Steve Ash, who makes music as CommsBreakdown, has been around the music scene for a while. He started making music in the '90s back in the UK, jumping between electronic and rock sounds, then took a long break before diving back in and releasing a string of albums from his new home in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. He describes himself as more of a ‘studio artist’ than a performer, someone who’s happy to let the music do the talking, rather than getting up in front of a crowd.
His newest single, 'My Brain Feels So Good', is a collaboration with Canadian producer Emily Sobool, who works under the name SoCool. At its core, it’s this chilled, slightly hypnotic track that rides along a warm, mellow guitar riff, but there’s room for some dancefloor energy too. The song started as a casual experiment between the two producers, who met at an online Bandcamp listening party for a compilation called 'Ambient Online'. Turns out, both of them had tracks featured in the lineup and started chatting in the comments section. Pretty soon, they were swapping sounds and ideas, and before long, this collaboration kicked off.
“Emily loved the guitar tone on a track called 'Ceres' by Rohne and wanted to see if I could match that warm, slightly overdriven sound,” Steve says. “So I gave it a crack, and while experimenting, I ended up with this guitar riff that was super catchy. I recorded some extra parts and a very basic beat, then put together this demo that I sent to Emily.”
Emily remembers being stoked when she first heard it. “The demo was already sounding fantastic with that riff and the guitar tone,” she says. “It managed to be mellow but with just enough bite to keep it interesting. I was so excited to have a shot at playing around with the audio.”
Even though they’re working from opposite sides of the planet, (Steve’s in Bowral, Emily’s in British Columbia), collaborating doesn’t feel particularly hard. “With music being so digital these days, it’s actually incredibly easy,” Steve says. “You just share links to the stems or folders like you’re in the same room. I’m working in Logic and Emily’s working in Ableton, but it all comes together fine.”
The fun part, though, wasn’t just the collaboration itself. They didn’t set out to make the same version of the song. Instead, they started with the same core elements, Steve’s guitar riff, a few additional lines, and a house drumbeat, and then split off to work independently and see where their own styles took them. “I thought it’d be cool to see how similar or different the results would be,” Steve says. “We came up with completely different arrangements, adding new synths, drum parts, and structure.”
For Emily, building her version of the track wasn’t a drag at all. “It didn’t feel like work, more like play,” she says. “Ideas were flowing really well, and before I knew it, my mix felt done. Then we swapped versions to see what we’d both come up with. I love how much they complement each other.” Even the title came from one of Emily’s early reactions while working on the demo: after hearing the guitar, she messaged, “My brain feels so good!” and Steve decided to use it.
Steve’s journey into music started decades ago, and there’s a lot of history there. He was part of the UK electronic-rock crossover scene in the ’90s, even joining The Black Dog, one of Warp Records’ iconic leftfield electronic acts, for a brief stint before life took him in other directions. He admits that he didn’t make a lot of music for about 20 years. Then, after moving to Australia, he found the itch to start again under a new name. Since 2024, he’s been back in a big way, releasing five albums across genres like house, drum & bass, ambient, and post-rock. There’s something satisfying in the variety of sounds he plays with, he’s not fixed to just one style, and there’s always room to experiment.
Emily’s story takes a different route. “Music has always been central for me,” she says. “I’ve learned heaps of instruments over the years, piano, saxophone, clarinet, guitar, and I spent a lot of time DJing vinyl sets at lounges, clubs, after-hours spots, and even festivals in British Columbia. I also hosted a radio show on CiTR 101.9 FM for a while, but the real turning point for me was streaming into Ableton Live. That’s when I got hooked on creating electronic music.” Emily’s mixes and production have earned her a spot in some exciting spaces lately, including a spot at Canada’s Revel Music Festival, which she calls her dream festival. It’s small, intimate, and filled with friends, taking place during the Perseid meteor shower in an idyllic riverside valley. “It’s a beautiful thing to dance under the stars then relax by the river during the day. Most people who attend are artists and volunteers, so it’s got this really special vibe.”
For Steve, his ideal festival lineup goes in a very different direction. “I’ve got good memories of Glastonbury, so I wouldn’t mind a dream stage there,” he says. “Orbital, Depeche Mode, Radiohead, Muse, The Prodigy, Four Tet, Aphex Twin — they’d all have to play.”
Living in Bowral comes with its own challenges for Steve, though. “The Highlands are a bit more isolated from big music scenes like Sydney or Melbourne,” he says. “Live music around here leans towards bands, not so much electronic stuff. I’m more of a studio artist anyway, so I tend to focus on making music and sending it out into the world. Live music is such an important part of building your audience, though. If I was younger and starting out now, I’d probably lean much harder into live performance to get my stuff heard.”
Emily is warming up to the idea of performing live herself. “Community support is incredibly important,” she says. “I’ve been lucky to connect with like-minded artists both locally and online for feedback and encouragement. Lately, I’ve been invited to play some live sets, so I’m definitely thinking more about how to step into that side of things.”
As independent artists, they’ve both carved out ways to find their footing in a crowded space without worrying too much about trends. Even though 'My Brain Feels So Good' began as a simple experiment, a riff and a shared file folder, it’s ended up as something uniquely theirs. Whether you’re hearing either version, it feels layered but easy to sink into. Emily’s version brings out a more groove-heavy side, while Steve’s might lean a touch more dreamy and ambient. Either way, there’s something in it that draws you in.
If collaborations like this keep going, there’s more to look forward to. “We’ll definitely work together again,” Steve says. “It’s been fun, plus working like this across continents shows how easy it is to build music in a different way.” Emily agrees: “It’s been really inspiring sharing the process with someone new. There’s so much possibility, and it’s exciting to dive in.”
Listen to My Brain Feels So Good (CommsBreakdown Mix) by CommsBreakdown and So Cool:
https://www.localsounds.com.au/song/commsbreakdown-socool/my-brain-feels-so-good