WARMER MIXTAPES #136 | by Robert Koch [Robot Koch] of Robots Don't Sleep and Jahcoozi

1. Isaac Hayes | Do Your Thing
I grew up on my mom's funk and soul tapes, that was my earliest contact with music. Hayes, Temptations, Stevie Wonder... I like the old Funk and Soul stuff a lot.

2. Bill Withers | Grandma's Hands
This is another one of my fave old classics. It makes me feel warm, I love his voice.

3. Slayer | Necrophobic
I love Slayer. After my early funk and soul socialisation I discovered Heavy Metal and Hardcore. I started playing drums and this is when I got all into the music, like wanted to live for the music, it was all to me. Slayer rocks, I saw them live many times and Dave Lombardo is one of my heroes on the drums.

4. Motörhead | Overkill
Maybe one of my fave bands of all time, I see them every year when they come out on tour. It's like X-mas to me. Lemmy is the only real and maybe last Rock 'n' Roller on the planet. He was always authentic, true to himself and never gave a fuck about any new trends or his critics. I have mad respect for the guy.

5. Tim Buckley | Dolphins
My gilrfriend turned me on to Tim Buckley, I never knew him before... What an amazing artist. This is one of my fave songs of him, although there are countless other dope tunes he made. His voice gives me the shivers. Brings back memories of driving along the sea in Mexico.

6. Radiohead | Hunting Bears
I also discovered Radiohead quite late... I knew about them but I had no idea how much they would inspire me until I swaped one of my albums in a 2nd hand store to their Amnesiac album. And that was the best swap ever cuz I gave my music to get some music that would inspire me to make new music...

7. Moondog | Down Is Up
Moondog is a visionary. He did some Sampling and Field Recording already back in the late 50s and recorded some inspirational records with his wife singing a lulllaby to his kid and he layered that with him playing precusision and other foud field recorded sounds.

8. Roland Kirk | Volunteered Slavery 
One of my favourite Jazz musicians. Next to John Coltrane, he played flute, tenor sax, a whistle and other brass instruments. All at the same time!!

9. Wu-Tang Clan | Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F' Wit
The 36 Chambers album is the reason why I got into Hip Hop. It was more dirty and unadulterated than anything around at that time and it had this mad energy. It's still blows my mind today. I was rocking the tape in my old Jeep back in the day, getting high with my friends and listen to it over and over again... I started making beats cuz of that record.

10. Antipop Consortium | Hydrogen Slush
I saw these cats in NY in early '99, they had their first EP out with Dj Vadim on his Jazz Fudge label and they were so next level back then already, to me they are THE Abstract Hip Hop band of all times. What an honour to have recorded twice with Sayyid already (he will be part of the new Jahcoozi album that comes out in April on Bpitch Control).

+11. Toto | Africa
Some might say it's a cheesy track but I love it. It is actually such a well written song, the arrangement, the harmonies, the groove. I love it. Is one of the few tracks that makes me happy when I hear it on the radio. And it reminds me of my drum teacher back in the day. He loved Toto. I hated it back then. All Ilistened to when I was 14 was Death Metal.

+12. Robot Koch | Nitesky (feat. John LaMonica)
Is it OK to love your own songs? I think it is. Especially if it's an collaborative track, here with the brilliant John LaMonica. My favourite song on my new album.

+13. Bon Iver | Woods
It's so simple and so complex at the same time. It's the kind of song that gives me images in my head right away, of a paint landscape, snow and some trees.

+14. James Blake | Case Of You (Joni Mitchell Cover)
Beautiful cover of a Joni Mitchell song, I actually prefer this version... Nice one, James...

+15. Moondog | Trees Against The Sky
I discovered Moondog a long time ago and was completely amazed by him. He was such a visionary composer. I know there is a Moondog retro trend now with the Honest Jon's label re-issuing some of his records, but to me this is more than a trend, Moondog has been a huge influence on me since years and years.

+16. Graciela Maria | Underwater
A track from her first album which I produced. She is so talented and the 2nd album is gonna be even bigger, we're working on it right now.

+17. Holy Other | Touch
It's deep, it has some magic to it, sends my brain on a journey. That's why I love music about music.

+18. David Bowie | Oh! You Pretty Things
Brings back memories of driving along the Pacific Highway on my last USA tour. Big ups to Mandy.

+19. Neil Young | Guitar Solo, No. 5
From the Dead Man soundtrack. Epic. I used to have this on tape and never knew whether the hissing noise came from Neil Young's guitar amp or from the fact that the tape was worn out.