Born in Brazil and raised in the UK, where he came up through the hip-hop scene, electronic maestro Amon Tobin has embraced an entirely different sound and vision.
An exhilarating explorer who continually pushes the boundaries where music interacts with technology and art, his albums and installations are just as in-demand as his computer game scores. It all came together on 2011 album ISAM. An acronym for Invented Sound Applied to Music, it was a game-changer, launching him firmly into the immersive art space.
During his live performance of the record at the Sydney Opera House during Vivid Live the following year he was surrounded by a strobing, glowing, physically moving cubic tower. It looked like Tetris sprung to life, or something let loose from the soon-to-be-reanimated Tron franchise.
The seven-metre, three-ton beast of a night light also functioned as a 3D screen. Rippling with stunning visuals, like glass shattering and epic battles, it also moved like a Rubik’s Cube, occasionally revealing fleeting glimpses of Tobin amid the magic. Staggering surround sound helped the whole feel like a movie brought to brilliant life.
Now you can relive the wonder. The Opera House will unleash the audio-visual spectacle on its digital From Our House to Yours platform from Friday, April 14 at 8pm. But for all the whiz-bang stuff, Tobin reminds us of our symbiotic relationship with the machines. “Creativity does not really need technology – it is the other way around.”
And as a bonus, once you’re done reliving ISAM, you can watch him reveal how he made this truly mind-melding live experience happen here.
Want more audio-visual excellen. Check out Ensemble Apex.
