Great quote about this record from an Amazon customer review:
"This album is not only a SuperGroup effort of the best kind, but a masterclass in instrumental music. Take Funkadelic alums Bernie Worrell and Bootsy Collins, add Primus drummer Brain and sprinkle the mad genius of renegade guitar god Buckethead, and bake it in the Bill Laswell Low-End Bake Oven, and you've got a ThrashJazzFunkMetalScratch masterpiece, almost good enough for the whole family..."
Ha. Here is the longer version from All Music Guide:
"Apart from an early experimental 12" that has little to do with the later records, Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis) was the first release of producer Bill Laswell's Praxis project, which he conceived and constructed around mystery guitar virtuoso Buckethead. Beautifully packaged (fascinating artwork by James Koehnline, freaky photography by Thi-Linh Le, and rebellious liner notes by Hakim Bey), this disc presented a band of top musicians at their most creative: apart from Buckethead, there are P-Funkers Bootsy Collins (bass) and Bernie Worrell (keyboards), plus drummer Brain (aka Brian Mantia) and turntable wizard Af Next Man Flip (aka Afrika Babybam from the Jungle Brothers). From the searing heavy metal riffs that open the disc to the spaced-out noise collage that ends it, the band covers lots of territory: metal, rock, funk, hip-hop, jazz, noise intermezzos, back and forth, crossbred and interlocked. The first two tracks, "Blast/War Machine Dub" and "Interface/Stimulation Loop," change from heavy metal to funk effortlessly. The third, "Crash Victim/Black Science Navigator," turns from a breakneck-paced metal riff into a hip-hop scratching orgy without a second thought. "Animal Behavior" is certainly the most accessible track on the disc, relentlessly funky and featuring funny vocals by Bootsy..."Dead Man Walking," "Seven Laws of Woo," and "The Interworld and the New Innocence" are showcases for Buckethead's dangerous guitar shredding, alternating between majestic and breathless. "Giant Robot/Machines in the Modern City/Godzilla" prepares for the big showdown, with lots of mean guitar riffs standing against weird sounds and effects. The last track, "After Shock (Chaos Never Died)," then delivers an unusual outro by letting the rock-ish intro quickly dissolve into a strange sonic collage, featuring Worrell's Hammond organ improvisation augmented by heavily treated noises and sounds, scratches, and tape manipulations. In fact, the last track (which runs well over 15 minutes) may be the only thing that will put most listeners off, but in fact this track is the icing on the cake...""
"After Shock" is also the track I am posting below. Transmutation is another of the rare Axiom releases still in print. As such I will only be serving up the one track. If you want the whole record follow the link below.
"...composer/drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson uses a three-guitar and two-bass group on Red Warrior, creating a dense musical backdrop for his inspired arrangements. The "stripped down" band configuration is reflected in the loose, jam session feel of the record, which...includes a good number of blues-based tracks ("Ashes," "Gates to Heaven," and "In Every Face"). This is not to say Red Warrior is a straightforward record, by any means. As is Jackson's inclination, the mix is expanded with plenty of jazz improvisation, weaves of effects-riddled guitar lines, complex head statements, and, of course, the drummer's pan-stylistic rhythmic support. The album also contains a variety of material, including the "Mahavishnu Orchestra meets Dr. John," New Orleans shuffle blues "Red Warrior" and the sprawling, free-form "Elders." Excellent contributions are made by the entire band, which includes guitarists Jef Lee Johnson, Steve Salas, and Jack DeSalvo and bassists Ramon Pooser and Conrad Mathieu. Red Warrior is just one of several, very impressive releases to be put out in the last two decades by Jackson, who, like contemporary composer Henry Threadgill, has unforgivably been overlooked and unsung all these years."
This record was re-issued by Knitting Factory's label and is available on Amazon as a download. The song featured below is only available if you download the whole record, not as a single track...Enjoy.
"This collection of Bill Laswell productions is obviously a labor of love put together by a man who misses hip-hop's old school. Though it features artists as current as Prince Paul, DXT and New Kingdom, the album's focus on turntable scratching and a preponderance of relatively simple, monolithic beats make it sound like a period piece. That's not a bad thing, especially when Laswell imbues the proceedings with an up-to-the-minute ambience and a rumbling bass (as in bass guitar, not 808)...we get a Bootsy Collins cameo (never a problem) and the occasional sample of a right-wing radio preacher. Some of the scratching is truly virtuosic; in particular, witness the retro-ensemble sound of the Filipino turntable group the Invisibl Skratch Picklz and the quicksilver manipulations of DJ DXT. Laswell's production overlays everything with a spacy, ambient sheen."
This record is hot and has been since 1996! Great page with a break down of who scratched and mixed which tracks here.
Paul Mawhinney was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. Over the years he has amassed what has become the world's largest record collection. Due to health issues and a struggling record industry Paul is being forced to sell his collection.
This is the story of a man and his records. I hope you enjoy it.
"To coincide with the electronica revolution of the late '90s, Bill Laswell remixed a number of Bob Marley records as ambient dub for the Dreams of Freedom: Ambient Translations of Bob Marley in Dub album. If these songs were remixed by any other producer, the results could have been disastrous, but Laswell is one of the masters of intellectual dub -- he knows what to take out and what to add, creating a spacious, cavernous mix that is provocative without being extreme. Some longtime Marley fans will balk at the very idea of the album, but the results are undeniably impressive, even if it's a little too restrained and cerebral to qualify as first-rate ambient dub for clubs."
Fair assessment. I hesitate to even call this a dub album...remix album, sure, but it is dub only in the sense that these are versions, with more subtracted than added, but they are not the sparse, heavy dubs most reggae fans associate with the term.
Hearing Marley without the lyrics is in and of itself interesting, almost like listening to Dylan for the harmonica prowess...This record is still in print so I will not post the full set for download. If any record is worth shelling out for these days, this one is...
"...P-Funk keyboardist Bernie Worrell was initially the flashpoint for the project's Laswell/Parliament/Herbie Hancock core, his associations fortuitously coalescing just as Laswell was striving to expand his Axiom empire. Bringing together key players from all decades, he then twisted the mix with clever combinations of newly recorded material and sessions recorded long ago but never released. The Sly Stone tracks were recorded during Maceo Parker's All the Kings Men period, while the Eddie Hazel tracks were among the last he ever recorded, shortly before his death in late 1992. In all its guises, however, Funkcronomicon is a masterpiece. From the old-school jams of George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Worrell, and Hazel to Hancock's jazzed-out funk and the righteously fresh sounds of reggae rhythm section Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, this fat double disc really packs a punch. Add the alternative rock stylings of Anton Fier, best known for his work with the Feelies and the Golden Palominos, and the resulting brew is almost unbelievable..."
Click here for a track-by-track breakdown of who plays on what...
Download: Axiom Funk - Funkcronomicon - two discs in one zip file.
"Bahia Black was a short-lived band featuring Brazilian singer, songwriter, percussionist, guitarist and vocalist Carlinhos Brown and his ten-piece drum ensemble, Olodum. Joined by American jazz musicians including Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Bernie Worrell, Henry Threadgill and producer Bill Laswell, the group recorded one memorable album, Ritual Beating System, in 1992...A musical rollercoaster from start to finish, Ritual Beating System jolts us with its abrupt mood changes, yet never really strays from a percussive Brazilian-oriented theme...It takes an open-minded bunch to play something as pretty as "Guia Pro Congal" one minute and something as dissonant and abstract as the "outside" jazz number "Gwagwa O De" the next (my favorite track - Burning Dervish). And similarly, it will take open-minded listeners to fully appreciate this unpredictable CD.
I have listened to this record hundreds, if not thousands, of times. I owned a book store for a few years and I think I played this record every day the store was open. All Music Guide review:
"Imagine writing for an instrumentation of two electric guitars, two tubas, French horn, drums and Henry Threadgill's alto. Threadgill was up to the challenge and his four avant-garde originals utilize the odd combination of tones to great advantage. Two additional songs feature Threadgill, just one tuba, drums, a few exotic instruments and three strings to create some particularly unusual music. It's for the open-eared listener only."
It is a beautifully composed free jazz record best described by its line-up:
Henry Threadgill — alto saxophone Simon Shaheen — oud, violin Jason Hwang — violin Leroy Jenkins — violin Edwin Rodriguez — tuba Marcus Rojas — tuba Dorian L. Parreott II — tuba Mark Taylor — French horn Brandon Ross — guitar (electric & acoustic) Masujaa — guitar (electric) Gene Lake — drums Larry Bright — cymbals, drums Miguel Urvina — puya, culo, fulia Johnny Rudas — fulia, puya, culo Mossa Bildner — vocals Arenae — vocals
It is noisy, complex, melodic, spooky, energetic...just amazing. Track 2 is the standout for me...
This is pretty much a Material record, but with Ginger having a hand in writing most of the tracks. The line-up is what marks it as essentially Material:
Ginger Baker - drums, perc Jah Wobble - bass Jonas Hellborg - wal midi bass, fretlessbass, acoustic Bass Bill Laswell - bass, six string bass Nicky Skopelitis - 6 & 12 string guitar, coral sitar, electric banjo, fairlight Faruk Tekbilek - ney, zurna Bernie Worrell - hammond org. Aïyb Dieng - doff, dumdek, talking drum Mar Gueye - abar (hand drum) Magette Fall - tama
This is a great world-fusion type record. It is an easy record to put on and "miss" entirely as background music, but it rewards careful, and repeated listens...
Dig this review from All Music Guide...I struggled with trying to describe this record and after reading this review, I figured I could not come up with better...
"Guitarist Skopelitis' dustpan approach to world music sweeps various ethnic instrumental grit and grime into the whirling blades of co-producer Bill Laswell's shop-vac. Contributing to the unholy mess are Foday Musa Suso on kora, oudist/violinist Simon Shaheen, gospel organist Amina Claudine Myers, percussionists Zakir Hussain, Aiyb Dieng and Guilherme Franco, drummer Jaki Liebezeit, bassists Bill Laswell and Jah Wobble, and, consistently providing the most bracing moments, Bachir Attar (leader of the Master Musicians of Jajouka) raising hell on the plague-of-locusts vernacular oboe, the rhaita. When Ekstasis's free-floating anxiety is at its peak, it could almost be the disc that Can fans have been waiting for since Ege Bamyasi."
Well, yeah, it's always a sad day in a Dead Head's world, isn't it? Been thirteen years, hard to believe...
Rather than focus on that, let's just acknowledge the sadness and move on. What about the good parts?
The fun at the shows. The friends made and experiences had. The music itself...
And even though most of us had no personal, real-life connection to the band other than the music, how's about what we know about Jerry? The sharp, open mind. The complexities. The sense of humour. The love of music and disdain for sacred cows...
I think those attributes are summed up and reflected really well in this cover of Friend of the Devil by a band called Hot Ham & Cheese. It's true to the original but irreverent if only in its stylistic take. Jerry would have gotten a kick out of it don't you think?
"Jonas Hellborg...is a Swedish bass guitarist. He has collaborated with John McLaughlin, Ustad Sultan Khan, Fazal Qureshi, Bill Laswell, Shawn Lane, Jens Johansson, Michael Shrieve, V. Selvaganesh, Mattias IA Eklundh and Buckethead...Hellborg began his music career in 1976 in Sweden...spotted by percussionist Reebop Kwaku Baah in a small club in Stockholm 1979...he moved to London for a year to work with Reebop on different projects...met Mike Brecker who introduced him to John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham and other fusion stars...was asked to join John McLaughlin’s reformed Mahavishnu in 1983 and he stayed with McLaughlin until 1988...In 1986 and 1987 he toured with a project featuring Ginger Baker on drums and Bernie Worrell on keyboards...In 1988 Hellborg moved to New York and started his own band which first included keyboardist Aydin Esen and drummer Kenwood Dennard, later the Johansson Brothers Jens on Keys and Anders on drums. At the same time he started a recording studio together with producer/Bassist Bill Laswell called Greenpoint Studios. Recorded a multitude of records there until early 1993...In 1993 he sold his part in the studio to Laswell and resettled in Paris, France. The following year he teamed up with guitarist Shawn Lane, a cooperation that would last 9 years...In 1998 Hellborg met percussionist V. Selvaganesh at a Zakir Hussein concert in Paris. The two formed another long lasting musical partnership that has been ongoing since then. To start with Selvaganesh joined Hellborg in duets and in different "classical" settings Hellborg was working on at the time. Later a group was formed first in Trio with Lane then grew into a quintet including Selvaganesh’s 2 brothers V Umashankar and V. Umamahesh. 2 CD’s and a DVD were produced with this group. After Shawn Lane's tragic death in 2003, Hellborg has continued to explore amalgamations of Indian and "Western" music. Working with Indian masters as Debashish Bhattacharya, Niladri Kumar, Vikku Vinayakram, Tanmoy Bose and U Shrinivas. He has also started a new Metal-Fusion project with guitarist Mattias IA Eklundh called Art Metal...Hellborg founded his own record label Day Eight Music in 1979 releasing his first solo bass record – an early showcase of his pioneering chordal, and for the time very advanced, slapping approaches. It is also noteworthy that it was the first LP ever to feature solely bass guitar. With the move to the US a new entity was formed called Bardo Music that took over the responsibilities of Hellborgs output now counting around 40 odd releases...Hellborg has been involved in instrument design from early on in his career. Starting with a signature model for the Japanese company Aria, the first ever biamped Bass Amp in cooperation with Italian company FBT, a double neck bass, fretted and fretless, for British company Wal in 1983 and the invention in 1984 of the modern Acoustic Bass Guitar in collaboration with/built by master luthier Abraham Wechter...After working with a further half dozen of other companies with signature models and inventions he now, together with Warwick Basses, created a new bass and a high end line of bass amplification that incorporates a set of innovations not yet seen in any other bass amp..."
"This is an intriguing and rather original set of music. Jonas Hellborg, whose conception of the acoustic bass guitar is much closer to a guitar than to a bass, teams up with drummer Tony Williams and the flexible Soldier String Quartet. The sparse sextet explores songs that (according to the liners) are influenced by Arab music, Jimi Hendrix, Tony Williams' Lifetime and Bartok. A variety of moods are explored and the unusual blend of instruments and styles grow in interest each time they are heard. It is a pity though that the playing time is less than 37 minutes."
"Arc of the Testimony is one of the last recordings to feature legendary drummer Tony Williams, and its bold, experimental textures are a fitting epitaph to his career. Arcana was formed by bassist/producer Bill Laswell with the intention of exploring the outer reaches of fusion, ambient and free jazz...Arc of the Testimony is a freewheeling, unpredictable blend of electronic and acoustic sounds. However, this record is even more adventurous, since it finds a common ground between improvisation and post-production studio trickery. All of the musicians -- Williams, Laswell, saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, saxophonist Byard Lancaster, cornetist Graham Haynes, guitarist Nicky Skopelitis and guitarist Buckethead -- are open-minded and help push the music forward, resulting in a thoroughly involving, challenging listen."
I slept on this record when it first came out back in '97, not sure why...I owned it but didn't absorb it...been spinning it non-stop the last few days, though. Such a killer line-up, such amazing drumming from Williams...it is not surprising that it was his heart that gave out in the end...
"The daughter of prominent figures in China's Communist Party, Liu spent her early life in luxury. An uncle, Liu Zhidan, was a high-ranking general in the Red Army until his death and martyrdom in 1936. Her family's fortunes changed dramatically when her father's comrade-in-arms, Gao Gang, was accused of treason by Mao Tse-Tung and sentenced to death in 1955. As the result of a scorching account of the situation written by her mother, both of her parents were exiled to a rural pig farm, where they remained for two decades. Together with her older brother and sister, Liu was raised by a family in the capital city. Music played an essential role throughout Liu's life. She began studying classical piano at the age of five. Although she also studied Peking Opera, she was drawn more to Chinese folk music...Liu began writing short stories and novels. Her first novella, Ni Bie Wu Xuanze (You Have No Choice), was hailed by China's disenfranchised urban youth and won a prestigious Chinese National Novella award. Liu's first full-length novel, Chaos and All That, written while she was briefly residing in London and published in 1989, was followed by Da Ji Jia De Xiao Gu Shi in January 2000. Her novella, Blue Sky Green Sea, was translated into English and performed as a rock opera in 1998 with the Chinese Central Symphony Orchestra and a rock band...Liu has continued to explore a diverse range of music. She formed an all-female Pink Floyd-influenced rock band in the mid-'80s. She recorded a rock opera version of Blue Sky Green Sea in 1988 with the Chinese Central Symphony Orchestra, and a Hong Kong-based rock band. Moving to London later the same year, she formed a reggae band with British, Japanese, and Chinese musicians. Inspired by the music of Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin, who she first heard while visiting the United States in 1987, Liu returned to the U.S., two years later to spend time in the Mississippi Delta, meeting and playing with scores of blues musicians...Returning to China for the first time in a decade, Sola performed in Beijing and Shanghai and recorded an album, Sola and Friends in Beijing."
Blues in the East is one of my favorite and I believe under-recognized records to have come out on Axiom. Again, from All Music:
"...Her debut Western release features a stellar lineup, including organist Amina Claudine Myers, guitarist James Blood Ulmer, drummer Jerome "Bigfoot" Brailey, saxophonist Henry Threadgill, and the Last Poets' Umar Bin Hassan...this bizarre collusive concept is as refreshingly original as anything released in the '90s."
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Great quote about this record from an Amazon customer review: 
album. If these songs were remixed by any other producer, the results could have been disastrous, but Laswell is one of the masters of intellectual dub -- he knows what to take out and what to add, creating a spacious, cavernous mix that is provocative without being extreme. Some longtime Marley fans will balk at the very idea of the album, but the results are undeniably impressive, even if it's a little too restrained and cerebral to qualify as first-rate ambient dub for clubs."
's free-floating anxiety is at its peak, it could almost be the disc that Can fans have been waiting for since 
."
, from All Music Guide: 
, written while she was briefly residing in London and published in 1989, was followed by Da Ji Jia De Xiao Gu Shi in January 2000. Her novella, 
, was translated into English and performed as a rock opera in 1998 with the Chinese Central Symphony Orchestra and a rock band...Liu has continued to explore a diverse range of music. She formed an all-female Pink Floyd-influenced rock band in the mid-'80s. She recorded a rock opera version of 
in Beijing."
is one of my favorite and I believe under-recognized records to have come out on 
