Bill Laswell
Photo: nomo /michael hoefner http://www.zwo5.de, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Guitarists · b. 1955

Bill Laswell

American musician (born 1955)

Born
12 February 1955
Salem
Country
United States
Active
1978–
Record labels
Virgin Records
Discography
80 albums

Biography

Bill Laswell is a jazz musician who plays guitar, bass instrument and voice. Bill Laswell was born on 12 February 1955 in Salem. The music is usually filed under jazz and dub music. Record labels: Virgin Records. The discography here lists 80 albums, from “Baselines” (1983) to “Mount Analogue” (2026). Honours include Człowiek ze Złotym Uchem (2013).

William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, world music, jazz, dub, and ambient styles. 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." Although his bands 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 band, but later albums concentrated on hip hop, jazz, or spoken word readings by William S. Burroughs. Most versions of the band Praxis have included guitarist Buckethead, but they have explored different permutations on albums.

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Discography

Studio and live albums

Baselines 1983 · Elektra Musician Hear No Evil 1988 · Venture Lost in the Translation 1994 · Axiom
Outer Dark 1994 · FAX +49-69/450464
Visitation 1994
Silent Recoil: Dub System One 1995 · Low
Somnific Flux 1995
Subsonic 2: Bass Terror 1995 · Sub Rosa Web 1995 · Subharmonic
Interpieces Organization 1996
Oscillations 1996 · Sub Rosa Sacred System Chapter One: Book of Entrance 1996 · ROIR City of Light 1997 · Sub Rosa Dub Meltdown 1997 · WordSound Sacred System: Chapter Two 1997 · ROIR Jazzonia 1998 · Douglas Music Oscillations 2 1998 · Sub Rosa Permutation 1998 · Ion Broken Vessels 1999 Hashisheen: The End of Law 1999 · Sub Rosa
Havana Mood 1999
Imaginary Cuba 1999 · BMG Classics Invisible Design 1999 · Tzadik Dub Chamber 3 2000 · ROIR
Lo. Def Pressure 2000 · Quatermass
Outland 3 2000 Points of Order 2001 · Innerhythmic
Radioaxiom: A Dub Transmission 2001
Book of Exit: Dub Chamber 4 2002 · ROIR
A Navel City / No One Is There 2004
Aftermathematics Instrumental: Rhythm and Recurrence 2004 · Sub Rosa Brutal Calling 2004 · Avant
Massafat 2004
Version 2 Version: A Dub Transmission 2004 Roots Tonic Meets Bill Laswell 2006 · ROIR In Praise of Shadows 2008
Kasbah Rockers 2008
Lodge 2008
Invisible Design II 2009 · Tzadik
Bass & Drums 2011 · Live
Dub of the Passover 2011
Means of Deliverance 2012 · Innerhythmic Túwaqachi (The Fourth World) 2012 · M.O.D. Technologies In Dub 2015 · Cézame Carte Blanche
After Such Knowledge, What Forgiveness? 2016
Azonic Halo 2016
Risurrezione - Dubopera 2016
Tagnawwit - Holy Black Gnawa Trance 2016
The Stone 2016
Nowstalgia 2018
Caravan To The Stars 2019
Myth - Dreams Of The World 2019
Outland 1 2019
Realm of Spells 2019
Smoke + Glass 2019
Against Empire 2020 · M.O.D. Reloaded
Gen Jyo Raku 2020 · Live
Kauai - The Arch of Heaven 2020
Bass & Drums Complete Session 2021 · Live
Essay in Light 2021
Incidents 2021
Saalfelden 2021 · Live
Tokyo Rotation 1 - Day 2 Set 2 2021 · Live
Tokyo Rotation 1 - Day 2 set 1 2021 · Live
Tokyo Rotation 4 - Day 1 Set 1 2021 · Live
Tokyo Rotation 4 - Day 1 Set 2 2021 · Live
Tokyo Rotation 4 - Day 3 2021 · Live
Nammu 2022
Redemption 2022 · Live
Tokyo Rotation 4 - Day 2 Set 1 2022 · Live
Tokyo Rotation 4 - Day 2 Set 2 2022 · Live
Axiom Sound System / Musical Freezone 2023 · Live
Black Terrain 2023
Willisau 2023 · Live
Sanctum 2024
NYC 2025 · Live
Live at the Knitting Factory 2026 · Live
Mount Analogue 2026 · Sub Rosa
Mount Analogue 2026
1998-04-22: Sacred System: Fabrik, Hamburg, Germany · Live

Also plays on

Albums where Bill Laswell is credited as a sideman

1982 Nots — Elliott Sharp bass
1983 Future Shock — Herbie Hancock bass
1983 Attitude — Lenny White arranger
1984 Sound-System — Herbie Hancock producer
1984 Full House — David Moss bass
1985 Village Life — Herbie Hancock and Foday Musa Suso producer
1985 Electric Africa — Manu Dibango performer, producer
1986 Horses & Trees — Ginger Baker producer
1987 America - Do You Remember The Love? — James Blood Ulmer bass, producer
1988 Wings — James Blood Ulmer bass
1990 Step Across the Border — Fred Frith bass
1994 Giant Robot — Buckethead performer
1995 Makin’ a Move — Henry Threadgill producer
1996 Bao Bao — Manu Dibango producer
1996 Message From Home — Pharoah Sanders producer
2001 Future 2 Future — Herbie Hancock electric bass guitar, bass guitar
2001 Blue Blood — James Blood Ulmer bass, producer
2003 With a Heartbeat — Pharoah Sanders / Graham Haynes keyboard, flute, bass, arranger, producer
2005 The Stone: Issue One — John Zorn, Ben Perowsky, Mike Patton, Bill Laswell, Dave Douglas & Rob Burger bass
2005 Enter the Chicken — Buckethead & Friends engineer
2006 Astronome — John Zorn mix
2006 Moonchild: Songs Without Words — John Zorn mix
2006 Episome — Otomo Yoshihide, Bill Laswell & Tatsuya Yoshida producer
2007 Six Litanies for Heliogabalus — John Zorn mix, recording
2007 Festa, farina e forca — Enzo Avitabile & Bottari remixer
2007 Asmodeus: Book of Angels, Volume 7 — Marc Ribot mix, recording
2008 Beyond Quantum — Anthony Braxton, Milford Graves & William Parker mix, producer
2012 Nosferatu — John Zorn bass, mix
2014 The Process — Jon Batiste, Chad Smith, Bill Laswell electronic instruments, guitar, bass guitar, arranger, producer
2018 Uplift — Dave Douglas electric bass guitar

Awards

  • 2013 Człowiek ze Złotym Uchem

Listen on Spotify

Frequently asked questions

What instrument does Bill Laswell play?

Bill Laswell is known for playing guitar, bass instrument and voice.

When and where was Bill Laswell born?

Bill Laswell was born 12 February 1955 in Salem.

What are Bill Laswell's best-known albums?

Albums in our database include Baselines (1983), Hear No Evil (1988), Lost in the Translation (1994), Silent Recoil: Dub System One (1995) and Subsonic 2: Bass Terror (1995).

External links

Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.