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Amon Tobin Releases 'ISAM' Digitally Today To Combat Leaks

3:32 p.m. · April 20, 2011 · by Andrew Martin

Upon learning that Amon Tobin's latest album, ISAM, had leaked to the web, he and his label, Ninja Tune, have decided to combat the illegal distribution by putting it up for sale digitally today. While album leaks are nothing new these days, the parties involved took particular exception here. They also wrote a lengthy release outlining why they're so aggravated. You can read it below. I've edited it slightly to make it easier on the eyes.

Try as we might to protect our artists' recordings until they're ready to be released, create exciting campaigns to expose the leftfield / interesting / worthwhile music that we believe in, to the widest audience and on some of the smallest budgets, and sell enough records to keep doing so; some people just don't get it.

 

A nameless person has decided that he, not us, is best placed to release the new Amon Tobin album, and to do so for free, online via a watermarked promotional copy. We know these things happen, and we know that not everyone realises how much is invested in ambitious, groundbreaking tours, collaborations with brilliant artists and lovingly designed packaging... It still hurts.

The man is not having it stuck to him. A faceless corporation is not being dealt a blow. All that happens is a lot of great ideas and music come under threat.

All of which is a long and frustrated way of saying that we're moving forward the digital release of Amon Tobin's masterpiece; ISAM. We know that for the fans who've taken the time to unearth music made for reasons other than pure commerce, hearing an album is available without actually hearing it is a slap in the face.

 

We'd like everyone who's invested that time and energy on the career of an artist like Amon Tobin to have the chance to own the album, in the form he and us intended, as soon as anyone else does. We're sure you'll see why we took so much care over it in the first place.

ISAM features Tobin experimenting in ways he had never done before, which just might be why this is such a blow to him and Ninja Tune. He apparently created the album through instruments he built through synthesized field recordings. It also features the debut of his vocals, though, too, they have been synthesized and gender-modified. According to Ninja Tune, Tobin said that this is "by far the most exciting development in my personal quest for some control over nature."

You can learn more about the release and order it at Amon Tobin's website. Physical copies are due out May 23.