Laswell, Bill

Artist: Bill Laswell
P: 1996
Like the title says. This album does a wonderful job of conveying these vibes. Dark and massive.
Each of the 16 tracks on this album has something diferent to offer. The Terre Thaemlitz track, as expected, vibrates the house with its deep bass rumbles. The Tetsu Inoue and MJ Harris collaborations and the two Laswell solo's are my other highlights of a satisfying 'Ambient' entree.

Enter the 'Ambient, Bass and Drums' disc. The two Laswell solos are again highlights, along with the Jah Wobble and Jeff Bova, Automaton and Jonah Sharp collaborations. This second CD is great chillout music, good for sitting in the sun and drinking something cool - the sky seems bluer, the trees seem greener, the birdsong sweeter!

Artist: Bill Laswell
P: 1988
This marked one of the truly world fusion creations. "To realize Hear No Evil, bassist/super-producer Bill Laswell tapped a group of world-class musicians. The divergent virtuosity of such aces as violinist L. Shankar, guitarist Nicky Skopelitis, and percussionist Aiyb Dieng blend seamlessly under the leader's acute sense of direction. 'Assassin' hints of near-Eastern desolation á la Led Zeppelin's 'Kashmir,' but most of the album follows the rustic grooves of 'Lost Roads'.

Artist: Bill Laswell
P: 1988
This marked one of the truly world fusion creations. "To realize Hear No Evil, bassist/super-producer Bill Laswell tapped a group of world-class musicians. The divergent virtuosity of such aces as violinist L. Shankar, guitarist Nicky Skopelitis, and percussionist Aiyb Dieng blend seamlessly under the leader's acute sense of direction. 'Assassin' hints of near-Eastern desolation á la Led Zeppelin's 'Kashmir,' but most of the album follows the rustic grooves of 'Lost Roads'.
Here the Virgin label version!

Artist: Bill Laswell
P: 1995
Two thirds of PAIN KILLER create a brace of minimal mood pieces, sparse & dark. Much along the lines of HARRIS's LULL project. The first piece, "Distal Sonority", wastes no time to fill the space in your room. Probably more akin to the second LULL album, it depends more on a shapeless drifting, floating sound than on any obvious structure. It's like opening a door onto another planet, moving from familiar 'Earth' logic to unexpected and unpredictably unknown measures in one step. The half-hidden shapes within the misty drift move quickly - unlike the graceful somnambulistic ghosts of HARRIS's solo work. An understated central loop lulls, reminding one of a much more passive take on the FRIPP / ENO experiments. But overall, despite the dread dark of the piece, it has a tranquility which lures you further and further into deep dreamscapes until you almost feel compelled to let go and fall into slumber, which is around the time at which it ends and the duo bring you "Capacious". Beginning harder, to pull you out of the soporific state you may have drifted into, it soon settles down into that dark world between reality and nightmare which worked so well for many of the "Murder Ballads" tracks - a place where unease and disquiet stalk the listener, with evil intent - a Dream State where all the denizens are Psycho Killers, and digging shallow pits at midnight is a national pastime. Sometimes it reminds me of the Cthulhu nightmares of CONTRASTATE, often of a darker take on CZUKAY / SYLVIAN's collaborations.

Artist: Pete Namlook & Bill Laswell
P: 1994 / 2023
The ‘Outland’ album series was a collaborative endeavour by the visionary US bassist-producer Bill Laswell and the late German musician Peter Namlook, that pushed the boundaries of dark ambient and electronic music. Spanning five albums released over a thirteen year period from 1994, this boxset serves as a testament to the creative synergy between the two masterminds. At the time the duo joined forces, the New York-based Laswell was already a famous producer with a massive client list that included cutting-edge rock, pop, funk, jazz and electronic artists, but he had also founded the Axiom label in 1989 and been responsible for groundbreaking work in genres that included ambient, dub and world music. Namlook was recognised as a pioneering figure in the ambient techno scene, having founded the label FAX in his native Frankfurt in 1992. ‘Outland’ became a fusion of their individual musical sensibilities that resulted in a unique set of
releases. At the heart of the series is an exploration of sound as a vehicle for emotion and contemplation, with Laswell’s signature basslines and experimental soundscapes interweaving seamlessly with Namlook’s ethereal textures and intricate sonic layering.
Each album is characterised by a sense of expansiveness, taking listeners on a voyage through  rarely charted sonic dimensions. All have the ability to evoke a wide range of emotions and have their own distinctive sonic palette, ranging from ambient tranquility to cosmic intensity. ‘Outland’ has endured as an influential touchstone, its impact felt not only in its captivating soundscapes but also in its invitation to engage in deep introspection and cosmic contemplation. With each album, the duo beckoned listeners to transcend the mundane and embark on a sonic voyage into the extraordinary, where sound becomes a conduit for spiritual and artistic expression. The lavish matte-finish boxset opens to the 5 “Outland” albums in separate matte sleeves, with all-new designs, and all audio completely remastered. This box also contains a new addition to the OUTLAND series – an album of dense, bass space drone by Bill Laswell, entitled “Blackland”. The boxset also contains an exclusive card with an essay about the project written by Bill Laswell July 2023.

Artist: Pete Namlook & Bill Laswell
P: 2003
MP3 003
LTD: 1000
The third MP3 - CD on FAX and still no other label in the electronica/Chill-Out and Ambient scene has released this kind of product.
We love to sell innovative products..
Again the length of the CD is around 5 hours at highest MP3 quality. This project has a certain development from the start in 1993 through 2002 (Psychonavigaton 5) which makes it an ideal candidate for an MP3 release.
From mysterious Dub-Ambient to early Trip-Hop and Ethno-Dub-Trance Fusion.. always ahead of its time and with two masters of the genre.
This release gives you the real Psycho-Navigation while listening to it.. enough said.. the music speaks for itself.
All the original CD releases are sold out. So this *is* a collectors item encoded at the highest possible rate 320kbps.

Artist: Pete Namlook, Klaus Schulze & Bill Laswell
P: 1996
LTD 2000
PK08/123
This time Robert A. Moog himself opens this piece with the words "... I would like to present to you The Dark Side of the Moog." Wide parts have been conceived by the sounds of his inventions... most monumental and deeply moving tones... The collaboration between the three musicians you find on this CD combine the styles of Space Music, Electronic and Dub/Ambient to an irresitable cosmos of sound. It seems as if three masters of their art combined their forces to show their very strengths in music... Klaus for the inimitable chords and sequences, Bill for excellent bass and dark-ethno oriented soundscapes and Peter for komplex-energetic rhythms, sequences, intense melodies (and good cooking). The three of them share their love for weird sounds and special effects. Sounds that take your soundsystem to a higher level.

Here the last copy!

Artist: Pete Namlook, Klaus Schulze & Bill Laswell
P: 1997/ 2003
AW 029
After Pete moved to his new studio the choice was easy which project would be the first to start a new era in FAX production with. Klaus Schulze was asked and didn`t hesitate to come to the small town at the Mosel river (144 KM away from Peter`s homebase Frankfurt). The recording sessions took place and the features (as well as the difficulties) of a new studio created a life on their own. What came out is a recording that shows the aspects of vintage space music combined with the innovations of today to a further creation of Electronic Fusion Music.

Artist: Pete Namlook, Klaus Schulze & Bill Laswell
P: 1998
PK 08/143
LTD 3000
Pushing the limits, Klaus and Peter combined 70ies Space Music with the new (old) school Electro sounds. Part III of this CD features Bill Laswell whose ethno-oriented sounds add perfectly to this space music opus.
Listening to this music is like watching a movie... just close your eyes and find out yourself... we take you with us on a journey through the universe of sounds to our musical world.


Here the last copy of the first series!

Artist: Pete Namlook, Klaus Schulze & Bill Laswell
P: 1998/ 2004
AW 032
Pushing the limits, Klaus and Peter combined 70ies Space Music with the new (old) school Electro sounds. Part III of this CD features Bill Laswell whose ethno-oriented sounds add perfectly to this space music opus.
Listening to this music is like watching a movie... just close your eyes and find out yourself... we take you with us on a journey through the universe of sounds to our musical world.