DEATH STAR DROID by ROBOT KOCH

Following the successful ‘Aftershocks‘ EP on his own Robots Don’t Sleep label, Robot Koch’s new full length heavyweighter ‘Death Star Droid’ is technically his debut LP, but only because it’s got his name on the cover – the man is no newcomer. Having released numerous records with his projects Jahcoozi and The Tape vs RQM, as well as making beats and remixes for for many artists internationally, Robot Koch has established himself as a household name in the world of bass, glitch and lazerbeams. Lately his tunes have become staple drops in the playlists of low-end luminaries such as Starkey, Gaslamp Killer, Hudson Mohawke, Mary Anne Hobbs and Rustie.‘Death Star Droid’ connects the dots between the more bass heavy and clubby Jahcoozi and the post-rock-isms of The Tape, infused with dubstep rhythms and wonky hip hop, but the introduction of live acoustic instruments and strong melodies is what sets it apart from much else in the loosely defined dub-hop-tronic genre. Drawing inspirations from all ends of the musical spectrum, grizzly synths and basslines find themselves supported by drifting pianos, while strings and flutes are as much characteristic of this album as wobbling Moog and Korg keyboards. Robot’s reputation also rests on his countless mixtapes, which have a growing cult following on the net. The blogosphere is jam-packed with these stylish gems, which liberally defy genre by combining and clashing a broad spectrum of sound, exemplified by his last mixtape for Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder podcast, which drew deep from West African folk and rare jazz oddities. Far more than just another producer-beatmaker album showing off the latest techniques, ‘Death Star Droid’ is a sincere musical statement made in the tradition of those famed mixtapes, so expect to be surprised by these sounds for swinging cyberlovers. Tip!