Amon Tobin's mixing of jazz noir with breakbeats on Permutation resulted in one of the most infectious electronica discs of 1998. Using hard-bop drum samples, extended horn passages, and a constant groove, Tobin succeeded where others have fallen short: he captured the essence of jazz and made it ready for the dance floor. Thoroughly enjoyable and swinging. --Jason Verlinde
With its lush strings; its deep, snaking bass tremors; and its odd patches of percussive irritants, Amon Tobin's latest album sounds at times like the kind of noir-ish drum & bass that Luke Vibert (a.k.a. Wagon Christ) has left behind. Such torch passing seems fitting since Permutation's focus on jazz sample sources grew out of Tobin's own career switch: dropping, if only for now, the Brazilian percussion and pop flavors that have long infused his home-brewed electronica. A languorous dollop of bossa nova closes this album, but otherwise it almost exclusively explores jazz: hard-bop drum solos, luscious horn lines, and mellifluous fusoid guitar. Tobin programs all this expressly analog material into his small battery of synthesizers and produces one of the strongest albums of 1998. --Marc Weidenbaum
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Good CD:
When I ordered this CD, I thought that all of the songs would have the same vibe as the very last song. They do not. The last song is the best song on the CD, but the CD in all is pretty good. I suggest that prospective customers preview the CD, if they can, before they buy.
Tobin is indeed amazing:
Amazing is right (this may be the first time I use this adjective). It's hard to believe that amazing music like this comes from the electronic genre. Tobin makes music that conjures up images in the mind, can even make you groove, and emotions on the side. This music is so dense and made that it only deserves to be played on some of the best kinds of speakers. Those damn bass heavy headphones that badly wash out treble really can't do this stuff justice. Some music is just higher class. I still can get... more info
Ladies & gentleman, introducing a master craftsman.:
This is easily the best introduction to Tobin's back catalogue. Some of his later releases are a better demonstration of the mastery of his production, but are nowhere near as accessible (read: a challenging listen). What is exciting about Tobin is the effort and style with which he composes his beats. An article that came out at the time of this album's release made mention of the time taken in the construction of the drum patterns, noting that Tobin spent nearly ten times longer on the process than... more info
Top notch:
Amon at his best, absolutely stonkin, great mix of heavy bass warped jazz and electronic fusion, mixed with more jazzy downtemp numbers, huge track is sordid, big nasty bass. Love it (i own all his albums, and am awaiting the delivery of my foley room CD)
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