I live inside an electronic music bubble, but rarely do I venture outside the House genre.  That said, I am very glad I did this review. My first impression of Amon Tobin’s “The Foley Room” was that it was dark, industrial and dramatic, far from my funky House passion.

However, after a second and third session, I began to hear it as much more than just an incredibly complex and experimental album. “Foley Room” is a collection of sounds from the everyday, literally. Armed with high sensitivity microphones, Tobin and his production team dissected sounds from the real world, sourcing everything from a roaring tiger and a leaky faucet to the instruments of the Kronos Quartet. The end product is a curious composition of strings, percussion, machinery, creatures and anything else that generates audio waves.

It's Tobin’s first project not made entirely from reconstructed vinyl and it’s being touted as his best and most consistent album to date. My favourite tracks are the retro fitted “Always,” the monstrous “Big Furry Head” and the futuristic aquatics of the “Kitchen Sink.”

But I suggest you listen from beginning to end, the collective truly is an adventure in sound. For those who’d like to know how Tobin pulls the rabbit from the hat, there’s an accompanying DVD that follows he and his crew throughout the recording process.  It offers great insight into development of the album and the intentions behind it.

Resources:
AmonTobin.com
Amon Tobin myspace
Amon Tobin "Foley Room" trailer #1
Amon Tobin "Foley Room" trailer #2