Robot Koch
Berlin-born electronic producer Robert Koch (aka Robot Koch) switches between driving dancefloor-oriented tracks and expansive cinematic pieces. Debuting as a solo artist with the 2009 full-length Death Star Droid, his earlier work found him operating on the fringes of left-field hip-hop and dubstep of the glitchy or moody variety as opposed to the more overt maximalism. However, by the time of his 2015 album, Hypermoment, he had transitioned to a broader sound while retaining his bright but mellow approach to production. Subsequent works have increasingly incorporated ambient and modern classical elements, with 2020's The Next Billion Years featuring orchestral arrangements by Nordic Pulse Ensemble and conductor Kristjan Järvi. Additionally, Koch releases ambient material as Foam and Sand, including a 2023 self-titled effort, and has worked with pianist Julien Marchal on releases such as the EP Movements.
Born in 1977, Koch picked up a few different instruments in his younger years, including piano at six and drums at 13. His early musical inclination came to fruition when he became a member of glitchy electropop trio Jahcoozi in the mid-2000s, being responsible for crafting the beats. Additionally, he released an album as part of abstract hip-hop duo the Tape vs. RQM, among several other projects. He began releasing music as Robot Koch late in the decade, including the electro-house single "Lies"/"Fever" with Elle P and hip-hop EP Upside Down with Cerebral Vortex. He released his debut solo album, Death Star Droid, on Project: Mooncircle in 2009, and quickly followed it with 2010's Songs for Trees and Cyborgs. Its guests included Boxcutter, Doshy, and Graciela Maria. His newfound solo recognition prompted his exit from Jahcoozi along with his relocation to Los Angeles; his third full-length for Project Mooncircle, 2011's The Other Side, sought to process the emotions that go with moving somewhere completely new.
The next few years saw him make some changes to his sound as developed a more cinematic style; this shift helped to net Koch a win at the German Music Composers Awards for Best Composer Electronic Music. Hypermoment, his fourth album, saw release in 2015 via Modeselektor's Monkeytown. He founded his own label, Trees & Cyborgs, the following year, which served as a platform for a string of releases, including 2016's Particle Fields with violinist and composer Savannah Jo Lack. Koch's 2018 album Sphere was originally conceived as a soundtrack to an audiovisual installation in collaboration with Mickael le Goff. Koch's sixth studio album, 2020's orchestral The Next Billion Years, saw release through Modern Recordings.
Koch began making ambient music as Foam and Sand in 2020. He released a reworked version of The Next Billion Years, which was given an immersive premiere in collaboration with audio company L-Acoustics. Koch has also worked with the Monroe Institute, contributing music to their meditation app. Foam and Sand released the full-length Full Circle in 2021, expanding the series of "Circle" pieces with the project's Nettwerk-issued self-titled 2023 effort, featuring guests like Priscilla Ahn and TWO LANES. Robot Koch and pianist Julien Marchal released the EP Movements, also in 2023.
© Liam Martin & Paul Simpson /TiVo
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Circle 35
Foam and Sand, Robot Koch, Stewart Cole
Electronic - Released by Nettwerk Music Group on 20 jan. 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Avalon (Robot Koch Remix)
Electronic - Released by Humming Records on 3 feb. 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Songs for Trees and Cyborgs
Electronic - Released by Project Mooncircle on 1 okt. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Subtle Ones
Robot Koch, Blankfor.ms, Foam and Sand
Electronic - Released by Trees & Cyborgs on 28 mei 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mare Nocturnum
Ambient - Released by Trees & Cyborgs on 13 feb. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Circle 31
Foam and Sand, Robot Koch, J Foerster
Electronic - Released by Nettwerk Music Group on 2 sep. 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Listen to Them Fade
Electronic - Released by Project Mooncircle on 7 mei 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Albatross (Inspired by ‘The Outlaw Ocean’ a book by Ian Urbina)
Dance - Released by The Outlaw Ocean LLC on 9 okt. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Circle 9 (Arms and Sleepers Rework)
Electronic - Released by Trees & Cyborgs on 19 nov. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tsuki
Electronic - Released by Monkeytown Records on 30 jan. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Circle 32
Foam and Sand, Priscilla Ahn, Robot Koch
Electronic - Released by Nettwerk Music Group on 30 sep. 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Stars as Eyes (Hugar Rework)
Robot Koch, Viktor Orri Árnason
Electronic - Released by Modern Recordings on 13 nov. 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Stars as Eyes (Foam and Sand Rework)
Robot Koch, Viktor Orri Árnason
Ambient - Released by Modern Recordings on 25 mrt. 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Unpaved
Electronic - Released by Project Mooncircle on 29 nov. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Circle 28
Foam and Sand, Robot Koch, Priscilla Ahn
Electronic - Released by Nettwerk Music Group on 5 aug. 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Circle 23 (Slow Meadow Rework)
Electronic - Released by Trees & Cyborgs on 22 okt. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Death Star Droid Remix
Electronic - Released by Project Mooncircle on 26 feb. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
On Being (Rework)
Six Missing, Foam and Sand, Robot Koch
Electronic - Released by Nettwerk Music Group on 11 nov. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo