Amon Tobin
 

First off my apologies if there is already a thread for this, but it didn't show up in search. Anyway, I was surprised not to see a thread on Amon Tobin on here. I'm not hugely familiar with his discography, but his recordings pretty much single handedly got me into electronic music. I'm not totally sure if it is considered DnB or electronica. Anyone familiar with him or into his music?
Some Videos:

Wow I'm also surprised there was no thread dedicated to him.

Neither, IMO. He incorporates too many styles into his music to be considered DnB, and electronica is a sub-genre typically used in reference to the mainstream electronic acts that came about in the 90s (and the title of this forum bothers me for that reason - it's not a general term) like Chemical Brothers, Crystal Method, The Orb, Basement Jaxx, etc., which is definitely not his style. To me he's just one of those artists I simply call "electronic" because he's hard to pigeonhole.

Anyway...I had been aware of him since the very early 00s and picked up an album or two around 2003. However I didn't get into them that much at the time. I did like them but was also getting into a lot of rock at the time so I kind of set them aside after a couple of listens. It wasn't until he released Foley Room two years ago that I really started paying attention. This one was quite different from the others and really intrigued me. Since then I've gone back to listen to his older ones and really enjoyed them. He's playing here August 7th and I'm thinking of going.

i've got just about everything he's put out. very awesome musician.

his early stuff is most definitely DnB, especially his first release 'adventures in foam' under the moniker cujo (i've also seen it listed as 'adventures in form').

his first proper release under his real name is 'bricolage' which is still very heavy on the DnB side of things but incorporates a healthy dose of old school jazz samples into the mix.

'permutations' is where his early style really comes into its own. it's a very dark album with some middle eastern flavour mixed into the DnB jazz angle. well worth checking into if you prefer his beat based tracks.

'supermodified' came out next and continued expanding on what he started with P. this is the album where he seemed to start paying more attention to how the sound of his music was presented to the listener. there's a lot more depth to the production. your first two videos are tracks 2 and 3 from that album.

'out from out where' was the next offering and i consider it to be a transitional album. there are still big beat tracks that would have fit nicely on permutations or supermodified (like your example of 'verbal') but then you get stuff like the final 3 tracks (which includes 'proper hoodidge') that definitely show a new atmospheric direction with his music. the ennio morricone influence really starts to show, especially on 'el wraith'.

there's a 'solid steel' live disc that came out after this which is, alright, but i've downloaded better live sets off soulseek. better sound quality but overall not a necessary addition to anyone's collection.

then there's the 'splinter cell: chaos theory' soundtrack. don't kid yourself into thinking it's not worth getting just because it's a video game soundtrack. if anything it's the other way around, the video game is worth getting because of the soundtrack (doesn't hurt that they both kick piles of butt).

his last album is 'the foley room'. this is the reason i call 'out from out where' a transition. the big beat DnB jazz stuff is gone. it's an album of avant garde field recordings reworked into a fantastic display of beatsmithing amazement. it's not to say there aren't giant beats to be found on the record, just don't expect to hear the amen break at 180bpm for 6 minutes on any track. it's like he took all the unique elements of his previous albums and rolled it into a fresh new style.

i put him on par with squarepusher in terms of reinventing what can be done under the guise of 'electronic' music. i don't ever expect to hear a boring or repeat album from tobin, based on interviews i've read i figure he'd quit making music before releasing something like that.

i'm jealous. i can't see this being a bad show, he's also been using quadraphonic sound for certain performances. i remember a while back it was only for certain shows on a tour at this point i have to assume everyone gets to be surrounded by sound at all his shows.

either way. GO TO THE SHOW! hahaha

Supermodified is bloody good. It's amazing how you can be reminded of the class you already have in your collection, so intent are you on getting new music. It's going to get a blast now.

Word.

I need a new damn bookcase so I can spread out and uncover the wall of CDs hidden behind the first row. :laughing: There are many things that pop in my head or I'm reminded of that I own but can't conveniently get to for a listen or rip to the PC.

I've always imagined that he'd be incredible live, If I were you I'd definitely go.

These sound great, I'll definitely be checking em out. I like his DnB stuff, and that "middle eastern flavour" you mentioned is one of my favorite aspects of his music.

This was the first album I heard from Tobin, and the one that got me interested in his music. Really a fantastic recording, first heard it at least 2 years ago and still play it regularly.

Right on. I don't listen to this as much as supermodified, but I consider it to be just as good. I love the dark, brooding atmosphere of this album. It really fits the game well.

I like his DnB stuff, but this atmospheric transformation you're talking about really interests me. I'll be checking this out for sure.

Very informative post

Listening to Bricolage right now, inspired by this thread. :hphones:

thanks :thumb:

supermodified is also the first album i heard from him as well. i caught 'chocolate lovely' on a late night 'underground' radio show back when the album first came out. downloaded a few tracks later that night, flipped out at the awesomeness of '4 ton mantis' and damn near pee-ed my pants when i found the disc for sale within the following weeks hahaha

he generally puts out an album every other year so he 'should' be coming out with something soon but... some of the comments he was making after his last disc was released seem to indicate he's questioning the worth of commercial releases. if his site is any indication he seems to have moved onto more collaborative efforts and online ep distribution.

here's hoping he's still got another 'regular' full length or two up his sleeve hehe

Definitely a favourite of mine. I was introduced via Splinter Cell Chaos Theory and never looked back really, easily my favourite of the lot (Probably half due to nostalgia) but his growth through his releases is amazing.

Foley Room was another one of my favourites of his. Well its probably unfair to label favourites given near everything he has done has been top notch. But Esthers always seduces me to crank his albums. Probably his most standout track for mine.