Tim & Puma Mimi

A side: Bansōkō
A three-part instrument, a mixture of koto, tambura and monochord, spacey and fused into a fat drone via many effects. In addition, thick synth walls, a slow and heavy trap beat. Also, Puma Mimi's voice is as graceful as Major Motoko Kusanagi in the «Ghost in the Shell» movies. Fittingly, the song sounds as if it could appear on their soundtracks right away. Which wouldn't be the first time, as Tim & Puma Mimi's music was already used in the Hollywood film of the same name starring Scarlett Johansson. And there are also thematic parallels: the track revolves around the many small frustrations that arise between raising children and creative work. While a plaster («Bansoko») is often sufficient for children's injuries, it is more complicated for adults. But who cares about the simple solutions?

B side: Aka Tombo
«Aka Tombo» is a Japanese nursery rhyme. Nostalgically, it describes a rural scene with dragonflies flying into the red sunset. Based on this, Tim & Puma Mimi have created an almost atypical B-single: traditional sounds from KoTaMo (a hybrid of koto, tambura and monochord), glockenspiel, flutes, steel drums, plus a booming bass sound. What a meditative, spiritual experience, far away from the electro-pop of the Swiss-Japanese duo. A similar break in style of this kind has recently only been offered by flute rapper André3000. And that succeeded – as does «Aka Tombo» by Tim & Puma Mimi, the last track before the release of the new album «More or Less Tim & Puma Mimi».
released March 7, 2025 A Tree in a Field

A side: Little Big City
Cultural education in squats is essential. This is the message behind «Little Big City», single No. 2 by Tim & Puma Mimi. Strictly speaking, the song is a cover by Knarf Rellöm & DJ Patex. The street names from the original song were replaced by the Swiss-Japanese duo with the names of demolished squats. And the over-the-top electro-rock of Rellöm dresses up in laconic, casual electro-pop. The song revolves around Zurich, the (former) hometown of all those involved, who also met there. Where exactly? Of course, in a squat at a concert.

B side: Pale Blue
Tim has two hours before leaving Hamburg. Host DJ Benni Bo seizes the opportunity and slams a balafon on the breakfast table for his Swiss guest: «Come on, let's record something!» The foundation for «Pale Blue» was laid, B-single No. 2 by Tim & Puma Mimi. The track oszillates somewhere between a cheerful children's song and a video game intro, fittingly accompanied by vocal samples from the two Tim & Puma Mimi interns Miu & Nao as well as plenty of music toys. Quirky, wild, mischievous – raw like Sushi, sweet like Chocolate!
credits
released January 24, 2025 on A Tree in a Field

Crazy but true: We released a new Single after 7 years!
You can listen on all the platforms, enjoy!

timandpumamimi.bandcamp.com/album/blanket

Blanket (Susukino edit)

A night in Sapporo meets handheld synthesizers: Konnichiwa and welcome back, Tim & Puma Mimi! The quirky Swiss-Japanese electro duo have returned! The first single «Blanket (Susukino Version)» (RELEASE: 13.12.2024 via A Tree In A Field Records) from the upcoming album «More or Less Tim & Puma Mimi» (RELEASE: 18.04.2025) revolves around the relationship of a night owl to its lost Swatch. Pocket Operator synthesizer and acoustic drum form a Gameboy soundtrack in colour, over which the vocoder’s voice moves like a video game character. A mind game that can certainly rob you of sleep, can’t it? Perfect for listening to the piece in a continuous loop and exploring Mimi’s hometown of Sapporo including the Susukino Crossing.

Blanket (Otaru edit)

Every A-side of a record once had its B-side. Tim & Puma Mimi commemorate this format in their single releases. Accordingly, there is not one, but two versions of the Swiss-Japanese electro duo’s return. «Blanket (Otaru Version)» is the dark sibling of the Susukino version of the same name. A dark, beat-less retro song named after Otaru, a small port town near Sapporo. The guitar work of Toshi TKNG, a family friend from Japan, continues to be the focus and is classified by him as follows: «I did something in the style of Duran Duran». Sayonara, you psychedelic New World.

Next single drops 24.1. 2025, HAPPY NEW YEAR, TIM & MIMI

To celebrate our first single after 7(!) Years we decided to put it out with an exhibition with some of our artworks, that happened now and then. It will be in our cozy Atelier Zurlinden, Zurlindenstrasse 169.

Friday 13. December Vernissage with Videoscreening of our new Single “Blanket” 7pm

Saturday 14th December we bake Waffels and the exhibition is open from 3-8pm

Sunday 15th December is the Finissage from 1-7pm including Mimi Bunko, the japanese pop-up Library by Puma Mimi

Yes time goes by, we are working on our next album, listening to this music at the moment :)

we covered Ozawa Kenjis “Ultraman Zenbu”, Haru sings, Tim plays his freshly repaired Fender Rhodes and the interns do the special-effects.

Universalfilter release their first album on Tape and digital. Biggles (git, voc), Kid Schurke (drones) and Tim (steeldrum and beatmachine). Quite a special piece of music!

We had the pleasure to do a skype concert in San Francisco. Tim played at Gray Area SF and Mimi sang live from Zurich. Internet still works.

While Mimi was in maternity leave and the interns were quite busy with, ehm, other stuff, Tim worked together with Jonas Labhart on the music for the animation movie about Huldrych Zwingli. Directed by Kati Rickenbach. Some old instruments were involved :)

Hey, we made a new video “Oh my Bike”

Tim cut out all the Mimi-bikes and animated them over the winter, are you ready for a crazy ride?

With great guests as IOKOI from Milano, Ngoma Makhosi from Johannesburg, Lotti from Mani Matter, None of Them from Zurich and in the end is even a 10min track called “Guestbook Nr. 1” with contributions by Boris Blank, Töbi Tobler, Benni Bo, Seelenluft, Toshi TKNG and the streets of Johannesburg.

Get the album on vinyl, CD or digital on Bandcamp, CeDe.ch, iTunes or stream it on Spotify

We want to say thank you to everyone, who made this possible!

XLR8R: “Eccentric duo Tim & Puma Mimi drop a warped, pop-infused cut.” “Their music, which is an invigorating mix of everything from dub to Japanese rap, twisted modular synth jams, and, quite literally, everything in between.”

Spex: “So fließt Hell und Dunkel zusammen und ergibt ein harmonisches Ganzes. Yin und Yang eben.”

Tages Anzeiger: “Ein faszinierendes, psychedelisch-trippiges Potpourri. Man groovt jetzt Dada!”

Woz: “In der Folge schickten sie einander Soundfiles hin und her, schnipselten, entwarfen Skizzen und bauten Tracks zusammen, die von Beginn an quer in der Landschaft lagen – und die zuweilen auch Gefahr laufen, auf dem Weg zwischen Konzertsaal und Club ganz verloren zu gehen. Doch hier, im Transitbereich gewissermassen, fühlen sie sich wohl, mit ihrer Musik, die mobil ist im wörtlichen Sinn.”

NZZ: “So reicht das Repertoire auf dem Album «Der Die Das» von witzigem Electro-Pop über Acid Jazz und Dubstep bis hin zu Ambient-Soundscapes und Industrial.”

Enjoy it-have fun with it- explore the world!

Sincerely yours, Tim & Mimi

Happy that our single “Dupi Dough” is out today!
It’s made for the animation movie Ivan’s Need. The filmmakers were so kind to make a mash-up of the animation with some new animated faces of Tim & Mimi and how to make a dough to a music clip.

Listen to the song on iTunes or Spotify together with a badboy remix by Kid Schurke!

And here an interview about the single at FAME magazine

We had the honour to cover Mani Matter for a compilation by Zytglogge.
We choose Ds Lotti schilet > Yorime no Lotti

We did a simple and easy version, Tim played the Saxophone for the first time for Tim & Puma Mimi (He has a Jazz-trauma!)
But it seems the people like our version:

«Wenn das Lotti auf Japanisch schilet – grossartig. „Yorime no Lotti“ ist mein klarer Favorit auf der Mani Matter Tribute-CD»
Judith Wernli, SRF3.ch

«Und Matter auf Japanisch? Das geht dahingegen wunderbar. Das Duo Tim & Puma Mimi hat aus dem schielenden Lotti ein schlitzäugiges gemacht und lässt es zu einem munteren Beat aus dem Elektrobausatz tanzen. Das ist dermassen umwerfend, dass sich das ganze Album-Experiment allein für diesen einen Titel gelohnt hat.»
A. Hebeisen, Der Bund

And there is even a long article about it in Japanese here:
www.swissinfo.ch/jpn/誕生までの道のり_スイス人と日本人デュオ-スイスの名曲をカバー

Get the album here: CeDe or iTunes

If you get bored with your tram ride (limited on the line 4 in Zürich....sorry), listen to lovely audio guide “Ganz Ohr im 4i Tram”, with text and music by local kids.

We visited two primary school classes, and asked kids to play instruments, shout, hum, beat box, bang the chair, tap music apps etc. etc. Later Tim put the samples together and cleaned them a bit.

So, precisely, the music was made by 4i Tram kids team feat.Tim & Puma Mimi ;) It was fun!

For more information and download the guide, visit Ganz Ohr im 4i Tram website.
Have a nice tram ride!

Till middle of May we do live-music for a dance theater in St. Gallen at Lokremise.

Teaser | Frühlings Erwachen | Tanzstück von Marcel Leemann from Kristian Breitenbach on Vimeo.

Here is a short video from our workshop we gave at the Hillbrow Theatre Project in Johannesburg/South Africa. It was fun!

Here is the Acchi Kocchi-scene:

Last year was craaaazy. We had a big big adventure in South Africa supported by Pro Helvetia. And we’ve got Werkjahr from Popkredit. Thanx to all who supported us. So, now, we are full equipped financially and mentally. And, our 2016 schedule is not that empty.
We will release a single and an album this autum (OK, we wrote it. So, we have to do it!). At the moment, we are busy on finalizing songs. Before the release, we play live music for the contemporary dance piece by Marcel Leemann at the Theater St. Gallen. In between, we have to train our Intern and play some shows.

We wish you a happy 2016!

Tim, Mimi and Intern

Yes, “News” is maybe a too big title.
We update here once a year or so...
If you want to get serious informations, subscribe to our newsletter:
timandpumamimi@gmail.com (with a little message, thank you)
or if you are a real nerd, then you follow us on facebook!!!

OK, THE NEWS:

We made music for an animation movie! It’s very nice, and will be shown on all animationfestivals around the world. (If it’s not shown on your fav festival, then it’s not a real animation festival.) And it will be online in a year or so. Swiss TV has the rights to show it first...

But we show you some very secret material right here.
Are you over 18 years old?
No ( ) Yes (Y)
It’s about dough and boobs.
Teaser
Yes, that we call a teaser.
So, watch out for “IVAN’S NEED”

Then we played at the PALÉO FESTIVAL last week. It’s still our favourite festival in Switzerland. Here’s a nice short documentary by Jan Knüsel.

And, yes, beside that, we record some here and there. Hope it will hit the ground around new years eve.

Enjoy the summer, and come back here to check the next news in a year.

Yours, Tim, Mimi and the Intern

Tim produced music for Bufo Makmal a new young dance group from Basel.
The piece ALL.ES is shown at Roxy Birsfelden 16. / 18. / 19. / 20. 12. 2014 , 8 pm
21. 12.2014 6 pm
worth to see!

Jan Knüsel, the director of Negative: Nothing started to make Mini-documentaries about Tim & Puma Mimi.

Very nice :)

In the first one you see pregnant Mimi rocking the Open Air St. Gallen.

Exactly 10 Years ago, we released our first EP “The Adventures of Tim & Puma Mimi” on alpinechic.net.

For this special occasion, we want to thank alpinechic.net to push our first songs into the digital world. 2004 was a good moment to make a free release. We asked Andrea Pestoni, the man behind alpinechic, some questions.

TPM: Did you expect that Tim & Puma Mimi will become a long-running project? What are your first Memories of the band?
Andrea Pestoni: Yes, I thought that T&PM, even though Tim lived in Zurich and Mimi in Tokyo at that time, would be a long-running music (and love) project. My first memory is the CD with the letter, that I got via post. I had immediatly a good feeling with their music. Later, we had some interviews with Tim for our Radioshow. We discussed about possible stage singers because Mimi was in Japan. Also, I have nice memories of gigs and parties with the band.

TPM: How many times was the EP downloaded? (if that is possible to say)
AP: Unfortunately, I can’t acces to the old statistics, but I would say, it was around 50’000 downloads. The EP also got quite a lot of attention in the blogs around the world.

TPM: What has changed since 2004, does it still make sense to run a net label? Or: Why did you stop Alpinechic?
AP: Today, I don’t see any difference between a net label and a normal label. Today, everyone is listening music via streaming or youtube. A (net)label can be important to preselect bands and artists.
I stoped Alpinechic, because I didn’t find time anymore. We made compilations, mp3, vinyl and CD releases, organized concerts and parties, produced radioshows and a lot more... it was a big work, but I had to do most of the things alone. At a certain point, I didn’t find time and energy anymore. I wanted to have more time for my own music, instead of working for other artists and doing administration.
TPM: What’s your wish for TPM in the future?
AP: More records, concerts and kids!

Thanks Andrea/Alpinechic!