Recorded Live: Solid Steel Presents [Live]

Amazon.com
Amon Tobin's manic, jungle/jazz-driven records have presented a challenge for him in a live setting, but Solid Steel manages the feat with a combination of technology and Tobin's own unique stylistic approach. It's not easy going on the road to support something like Supermodified or Permutation--albums born almost entirely in the memory banks of a computer--with the usual DJ turntables. Happily, with the advent of "Final Scratch" software, computer files can now be mixed, scratched, and blended just like vinyl. Thus, armed with a virtual record crate filled with bytes instead of wax, Tobin blows the crowd's hair back, barraging them (and us) with a relentless dose of out-there hip-hop, dub, and ambient. Time signatures are realigned, stretched, and broken apart on songs like "Chronic Tronic" (from 2002's Out From Out Where) and "Sittin Here" (from Dizzee Rascal's amazing Boy In Da Corner). As you might expect, this is challenging stuff and Tobin doesn't slow his dark sonics down long enough for the uninitiated to catch on easily. However, for the already converted and others who like their electronic music on the avant-garde edge, Solid Steel captures a tech-wizard in his element, casting rhythmic spells with 1s and 0s. --Matthew Cooke

Tracks:

Intro - Amon Tobin
Chronic Tronic - Amon Tobin
Dark Lady - DJ Food
Twister - Tipper
Quality Control (acapella) - Jurassic 5
Remix by AFX - AFX
Got Numb - Mob Nation
Pressure Cooker - Cherrystones
Science Fu Part 1 - Danny Breaks
Marine Machines - Amon Tobin
You=B9s a Jaco Pastorius looking Motherfucker
Schmalla - Facs & Scythe
Cougar Merkin - Amon Tobin
Higher Rates - Silent Witness & Break
Cuba (original) - T Power
Moon Palace - Icarus
Reactionary - Controller 7
Nakatali - Topogigio
Yasawas - Amon Tobin
Night Life - Amon Tobin
Fear - Amon Tobin
Escape - Amon Tobin
Deep Impact - Future Prophecies
Spanner in the Worx - Exile
Allergic - Deep Roots
Completely Real - Suspicious Circumstance
Total Recall - Silent Witness & Break
Sittin Here - Dizzee Rascal
Proper Hoodige - Amon Tobin
Four Ton Mantis - Amon Tobin
Hey Blondie - Amon Tobin
Venus in Furs - The Velvet Underground

Amazon.com

Amon Tobin's manic, jungle/jazz-driven records have presented a challenge for him in a live setting, but Solid Steel manages the feat with a combination of technology and Tobin's own unique stylistic approach. It's not easy going on the road to support something like Supermodified or Permutation--albums born almost entirely in the memory banks of a computer--with the usual DJ turntables. Happily, with the advent of "Final Scratch" software, computer files can now be mixed, scratched, and blended just like vinyl. Thus, armed with a virtual record crate filled with bytes instead of wax, Tobin blows the crowd's hair back, barraging them (and us) with a relentless dose of out-there hip-hop, dub, and ambient. Time signatures are realigned, stretched, and broken apart on songs like "Chronic Tronic" (from 2002's Out From Out Where) and "Sittin Here" (from Dizzee Rascal's amazing Boy In Da Corner). As you might expect, this is challenging stuff and Tobin doesn't slow his dark sonics down long enough for the uninitiated to catch on easily. However, for the already converted and others who like their electronic music on the avant-garde edge, Solid Steel captures a tech-wizard in his element, casting rhythmic spells with 1s and 0s. --Matthew Cooke

Customer Reviews:

Amon live kicks A...s!!!.......2006-06-05

It's been two times I've seen Amon live, and it's by far the most dancing, catchy, sharp, violent, dark and aggressive sets I've ever heard.
He's brilliant on CD, and with vynils too (even if they are encoded for FS).
Who cares if his transitions are not perfect, if the sound quality is not hi-fi? His sets are grimy, with jungle/drum'N Bass tracks overlapping each other. The album may not be a perfect recording, Amon may not play a "best of" but this CD sure conveys the frenzy a crowd can go into when Amon is playing.
Believe it, or hear (see?) it for yourself.

I (heart) Amon Tobin, but.............2005-04-29

I should preface my review by stating that I am a _huge_ amon tobin fan. His album > album progression is rivaled only by Medeski, Martin and Wood. Every (studio) album he puts together represents a large step forward and each serves both to expand and refine his ludicrous sound.

I rushed out to get this album as soon as it popped out (having already been a fan of the DK and DJ food solid steel album), and have been largely disappointed thus far. The sound quality is disappointing, and many of these ballyhooed final scratch transitions fall flat for me. I feel as if I could peform this mix given an afternoon with mixmeister or pro-tools (though the proper hoodidge > four ton mantis transition is nice).

As a survey of Amon's finest tracks, this compilation also fails to impress. A bunch of his finest tracks are here but most appear in abbreviated fashion, and this serves to lessen the impact of what are normally beautifully crafted songs. As mentioned before, the poor audio quality also diminishes the detailed flourishes and breaks of many of the tracks.

There are some interesting cut-ups, notably J5's quality control (run through the chipmunk filter) over Verbal and a nearly unrecognizable Dizzee Rascal over Proper Hoodidge, but they seem to me to be interesting artifacts with little improvement on the originals.

I'm no connesieur of the genres, but most of the spastic drum and bass and hard jungle stuffed in between his own tracks don't really interest me wholly.

All in all, if you're an Amon Tobin completist, pick the disc up. But if you're starting out, please do yourself a favor and pick up bricolage, supermodified or out from out where (they pretty much progress from Jungle-Jazz with cool breaks to other-worldly breaks-oriented techno). Anyway, cheers and much love to Amon Tobin, may his next release bury the memory of this one.

interesting, coming from amon..........2004-12-31

I had no idea this was going to sound like it does. This is a live mix of ambient, drum n bass, electronic, you name it. The only problem is the mixing between songs isn't as tight as I'd like it.
There's tons of material on this disc, but it goes by fast. Its nothing like amon's other albums, but his choice of songs are intereesting, from Aphex Twins "Remix" to "Completely Real" by Suspicious Circumstance, theres danceing going on and you better be in.

Gime me.......2004-12-21

Big Audio Dinomite and / or Under World live Anytime . What's missing , well , it has no Soul 2 It . A waste of my precious ears and Time ... Later and have a Kool 2oo5

Amon's live performances are much different from his albums.......2004-10-10

I agreed with the first reviewer in that seeing Amon live leaves the audience with the impression of "not catching everything". When I saw Amon Tobin with Bonobo earlier this year I was somewhat dissappointed with the show.(and I don't mean the 8 dollar drinks/water) When I go to see artists like Tobin and Bonobo I expect to hear the same type of trip-hop/downtempo that they release on their albums, instead of playing any of his own material Bonobo played an average house set. I was overwhelmingly bummed since I consider Bonobo to be one of the best downtempo acts ever, but I can't stand house music. (I'm not kidding here he seriously played four on the floor house music his whole set, no joke) My next disappointment came when Amon played his set and included only two or three of his own tracks in a largely jungle set. I actually like jungle, but I feel like it wasn't what I waited two monthes and drove 400 miles to see. For a moment he snuck in Marine Machines but pulled it out really fast, and at the very end he dropped Propper Hoodidge and everybody went nuts. You could definitely feel the crowd asking "what? only 2 Amon Tobin tracks!" I understand that nobody wants to play a set of all their own material, but when you are (arguably) the best trip hop producer(s) in the world why would you play a House/Jungle set of mediocre tracks that you didn't even make? This mix reminds me of what I was hoping he would play at the show, a set that actually contains Amon Tobin tracks. Amon has really been influenced by the glitchy breaks that have blown up so much lately as reflected by the stylistc changes on "Out From Out Where", and although I really like glitchy breaks, I question whether someone like Amon who virtually created a new genre of music needs to follow the same trends as the rest of the electronic scene. Most producers could only dream of creating lush symphonies like Amon's so for him to take off in the direction of AFX seems sad to me.

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