Two fingers represent stark imagery: a peace sign or a mark of victory, both implying a partnership greater than the sum of its parts.

Legendary beatsmith Amon Tobin is the first to admit that most of his music is an insanely solitary exercise, but lately the Brazilian-born, British-raised and Montreal-based producer has teamed up with Joe "Doubleclick" Chapman as the fierce dancehall/hip hop duo Two Fingers.

"For my own stuff I have to work on my own -- I'm too controlling. I wouldn't be a nice person to work with 'cause it's just for me," Tobin tells Spinner in typically self-deprecating fashion. "[This project] was all a new experience. I've had some collaborations over the years. I'd always gained something from learning other peoples' approaches and solving problems in the studio. But this really is something else."
Tobin claims working with Doubleclick sharpened his approach. "[This was about] really trying to make functional little beats that did their jobs, to have a few elements form the basis of a track."

Two Fingers' new release, 'Instrumentals,' is a 22-track behemoth of non-vocal productions drawn from their initial disc released late last year, and new excursions in "riddimology." They sound much more direct and skeletal compared to Tobin's usual massive drum and bass constructions.

"I'd always been a secret fan of some of the more commercial end of music even though what I make is more on the fringe," Tobin says. "I've had a bit of a fascination with pop structures and really well-made verse/chorus stuff. Hip-hop production styles too, like Timbaland and the Neptunes. Joe and I both shared an inspiration from that type of music."



Although Two Fingers' first album was brought to another level by the vocals of MC Sway and dancehall star Ce'Cile -- who powers the current single 'Bad Girl' -- this represented one of the project's key challenges for Tobin. "It was good to work with Joe on the vocal part," he says. "I really only pay attention to the melodic and rhythmic content of a vocal and Joe pays attention to the lyrics, so it was good to have that. I'd be after a tone and a rhythm and that's all, but Joe would say, 'If you edit that it won't make any sense.'"

'Instrumentals' allows the subdued versatility of these "functional little beats" to shine through with their own charms. As a result the disc bears a greater resemblance to Tobin's other work. Though Two Fingers has been great fun for him and Doubleclick, don't expect to see a live appearance anytime soon.

"Touring is something we never really wanted to get involved in with this record," Tobin says. "Tunes are getting made all the time -- we want to stay in the studio where we belong!"