{C}{O}{M}{B}, the Margate-based duo of artists Ollie Briggs and Jim Dixon (Django Django) announce their signing to Brace Yourself Records alongside releasing their debut single, the mesmeric ‘Future Days’.
Drawing its title from the Can album of the same name, ‘Future Days’ has been gradually creeping out into the world via early support on Marc Riley’s BBC 6 Music show, and is now available digitally everywhere. It’s a perfect introduction to the rich, earthy experimentation of the pair’s music, building enchanting worlds of sound out of sampled guitar loops, tape machines, a child’s keyboard and acoustic instrumentation including oboes, kalimbas and double bass. Atop it all, Dixon’s lead vocals drift airily, striking an unlikely hinterland between otherworldly and focused, never failing to entrance in the process.
Rooted in their shared background in art college and a love of Dada, collage, and avant-garde performance, {C}{O}{M}{B}’s sound stitches together tactile loops, found recordings, and hand-played instruments. You can hear the everyday life of the recordings themselves – voices in the kitchen, the hum of tape, the air of a room alongside harmonies and crafted songs. The result is music that feels both familiar and strange, graceful and raw, like an audio collage of lived experience.
Briggs brings an ear for experimental sound design, tape work, and sampling; Dixon lends his songwriting depth and sensitivity. Together, they move fluidly across roles, serving the music rather than their egos. Their process celebrates mistakes as the seeds of rhythm and texture – building songs from accidental moments, layering lo-fi and hi-fi elements as conversation rather than contrast.
“We always embrace mistakes and ‘Future Days’ is a good example of how these different sounds and approaches work together,” the duo explain. “It started with a chopped up guitar loop that Ollie had and we then spent an evening jamming over it, adding and removing parts as we went: synths, double bass, kalimba, drums, even a piano part on Jim’s kid’s Casio. ‘Future Days’ was a holding title, obviously a Can album, but it stuck!”
Margate is more than a setting for {C}{O}{M}{B}; it’s the foundation for their studio and the growing network of collaborators orbiting the project. With further collaborators to be revealed in the coming months and a live band coming to fruition, {C}{O}{M}{B} is evolving into a platform for creative exchange – releasing their own music, producing for others, and reconnecting with their visual practices through artwork and performance. ‘Future Days’ comes adorned by original artwork from painter Lucy Stein, who is creating a series of pieces inspired by the duo’s music.
Their work speaks to listeners drawn to authenticity, texture, and emotional depth – from fans of experimental sound to those craving music that feels handcrafted and alive. {C}{O}{M}{B} is not about perfection; it’s about presence, process, and the joy of discovery.
Watch the video for ‘Future Days’ here:
