Pitchfork

Welcome to Cook County, the sign said. A familiar greeting from our old, reflective friend. I put the pedal down.

It was June 2, 1998-- release day for Amon Tobin's Permutation. Tobin's swank groove and cluster beats blared forth from the mighty, four- foot- high speakers in the back. As we cleared 105 mph down the four lanes of Interstate 94, Permutation captured the excitement that lie ahead and the sheer intensity of our anticipation. Amon's Brazillian breakbeats, funky horn samples and booming basslines hinted at the eternal urban coolness of our destination-- that city of cities: Chicago.

Tobin's music is unlike anything you've ever heard. It fuses heavy jazz with super-hi-BPM drum-n-bass. His rhythms draw on bossa nova and samba while he samples creepy string arrangements, standup bass, vicious vibes, spastic horn solos and piano loops, taking "out of control" to the next level.

Permutation has Tobin putting a heavier piece of wax on the turntable than his ground-breaking full-length debut, 1997's Bricolage. He's slowly moving toward a different sound and it's especially evident on tracks like the pounding "Sordid" and the superspeedfreak stylings of "Escape," but there's still plenty of Bricolage-esque material here. There's the crawling jazz piano of "Nightlife," the samba-powered "Fast Eddie," the goatee groove of "Bridge" and the downright kickin' "People Like Frank," this album's answer to Bricolage's "Stoney Street" and one of Tobin's best tracks to date.

It was 3 am by the time we pulled up outside the hostel. I took the key out of the ignition, turned off the headlights and got out of the car. Permutation's final note rang throughout the misty streets, the echo of a chime and quietly tapped snare. It sounded so at home.