Originating in the confines of drum ’n’ bass and jungle music, Amon Tobin set himself apart with his proficiency for altering and elevating the break-beat music form. Over the years, Tobin has become less reliant on prerecorded samples, and so, continuing with the tradition first started on 2007’s Foley Room, the electronic artist’s latest is almost entirely constructed from field recordings. These samples have been chopped, stretched, truncated and run through various filters and processes until the recording has little resemblance to its original sound. While the individual sounds alone are highly interesting to hear, Tobin has once again proved on his newest record that he has a real knack for taking these seemingly incongruent pieces and, like a masterful composer, assembling them to produce beautiful yet oddly textured melodies and rhythms. Due to Tobin’s use of a wide range of dynamics and sound frequencies, ISAM is best listened to on some boss headphones.
This article appears in June 21, 2011.