RE: (idm) all this dub talk / Laswell

From Ayling
Sent Wed, Mar 17th 1999, 15:34

OK... I'm new to the list so I don't know if there is some "anti-Laswell"
movement or something... but... I feel like I need to reply to this one:

> Rule 1) if bill laswell plays bass on it, don't buy it.  No matter
> how good the other people are on the CD, it will suck.

> Rule 3) Wordsound is the best functioning label for dubbed out
> stuff.  By far.

First off, as far as I can tell the connection between Laswell and Wordsound
has always been tight. He has worked with several people on Wordsound on
several projects over the last several years.

One example is "Dub Meltdown." At first I was hesitant to pick it up...
cheesy title, cheesy cover, but tight interplay between Laswell and Style
Scott on drums. Plus crazy production, massive reverbs and efx, and solid
bass. Doesn't take itself too seriously and is a good time.

On the darker side there is EOE's "Veve." EOE is Laswell, Mick Harris, &
Eraldo Bernocchi. It would be a stretch to call this "traditional" dub, but
it is definitely rooted in dub. This is a pretty consistently heavy, dark
album... but if you wanna go there, it's good.

Anyway, there's a lot more things Laswell & members of the Wordsound/Baraka
colective have worked on together(Baraka is what I think of as the
"mystical" dub offshoot of Wordsound). Some are good, some aren't.
Regardless I think it's unfair and ridiculous to claim that anything Laswell
touches sucks. And that's my $0.02.

-Mike-