4 out of 5

Label: Nomark

Produced by: Amon Tobin

Right, see, we know this is all the same person, and you’re probably thinking that this is maybe a compilation of older Cujo cuts – the name under which Amon Tobin first started recording, and a more grooving, jazzy thing – plus Two Fingers, the hip-hop influenced duo Tobin’s part of, and then some selections from the man himself. Or perhaps I should say that that’s what I was thinking, and I was wrong. Rumors are I’m always wrong. You can stop trusting me.

‘Nomark Selects’ is, rather, pretty fittingly titled: it features selections from Amon’s imprint of recent years, Nomark, on which he’s been releasing all sorts of music under all of his monikers and more, meaning new material under the Cujo name, and new material as Two Fingers as well… which is now a solo group. So what the heck is the distinction? Well, now let’s assume you’re ahead of me, but Tobin is still using these pseudonyms to pursue different styles of music, with perhaps the more experimental stuff – ISAM and ambient and beyond – under his own name, TF retaining the hip-hop vibe, and Cujo back on the groove tip.

The majority of these singles had digital releases over the past few years, and I kept wondering if I would get around to scooping them up; because I’m a sucker for physical, though, I’m loving that we have an LP set of some of those songs, and the volume 1 suggests that maybe we’ll get more…

Ah, your next logical question, then: how is the actual music?

The Cujo cuts are delightful. The sole album from back in the day kind of bored me a bit, but this modern version sounds more like old-school Tobin – not as break beat, by any means, but definitely with more of a jungle influence than before, modernizing Cujo’s sound. The opener vs. Two Fingers (I mean, how meta is this?) is a perfect opener, and truly a callback to classic Ninja Tune bangers.

The Tobin tracks are not nearly as out there as his recent atmospheric experimentations, but Amon does use these selections on the comp to insert space between the beats, giving some contemplative, emotional pauses between grooves, with the LP’s B-side a masterful swoop that starts structured and chill and keeps moving outward and weirder, into the quite moving soundscapes of the album’s conclusion.

That’s one of the most amazing things about this set: care was definitely given to sequencing these things so it listens cohesively.

…But, that does somewhat leave the harder-edged Two Fingers tracks as the odd ones out. The beats and samples on these are more dancefloor oriented; purposefully, TF is not as tricksy as other Tobin projects, but it’s definitely a sudden transition into and out of the songs here, and perhaps telling that, of the three “artists,” Two Fingers appears the least. Not that these aren’t fun, just a little less impressive when stacked up next to the other songs, and not as seamlessly oriented within the listen.