Amon Tobin and the wonderful world of ISAM

Throughout his career, Amon Tobin has thus far redefined music engineering. Anyone who’s been a fan for some time, knows well that Tobin’s music is of a different kind altogether. Although influenced by current trends, the musical foundation itself is from an unreal dimension.

Sounds from Foley Room were re-implemented in ISAM but the the final result was something wildly unlikely. Built from the ground up, each song had it’s own story, from deep electronic, to magnetic dub and haunting industrial; Tobin’s dark progressive way of making music left no one unimpressed.

His most recent live show concept, however, is what got everyone really talking. ISAM is not a live show, it’s an experience. The entire performance is a 3D projection mapping project produced by V Squared Labs and Leviathan. It is essentially an arrangement of cubes and carefully engineered visual projections – the show takes place while the cubes themselves break down, turning into space, smoke and clouds while various hydraulic assembling and disassembling functions take place to the beats of the song. It is a 3D experience without the 3D glasses.

“What the fuuuuuck!”

‘Stunned’ best describes the crowd’s rection within the first two songs, and there really is no other way to describe it other than perhaps mind-blowing. Heart stopping bass accompanied by thumping visuals reaching out into the crowd. Those who were not tripping on their choice of drugs were tripping on the visual surrealism.

During the entire show Tobin, dressed in an astronaut suit, was in one of the cubes becoming a part of this insane visual and physical patchwork only to step out before and after the anchor for a timid bow.

photos by Marcin Barciak