All Hail The Sample Master! (Permutation - Amon Tobin)

Member Name: music-mad

Product:	Permutation - Amon Tobin
Date:	14/01/09 (14 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very different, highly inventive

Disadvantages: Conventional music becomes less exciting after this! Some tracks are atmospheric "noise".

Permutation is the 2nd album by Amon Tobin released in 1998. The album consists of 12 diverse tracks of sample based music, the majority of which are beat-intensive. A wide range of styles and tempos are present, ranging from slow, soothing jazzy melodies to dark, frenetic drum n bass. There are no vocals in any of the tracks so the emphasis is on melodic samples and continually changing beats to keep your attention.

There are some who would argue that sampling is lazy, unoriginal and deserves less credit than "real" music - indeed there is a lot of uninspiring sample based music out there. However, in my opinion, this album represents sampling at its finest, turning it into an art form worthy of recognition in its own right.

What makes this album so great, in my opinion, is the meticulous attention to detail and the inventiveness in most of the tracks. When at his best, Amon Tobin rarely keeps things the same for long - either changing the beat or dropping a new sample in. This lack of repetition is thoroughly absorbing and addictive to listen to. When at his worst though, the tracks are fairly repetitive with little melody present, but I suppose it would be asking for far too much to expect every track on the album to be of such a high standard.

Highlights for me include:
- "Bridge". A lively track with a Latino late night party vibe which feels like it has a live drummer due to the variety of the beat samples.
- "Reanimator". A dark drum n bass track with an excellent, warped bassline and a furious evolving drum beat. This track conjures up images of something sinister crawling forth from the dark. The amount of work that must have gone into creating this is simply mind boggling.
- "Nightlife". I always find this track amusing - who else would try to mix Walt Disney-like melodies with drum n bass? It is comical, playful and very catchy.
- "Toys". An aptly named track, since the samples used evoke images of Walt Disney and toy shops. Languid and calming, this a welcome change from the frenetic beats of the faster tracks.

[Also reviewed on Epinions and Ciao]

Summary: An essential purchase if you want something really different