Bill Laswell

Experimental music, Composer

1955 –

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Who is Bill Laswell?

Bill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner.

Laswell ranks among the most prolific of modern musicians, being involved in hundreds of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. Laswell's music draws upon many different genres, most notably funk, various world music, jazz, dub and ambient styles. He has also played or produced music from the noisier, more aggressive end of the rock spectrum, such as hardcore punk and metal.

According to music critic Chris Brazier, "Laswell's pet concept is 'collision music' which involves bringing together musicians from wildly divergent but complementary spheres and seeing what comes out." The credo of one record label run by Laswell, and which typifies much of his work, is "Nothing Is True, Everything Is Permitted." Though projects arranged by Laswell may be credited under the same name and often feature the same roster of musicians, the styles and themes explored on different albums can vary dramatically: Material began as a noisy dance music project, but subsequent releases have been centered around hip hop, jazz, or backing spoken word readings by beat generation icon William S. Burroughs. Similarly, most versions of Praxis have featured guitarist Buckethead, but have explored different permutations with each new album.

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Born
Feb 12, 1955
Salem
Also known as
  • Bill Laswell & Nicholas James Bullen
  • Axiom Ambient
  • Divination
  • Rasa
  • Laswell, Bill
  • Public Image Ltd.
  • Sacred System
Spouses
Children
Nationality
  • United States of America
Profession

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

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