Whether positioning a clap and snare hit just slightly off time, or using a ripped up piece of paper for percussion, it’s the little things that give Robot Koch’s beats such a deep, unique signature. Koch demonstrates the many individual tweaks in Live that make up his distinctive grooves.

Listen to “Nano“, the Robot Koch track featured in the video, and download it for free here.

A while has passed since our last compilation has been released but just in time for the 2011 holiday season Project: Mooncircle and Finest Ego bring you the already fifth edition of our acclaimed compilation series. Shifting focus towards central Europe, we find the three countries Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Sharing lots of their historical and cultural heritage, this copious collection contains work from producers of a wide range of musical manifestations – all located in the spectrum between traditional sample-based and organic sound to electronic and experimental compositions. Grown up in the nineties with the organic sounds from across the big pond and a long tradition of electronic music in the German speaking world, this compilation showcases the fusion of electronic and classical soulful organic elements in the beat scene. The sound is as diverse as the country and its people, from Spaetzle to Klopse and from HipHop to Techno, on this compilation you can find Boombap from the likes of Brenk & Suff Daddy but also electronic sounds from the likes of Robot Koch and Bit Tuner as well as atmospheric sonical waves from Glenn Astro and Anthony Drawn.

The influences vary from Jazz records, video games, Hip Hop, Drum ‘n’ Bass and Techno. But are there two different camps clashing here? Retro vs future, mountain village vs urban center, winter vs summer…

The compilation includes acts like Chief, Brenk, Dexter, Mono:Massive, Hulk Hodn, Captain Crook, Stroe, Hubert Daviz, Comfort Fit, Robot Koch, Jazzo & Melodiesinfonie, Quendolin Fender, Ju-Ar, Twit One, Suff Daddy, Figub Brazlevic, Szenario, Portformat, Flowtec, D-Fekt & Mr. Beef, Bit-Tuner, Feux, Kalifornia Kurt, B-Ju, Playpad Circus, Flex Fab, Ill-Luzion, Anthony Drawn, Hazeem, Minor Sick, XL The Red One, Glenn Astro, Frederic Robinson, and Willy Sunshine.

Design by LGB5 x Alexander Brade. A&R: Martin Pohle. Mixed & Mastered by Sven Friederichs.
Release date: December, 25th.

DOWNLOAD | CASSETTE / TAPE SOON.

OFFICIAL FINEST EGO WEBSITE!

The documentary Left Fields (as a reference to the genre term and to D.I.Y.) deals with the struggle of independent artists to gain ground in 2011 music business. Interviewing MCs, label operators, producers and bookers, “Left Fields” explores the network of genre-crossing artists or labels such as Ceschi, Gonjasufi, Robot Koch, Comfort Fit, Fulgeance, Equinox Records, and Project: Mooncircle, who collaborate within networks across Germany, Switzerland and Austria. So basically it is a lot about the spirit and maybe punk attitude of this movement. “Left Fields” tries to provide an insight into the alternative hip hop scene featuring various concerts, the development of art work (design, screen-printing, etc.) and of course the opinions and stories of everyone involved. “Left Fields” comes with a hand-made, screen printed cover on a limited edition DVD and is going to be launched in Austrian cinemas and festivals in December 2011.

The Invisible Architect is the third full-length album by like minded production duo and long-term friends 1000names. Unlike their previous releases, which focused more on technology and machinery, they drew their inspiration for this album from the unconscious moments that just happen during live shows or studio improvisations, those happy accidents when the music emerges out of the chaos with no traceable origin. In these unconscious moments, it seems, the invisible architect – a mysterious natural power – creates this untouched and raw music, almost like the geological formation of rocks in a mountain or the trees in a forest are formed by the fundamental forces of nature.

In their own words: “It’s a mystery where the music comes from and why it sounds the way it does. We look for the answer in the garden of the invisible architect – and try just to be…“

Release date: December, 9th 2011.

You can pre order the vinyl version at hhv.de | Rush Hour | Access HipHop | Cargo UK | Diskunion | Jet Set Records | Crosstalk | Juno | Boomkat and more.

Digital download at Itunes | Juno | Zero Inch | Beatport | Amazon | Bandcamp | Boomkat and more.

Excerpts of press or air play outcomes:
Radio Fritz November 26th, 2011 Nightflight with Andre Langenfeld with the song Water Resistant Rakete – LISTEN. Audio Texture November 25th, 2011 Hosted by James Barrie with the song Water Resistant Rakete – LISTEN. Play.FM November 28th, 2011 Basic Soul Radio Show with the song Born With Promise – LISTEN. Inter Fm Tokyo and Yokohama December 4th, 2011 Tokyo Moon Hosted by Toshio Matsuura with the song Perception Of Color – LISTEN. LA’s KCRW 89.9 FM December 3rd, 2011 Eclectic Hosted by Mathieu Schreyer with the song Born With Promise – LISTEN. Juice FM December 2nd, 2011 Morning Glory Radio Show Hosted by Mathieu Schreyer with the song Milky Plastic – LISTEN. PLAY FM November 27th, 2011 Bogaloo Radio Show with the song Born With Promise – LISTEN. BYTE FM December 2nd, 2011 Popschutz / Wonky Revisited with the song Paper Trip – LISTEN. BLEEP Podcast #043 January 1st, 2011 by Oli Marlow of Sonic Router with the song She Loves Purple Mornings – LISTEN.

DJ / Artist Comments:
Good mixture of dreamy more cerebral beats with some crunchy nuggets thrown in and nice little boogie undercurrents. Got a tune or two lined up for radio play. (James Barrie – Audio Texture – UK)
I think this may be their best stuff yet! Really digging it. (Slugabed – Ninja Tune/Donkey Pitch/Various – UK)
Gonna play some of this on my show, really like it. (Brackles –Rinse FM/FWD/Various – UK)
Some more dope wonky musical funkyness on Project Mooncicle. (Laurent Garnier – PBB Radio/Various – France)
Really liking some of this, especially born with a promise. (Gieom – Berkane Sol/Various – UK)
SSSIIICCCKKKKKK!!! Best work yet from 1000 Names. Paper Trip is a beast!! Supadope duo, supadope label. (Kidkanevil – First Word/Various – UK)
Project Mooncircle comes up trumps again, feeling it. Looking forward to checking out the rest… (Dj Flight – Metalheadz/Rinse Fm/FWD/Various – UK)
Big fan of these guys, will be supporting on Flomotion. (Nick Luscombe – Flomotion/BBC 6Music/Resonance Fm/iTunes UK – UK)
Strongest release from the guys to date. (Donkey Pitch Dj’s – Donkey Pitch/Various – Brighton)
Wow – brilliant, love this. Look forward to hearing the rest of the album. (David Martin – Modern Amusment/VOX/Various – UK)
Nice LP with beautiful steppy atmospheres. Born With Promise and Milky Plastic are my favs so far. Nice to see Project Mooncircle continuing their story of success when it comes to releasing stuff like this. Airplay for BLN.FM. (Florian Demmer – Music Editor/BLN FM – Berlin)

A city is a place for us to be lonely together… ’Loneliness in a big city‘ – a topic which has been accompanying people since they started their travels to far away places. But what does this particular loneliness really mean nowadays? Is it just a void filled with sadness and feeling of isolation in the coldhearted sort of place? Or maybe a space in one’s mind to find the better path on their road of life…? Let us present you opinions of several foreigners trying to make their dreams come true in a different country. Their statements are mixed with electronic, dubstep tunes, such as: Rumpistol, Rain Dog, Yoko Duo, Christoph El’ Truento, Soosh, Gards From KC, Krts, Sipp, Steamgoat, 1000names, Teebs, Sina., Antennae, Mo Kolours, Melo, Frederic Robinson, Broken Bubble, Kilimanjaro, George Fitzgerald, Furesshu, Jacques Greene, Inga Copeland, Long Arm, Robot Koch and 40 Winks.

… and you… have you ever been lonely in a big city….?

DOWNLOAD | STREAM | PIXELATIQUE

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There is a story about a man who has courage to explore the mistery of unknown and limitless Universe. At the beginning of his journey he stays in darkness somewhere in the outer space, afraid of his every step forth. But when he realises the adventure that is waiting for him, he feels no fear anymore and his imagination starts to paint colourful landscapes. Put your headphones on, lay down on the floor and take your own space trip with music of: The RAah Project, Alex Patchwork, Lung, Krts, Kwala, Blue Daisy, Memotone, 1000names, Kowton, Robag Wruhme, Volor Flex, Pixelord, Arkist, Dojo, Sina., Guerre, Robot Koch, John LaMonica and Daisuke Tanabe.

What are the colors of darkness that you’ve just discovered? Enjoy..

DOWNLOAD | BIG UP MAGAZINE

Kowton and Tom Dicicco, residing in Bristol and Manchester respectively, make very different music from one another. Kowton’s seems to come from House, perhaps also Electro and Garage, often quite slow in tempo and hard to pin down to a specific genre. Tom’s music is Techno, bass heavy, melodic, textured and rooted around 125 BPM. With these distinctive styles the idea of a split EP might seem ambitious, but the result is four cohesive but different tracks that show the talents of both artists perfectly in the format of two originals on one side and two remixes of each other’s originals on the other. Tom Dicicco’s original is driven by a low-mid range thick stab and pounding kick drum, littered with intricate but not overbearing hi hat and snare work and some very atmospheric mid range. Kowton’s is subtle and sparse, low fidelity and plodding, with rattling percusion carrying the tune along. On the other side of the record, Kowton’s remix of Tom’s original is driven by an enormous bassline, with an off kilter dubby feel to the slow tempo and genre defying tune. Tom’s remix of Kowton rounds off the EP with a return to stab driven Techno, pulsating, dynamic and trance inducing.

Mastered by Matt at Air Studios London. Distributed by ST Holdings. More information on Project Squared.

This week Gilles Peterson is joined in the studio by German producer fLako, who talked about his forthcoming releases and gigs. Listen and more information here.