n5MD returns to it's namesake "roots" with the new release from Tim Koch entitled "Mine is Yours". "Mine is Yours" is an MD compilation of remixes that Mr Koch has done of other artists both in and out of the experimental electronic genre. A quick scan of the tracklisting reveals remixes of lackluster, marumari, proem, hrvatski, and even Tim himself, among others. Tim Koch has spent the last few years releasing a plethora of material on Defocus, Surgery, Aurual industries as well as compilation apperances on M3rck Records, Negativland's label Seeland, Systorm Technologies, Component Records,Intr_Version, Global Recordings , Lucky Kitchen, and U-cover , as well as an apperance on our MD2 Minidisc compilation. "Mine is Yours" is a wonderfly infectious mix of shuffling beats and soaring melodies that Tim Koch is now almost infamous for.

grooves

Distance has no meaning on the Internet, so a guy like Tim Koch from Adelaide, Aus has no trouble joining the international IDM boys club. This Minidisc release comprises Koch's take on a who's who of for-the-lack-of-a-better-term-IDM music: Hrvatski, Marumari, Proem, Codec, Skoop, MD, Lackluster. Also represented is Australia's Brunatex, Dial, Fourplay (the Australian string quartet, not the American Smoove Jazz combo), Suvome, Lawrence English, Mr. Eel, and Pem.

Koch approach to remixing is interesting -- somewhere between the total defacement school represented by Global Communications' 'Bloodmusic' Chapterhouse remixes, and the traditional edit-and-add-a-beat-for-the-dj method favored by major labels. The original material shines through in most cases, but he manages to make each remix very much his own product. It comments on the original, but becomes a Tim Koch track by incorporating his harmonic, rhythmic and structural ideas. In my web research for this review, a common theme emerged in the original artists' comments on the Koch remixes: surprise at the direction Koch took their track and pleasure with how nicely they turned out.

'The City' by Brunatex (for whom Koch drums) takes a straightforward pop house tune and gives it a loping disco-funk beat. While he hits all the IDM high spots with white-noise snares, Autotune-abuse, and noodly background sounds, if anything Koch makes it more poppy and accessible. You can download the original and remix in their entirety from http://www.brunatex.com for A/B comparisons. Codec's 'Vast Pies and Vast Pasties' is transmuted into a bouncy tune that at times would make a good soundtrack for Sesame Street. Crisp midtempo breaks and vocodered vocals and a monumental melody grace Dial's "What Can You Offer." Fourplay's acoustic string quartet gets sampled and resampled into a dramatic soundscape redolent of middle-period Muziq. Koch's remix of MD's "Thug's Bicycle Repair" was a standout track on MD's Merck release 'Applesap'. It illustrates Koch's harmonic abilities by re-voicing the chords under a familiar melody.

Koch's prodigious compositional skills never seem to flag in this collection. While some artists squander most of their energies on sound design and percussion that sounds like the silverware drawer spilling, Tim Koch concentrates on harmonic development, variation, pacing, and sequence to seduce the listener's ear. Now all we need up here above the equator is a compilation of the original tracks by the Adelaide artists Koch remixes here -- there's some great music we've been missing! threedworld

The first thing I should probably mention about this release is it's only available on MiniDisc, which may cancel out a reasonable proportion of readers. Nonetheless, even if you don't own an MD, this is still worth checking out. The packaging alone makes it special. Beyond the packaging - which is not too dissimilar to a cassette tape - there's some great music contained within, with S.A. artists Tim Koch, producing remixes of some of electronica's creme de la creme including Proem, Marumari, Lackluster and Hrvatski. Truth be known, I've only ever heard the originals of a couple of the tracks on this MD. But I'm not sure this really matters. QLD's Lawrence English Has the strength of his short but deep sounds given a beautiful yet dark workout. Lackluster's Cull Streak is lent a suitably minimal sound, showing the benefits of restraint and Hravatski's hectic squarepusher-style beats are deconstructed just enough not to alarm those who might otherwise be freaked out. Slick packaging, slick - and not-so-slick-in-a-scary-way artists combined with sensible and also slick remixes make this an interesting and tasty release. igloomag

As the Northern California based n5MD label blossoms with its unique roster of multi-talented musicians, Tim Koch's Mine Is Yours full-length MiniDisc features a collection of remixes he's crafted for artists in almost every continent. The remixes featured on this MD displays many of Koch's musical styles. Ranging from upbeat melodic-driven ambiences to gritty bass-heavy experimentations, these 15 tracks span through Tim's signature 8-bit Atari-influenced electronics and multi-percussive fragments. While each track is layered with unique downbeat rhythms, only a few of them manage to keep the listeners interest long enough to enjoy the whole release: these include remixes for Lawrence English's "Room40.Broken English", Proem's "Early Rings.Late Night Pick Up Window Mx" and Hrvatski's "Attn.Cats Funtitled Mx". With the emphasis placed on stretched melodies, most of Mine is Yours relies on relaxed electronic sounds that are enjoyable but not totally satisfying. (Artists remixed by Tim Koch include PEM, Suvome, Lawrence English, Brunatex, Mr. Eel, Fourplay, Proem, Marumari, Lackluster, Hrvatski, Dial, Codec, MD, and Skoop).