there - Klasey Jones, Imprint, Norfik and Saaaz so far - and I think Si is finishing one up too…
7… You’ve developed a close musical collaboration with Barnabas Poffley, the sole producer behind ‘The Port - EP’. What is it about his style that makes him Iona Coburn’s perfect partner in crime?
I’ve worked with Barny ever since I started writing. We understand each other musically. I’ve always really trusted his ear. He has a very unique approach to drumming patterns and rhythm which has always fascinated me. He basically sifts though all my ideas and seems to hear the melodies, chords and beats that work.
8… Who’s on the list for dream collaborators in future?
I’d love to work with my friend Lily Wen, a New York-based producer who works at figure 8 recording studio. She started her own label in 2015 called Figure & Ground which supports rare musicianship and infinite styles. We’ve been friends since we were 5 and never worked together before. Since we’re very much land locked at the moment perhaps now would be the perfect time to experiment with a transatlantic musical collaboration online?
9… I know you’ve been writing a lot recently… and idea of what we should expect from your next project?
Lockdown permitting of course - I’d love to get into a studio with Barny for a month and write a new album, but for now I think it will have to happen on zoom. I’ve got the mic and big wardrobe to sing into... sorted.
10… What’s the first thing you’re itching to do post-lockdown?
Been off the sauce for lockdown (2 months? I’ve surprised myself) so naturally the first thing I’ll be doing is downing a freezing cold pint (when the pubs open, if they ever open!?)
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