"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "Sordid Affair" by Amon Tobin. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: dreamy, introspective. Visual style: contemporary editorial aesthetic. Painterly, grainy film texture, muted palette with strategic accent colors. The composition should read left-to-right like a timeline — calm on one side, intensifying toward the other. Strictly no faces, no text, no logos, no literal objects, no band imagery. Pure color-field abstraction with emotional weight. 16:9 editorial format."
Easy, low-key calm, right in the middle of 19,209 measured songs — measures out best for focus.
90
BPM
Sordid Affair by Amon Tobin is 90 BPM — Andante (walking pace).
Half-time 45 BPM · Double-time 180 BPM · released 2011
Fan image for "Sordid Affair"
An abstract illustration of what this song feels like. Each image is built from a prompt — the text description fed to the image generator. Listeners submit their own prompts, upvote the ones that fit best, and the top-voted prompt drives the next regeneration. After 100 image votes, we make a new picture.
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Song DNA
Notes: The track features intricate soundscapes with a blend of electronic elements and organic textures, creating an immersive auditory experience. Its dynamic shifts and layered production evoke a sense of depth and complexity.
Misophonia Triggers
Recommended for: deep listening relaxation
Amon Tobin's 'Sordid Affair' is a richly textured electronic composition that combines ambient sounds with intricate beats, creating a captivating atmosphere.
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Hear it the way it was made
The right gear changes everything.
Moods: dreamy, introspective
Traditions: electronic
Volume Warning
"Sordid Affair" climbs hard.
Dynamic range 7/10 places this in our upper band. The opening volume that feels comfortable will not be comfortable at the climax. If you are setting this up for a focused listen, anchor your volume to the quietest section, not the loudest. The arc is the point of the song; if you blunt it by riding the volume knob, you lose what makes it work. Amon Tobin built the dynamic shape on purpose. Plan around it.
How this song sits on each sensory axis
A dynamic range of 7/10 means this song moves. Expect a real volume climb between quiet sections and the loudest part of the arrangement — enough that you may want to set the initial volume below where you'd normally land.
Sudden changes: mild. There are one or two transitions worth knowing about, though they're musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.
Texture is layered — a full arrangement with clear separation between parts.
Predictability is medium — conventional structure overall, with one or two moments that deviate from what you'd expect.
Vocal style: instrumental.
Where this sits in Amon Tobin's catalog
We have 21 songs from Amon Tobin in the library. Of those, 0 are rated Safe, 18 Moderate, and 3 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 7/10 sits below the artist average of 7.2, making it the #13 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
Other tracks from ISAM
We have 5 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans moderate in sensory profile.
- Verbal — moderate DR 7
- Chocolate Lovely — moderate DR 7
- Horsefish — moderate DR 7
- Precursor — moderate DR 7
2011 context
Released in 2011. We have 373 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.4/10. This track is about average than the year average. Explore more from the 2010s.
Explore by mood and tradition
Traditions
electronic · 920How fast is "Sordid Affair"?
90 BPM — Medium (midtempo / pop ballad)
For running
Too slow for most running; good for warm-up walks or cool-down.
For workouts
Warm-up, cool-down, yoga, stretching.
For daily life
Morning coffee, deep work, commute wind-down.
Browse more songs at 90 BPM.
When "Sordid Affair" works, and when it doesn't
Use-case verdicts computed from the song's tempo, dynamics, and sensory profile.
✗
Focus / studying
No — too dynamic or too many surprises. Save for active listening.
✗
Running / workout
No — 90 BPM is too slow for sustained cardio.
✗
Sleep / winding down
No — contains elements that will keep an awake nervous system engaged.
✓
Driving / road trip
Yes — predictable enough for safe driving attention, interesting enough to stay engaged.
✓
Cooking / dinner background
Yes — sits in the background without demanding attention.
~
Emotional release / catharsis
Not really — it's pleasant but doesn't hit hard enough for cathartic listening.
Related reading
Editorial guides that cover this song's use cases, moods, or artist.
The 10 Calmest Albums Ever Recorded — A low-intensity Listening Guide
The 10 Calmest Albums Ever Recorded — A low-intensity Listening Guide — A guide for sensory-sensitive listeners on musiciwant.com
Electronic Music Sensory Guide: From Ambient to Industrial
Electronic Music Sensory Guide: From Ambient to Industrial — A guide for sensory-sensitive listeners on musiciwant.com
Teaching Music Listening to Kids Who Feel Music Strongly: A Gentle Approach
A gentle approach to introducing music to a child who feels it strongly — one who startles at sudden sound, or notices more than everyone el…
Why this rating
We rate this song Moderate because it falls between our Safe and Intense thresholds on at least one dimension. Moderate is the default for most well-produced music that has real arc but no surprise elements. Full rubric: methodology.
This song in the Music Studio
40/100 intensity
See how “Sordid Affair” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.
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Spotify and YouTube links go direct to the track when we have the ID; otherwise they search for it. Embed this sensory profile on your site →
Rating last reviewed: 2026-04-17. Reviewed by the Music I Want editorial team against the documented methodology.
Think this rating is wrong? Contact the editor — every message is read and ratings get revised.
By the numbers: how this song compares
Computed from this song’s place among the 19,209 songs we’ve measured.
Where it sits in 19,000 songs
On our 19k-song scale this lands in the middle band — more energetic than 34% of songs, calmer than the other 66%. Its intensity reading of 40/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and instrumental. It shares this stretch of the spectrum with thousands of other tracks, so the finer fingerprint below is what really separates it.
What makes it unusual
What stands out most about this song is a slow, unhurried pace: more extreme on that axis than 71% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on full chaos — sudden changes, huge quiet-to-loud swings, and relentless energy — the kind of track this one is the counterpoint to.
Feels almost identical to
Endtroducing — DJ Shadow · 99%Out from Out Where — Amon Tobin · 99%Alfie's Theme — Sonny Rollins · 99%Seneca — Tortoise · 99%
Closest matches by feel across all 19,209 measured songs — not by genre or artist, by how they actually move.
What it’s good for
Sleep5/10
Focus10/10
Workout2/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype3/10
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
2011 in context
The 372 songs we’ve measured from 2011 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. At 7/10, this track is louder and more dynamic than its year.
Mixes smoothly with
Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.
The fingerprint
Intensity40
Dynamics67
Tempo28
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force0
Trigger load25
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "Sordid Affair"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "Sordid Affair" by Amon Tobin?
"Sordid Affair" by Amon Tobin has a tempo of 90 BPM (Andante (walking pace)). At half-time that is 45 BPM, and at double-time 180 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "Sordid Affair" by Amon Tobin?
"Sordid Affair" by Amon Tobin rates as Moderate intensity. Dynamic range 7/10, mild sudden changes, layered texture. Moderate is the default for well-produced music with real arc but no surprise elements.
How loud is "Sordid Affair" — what is its dynamic range?
"Sordid Affair" has a dynamic range of 7/10. Noticeable climb from quiet sections to loudest point. Set opening volume slightly lower than your preferred peak.
Does "Sordid Affair" have sudden or surprising changes?
"Sordid Affair" has mild sudden changes — one or two transitions worth knowing about, but they are musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.
What is "Sordid Affair" best for?
In our library "Sordid Affair" is recommended for: deep listening, relaxation. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "Sordid Affair" released?
"Sordid Affair" is from 2011, on the album "ISAM". It appears in our 2010s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "Sordid Affair"?
We tag "Sordid Affair" as dreamy, introspective. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "Sordid Affair"?
The vocal style is instrumental.
Is "Sordid Affair" good for running?
Not really — at 90 BPM it's below most running cadences. Better for warm-up, cool-down, or walking. Recreational runners typically step at 140-175 BPM.
Is "Sordid Affair" good for studying?
Only partially. The song's dynamic range (7/10) means there will be loud moments that break focus during deep work.
Can I use "Sordid Affair" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Contains transitions that will wake you up.
Should I listen to "Sordid Affair"?
"Sordid Affair" is Moderate intensity — fine for most listeners, but with enough dynamic activity that it works best as active listening rather than background.
Songs with the same DNA
layered texture, similar intensity — across any genre or era.
Safer alternatives with a similar feel
These songs share similar moods but with a gentler sensory profile.
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Where to next?
You know how this one feels — now go find the next one.