Amon Tobin
Supermodified

After a lightning career start - "Bricolage" and "Permutation" are two hit-and-sink titles released by Ninja Tune - Amon Tobin already has a good amount of recognition, also helped by his live performances, where he operates more as a DJ than a producer. His music ends up on TV, in movies, and gets remixed. But fortunately, Tobin is not, shall we say, a $insert-musician-who-sells-out-when-used-in-a-bmw-commercial. Therefore, the here-reviewed "Supermodified" is not the commercial exploit of Amon Tobin, it is not the moment that marks the beginning of a prestigious major career (it is released by Ninja Tune as are its successors), it doesn’t contain the flashy video (presumably with hot girls) playing in heavy rotation on mtv and allmusic, it doesn’t contain the featuring of the most famous nigga-rapper of the moment. Even though in Italy, they used a track from this album for the mtv loveline commercial, which resurfaces in my memories from the period when I watched tv as the program that reassured men since 'a woman can enjoy herself even with 5 centimeters'.

Having pleased the virility of masculine readers, let's return to "Supermodified" which is much more interesting. "Supermodified", after the exploit of "Bricolage" and the evolution into dark tones of "Permutation", marks another step forward. In this album there's more sampling and more production, in short, Tobin adds even more of his own touch, leaving even less room for the personal identity of the samples used, to manipulate them and (super)modify them at his exclusive discretion. And the result pays off. The dynamic qualities of "Permutation", which managed to combine cool-jazz beats and drum'n'bass without being awful (on the contrary), are pushed to the highest levels from the very beginning with "Get Your Snack On", an explosive semi-danceable quasi-jazz with a delightful drum solo, brass instruments pouring down like rain, and lots of love. The album continues even better, with dark and grotesque beats, light pop-rock touches, bursts of jazz à la martini dry with ice. The quality and quantity of the samples used increase even further, although it seems difficult to believe ("Marine Machines" is built on Debussy's music, just to name one example). "Supermodified" is therefore kaleidoscopic in sounds and colors, which are more varied than in Permutation, yet remain close to Tobin's personality, who commands and guides them with the skill of a true sound painter. Astonishment, discovery, exploration, and pleasure in listening are always just around the corner when you place this album in your headphones.

And as far as I'm concerned, this means we are facing a Mr. Album.