It began for him sometime in the mid-90s when, as a fresh-faced Brazilian ex-pat living in the UK, he decided he was going to put down his harmonica, pick up a sampler, and name himself after a Stephen King novel. The resulting album, Cujo's Adventures In Foam (released on Ninebar records, later reissued on Ninja Tune) signalled Amon Tobin's entry into the world of music.
Immediately upon hearing this record, the powers that be at Ninja Tune signed him up to record as Amon Tobin, and he quickly went to work on his debut Bricolage. If you'll recall, these were the trip-hop years for electronic music, where any clown with a sampler and a collection of Blue Note records could knock off some half-baked boutique hotel background music. But Bricolage shone above all that. Although employing a marriage of jazz and beats, it stretched it further by bringing in elements of bossa-nova, batucada, and jungle, and combining it with a sense of song-writing that elevated it above the standards of that aforementioned scene. There is a song on it which was inspired by Amon urinating on his neighbor's bike after a domestic living dispute (One Day In My Garden)... this was clearly the no-good vibes-jazzy-beats guy Ninja had signed.
Next up came Permutation. Although stylistically a logical follow up to Bricolage, it was also on this album where things starting taking a noticeable turn to a much darker output. In fact you can actually trace Amon's career based on coffee shop & dinner party accessibility... and let's just say that this record signalled the end of anyone being able to use Amon records as background music. This one cut a wide path; from the film tributes of Like Regular Chickens & People Like Frank, to the monster breaks on Sordid (easily his biggest 'hit' in the catalog), to the caravan-esque shuffle of "Nightlife," and ending with the ultra-lush Nova (which later was used for Bebel Gilberto's Samba Da Bencao on her debut album).
Call it end of millennium tension, but while the rest of us were out stockpiling food for the apocalypse, Amon was channelling all that into his next release Supermodified. Treating it like if this was the end of the human race as we knew it and computers would never work again (or god forbid, if we were to be ruled by apes), then damn if he wasn't going make this banger before the lights went out. If Amon's career is a 4LP set, then this 3rd instalment appropriately comes off like the 3rd side of any 4LP 70s rock opus... a time to push some boundaries, challenge the fans a bit, and set the stage for what's to come later. The record was an experiment in sound. Marking the point where Amon became more and more obsessed with unheard but felt bass frequencies, and where he allowed a few collaborators into the mix (mainly Chris Morris of Brass Eye & Blue Jam fame, and Montreal beatboxer Quadraceptor). The record where the Bossa-nova/jazz Amon Tobin was for the most part laid to rest and the dark/electronic/soundtrack Amon Tobin came into form. Four Ton Mantis is a classic, Deo would have done Sergio Leone proud, and Get Your Snack On paid tribute to one of the Internet's finest fake commercials. In 2002, Amon decided to relocate to Montreal. As Ninja Tune's North American headquarters is based there he'd spent a lot of time soaking in the culture and summer sunshine of the city, never once thinking that he'd never actually visited during the winter...
Somewhere around the time he felt the sensation of his nose hairs freezing for the first time, so settled into his new studio armed with a fresh set-up and an A La Carte Express menu by his side (Montreal's bible of food for shut-ins) to put the finishing touches on Out From Out Where. When Sun Ra penned the song Out From Out There, 'there' clearly meant outer space. When Amon decided to call his record Out From Out Where, the 'where' meant just that... a record that came from somewhere nobody could quite pinpoint. This was the logical conclusion of what the previous records had hinted at. It was a cohesive and banging record, but one with no obvious reference points. It just sounded like Amon Tobin, and Amon (more so than a lot of artists) can actually say his sound is very much recognizable as his own. This was wide screen Amon, dropping the cut-up hip-hop of verbal, the Eli Wallach inspired Hey Blondie, the future electro-disco of Cosmo Retro Intro Outro, and the terrifying death march of Proper Hoodidge. The tour for this album also resulted in Amon's entry into the Solid Steel mix series, with a tough ass Final Scratch DJ set captured in Australia released in June 2004.
In early 2004 video game developers Ubisoft approached Amon and asked him to compose all of the music for the 3rd installment of their enormously popular Splinter Cell series. Seeing as he wasn't able to get past the second mission of the first Splinter Cell, he thought that making the soundtrack would clearly be an easier way to interact with the game. This was a chance for Amon to experiment with different ways of composing and to finally realize a teenage ambition (although this soundtrack in no way reflects his love for Galaga - even though that was a hot game). Composing a proper soundtrack also allowed him to be a little more progressively excessive, with the inclusion of extended string arrangements and over the top Hammond organ solos woven into his sounds. Italian prog sensation Goblin composing for a Bond film would be an apt comparison for this work. A love of soundtracks has always been a key influence in his work, and it clearly shows here. The game was released in 2005. An accompanying soundtrack on Ninja Tune was released in Jan 05. A 5.1 DVD-Audio version was released simultaneously with the game, putting Amon at the forefront, as always, of pushing sounds forward.
Foley Room was released in 2007 and used the eponymous Foley Rooms at Ubisoft. Sound effects were recorded to create original sounds for the album rather than exclusively beat-sampling. The original concept was derived from an ambition to create an album based on "sound". High-resolution bit samples, gated and distorted to produce similar wave patterns as purely synth-based music. Tracks further into the album include melodic instrument samples, notably The Kronos Quartet provide samples.
Recent Activity:
On September 8 2010, Esther's Video - directed by Charles De Meyer (aka Chuck Eklectric) was debuted on amontobin.com along with limited edition Monthly Joints Picture Disc vinyl as well as a package of Designer Sounds with Ableton files.
On June 14, 2010 Amon Tobin released a free download of a 4 Deck Set recorded in Seattle in 2009. It is available on his website http://amontobin.com as a free download.
Kitty Cat
Amon Tobin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eating dirty worms
Is it me or do you sang
Dirty-dirty songs
Fall upon the grass
With your dirty pass?
Don't you feel
Catch it before it's gone
Kitty-kitty cat
Where'd you get that
Let be be free?
Fly for a hat?
You just play the song
I never heard before
Little things walk around?
Out the back door?
Oooh oooh oooh
Don't your feel
Like the rain
The lyrics to Amon Tobin's song "Kitty Cat" are a bit cryptic and may be open to various interpretations. The song starts with "Dirty-dirty birds, eating dirty worms. Is it me or do you sang dirty-dirty songs?" The imagery presented here could be seen as a commentary on the dirtiness and all-consuming nature of modern society, where things are not as they seem and people are engaged in ruthless behavior. The line "fall upon the grass with your dirty pass" could be interpreted as an indictment of those who take their success for granted and fail to recognize the consequences of their actions.
The song then moves on to "Kitty-kitty cat, where'd you get that? Let be be free? Fly for a hat?" These lines could be seen as a question directed at the titular character, a kitty cat, asking where it attained its freedom from the confines of human society. The other question, "fly for a hat?" could be seen as a metaphor for chasing after materialistic gains or rewards. The lines "little things walk around, out the back door?" could be interpreted as a reflection on the fleeting nature of things in life.
Overall, the song seems to be an introspective look at society, questioning the motivations behind people's actions and the human need for freedom and materialistic gains.
Line by Line Meaning
Dirty-dirty birds
These birds are filthy and live in dirty conditions
Eating dirty worms
They eat worms that have been in the dirt, further contributing to their filth
Is it me or do you sang
It's unclear if the birds are actually singing or if the singer is hearing things
Dirty-dirty songs
If the birds are singing, the songs they sing are also dirty
Fall upon the grass
The birds are landing on the grass, possibly leaving poop or other debris
With your dirty pass?
The birds are passing through and leaving a trail of dirt and mess behind them
Don't you feel
The singer is asking if the listener shares a certain feeling with him, though it's unclear exactly what feeling he means
Like the rain
Perhaps the artist feels a sense of cleansing or renewal like the feeling one gets when it rains
Catch it before it's gone
This could mean to enjoy the feeling while it lasts or to take advantage of an opportunity while it's available
Kitty-kitty cat
Addressing a cat, possibly a pet cat or a stray cat
Where'd you get that
Asking where the cat obtained something
Let be be free?
Possibly questioning whether the cat should continue with a certain behavior or be allowed to roam freely
Fly for a hat?
Unclear what this line means, perhaps it's nonsensical
You just play the song
The cat is not literally playing a song, perhaps it's meowing or making noise in some way
I never heard before
The singer is hearing a new sound or noise from the cat that he hasn't heard before
Little things walk around?
Unclear what this line means, perhaps it ties in with the previous line about hearing new sounds
Out the back door?
The little things may have come in or gone out through a back door
Oooh oooh oooh
Unclear what these sounds represent, likely a nonsensical vocalization
Don't your feel
Repeating the same line as before, inviting the listener to share a certain feeling
Like the rain
Repeating the same line as before, possibly invoking a sense of renewal or cleansing
Contributed by Jackson R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Chronocentric Obscurantism
The inspiration of Amon Tobins last two albums came from visiting a Foley Room. The place where the sound engineers make the noises that fit perfectly to a filmscene. That's the fascinating aspect: Like in old movies where they make horse galloping sounds with coconuts in a little sandbox. Nowadays with digital possibilities, you can morph any sound into any other sound. The message is: Reality is more than a polished piece of marble. Change happens. Like grains of sand under a microscope.
entergregify
Syd Barrett would be very proud of this track. It has an uncanny resemblance to his psychedelic style of music. Perhaps a tribute from Mr Tobin...
BiliouslyYours
This song is the audio representation of childlike innocence and stumbling into catharsis unintentionally. After feeling a lifechanging feeling, the child does what it knows...goes back to what they were doing before. Amon may sound like he's just moving sounds around, but the themes and emotions are ALWAYS there. That is what makes him a better musician than most.
Heartilator
Such pretty and dark sounds. Truly wonderful.
HalfChainsaw01
If you're not acquainted to noise, there's a stark contrast between the "arbitrary sounds" and melodies created by real or simulated instruments and I understand how it can come across that way. However, this album to me is an absolute masterpiece of forcing the listener to try and reconcile the two, and hear the noises as expressive instruments. I agree that Amon's musicality is a bit simple (although to be fair, this song has some tricky harmonic stuff) but he's a genius of texture and form.
Tanner
Thank You Amon for bringing electronic music to a new heights. You are truly a musical pioneer.
Shawn
that's really cool he was able to make his vocals like that. shows how much we can do with technology
М'Айк Лжец
Самая любимая. Просто превосходно
Joe Leger
Love this tune. I used to write code listening specifically to his music
free willy
This was probably the coolest song Ive ever seen live