Version
2 Version – A Dub Transmission, Laswell’s fifth release
for ROIR, brings us back to the elemental power that made Laswell’s
earlier releases so compelling: thick earthy basslines, a bedrock of drums,
fiery percussion, blustery guitar and atmospherics—all played by
a world-class group of musicians who know how to breathe life into a musical
whole greater than the sum of its parts. On Version 2 Version the listener is drawn into a musical ecosystem full of life, death, earth,
wind, fire and brimstone and a fecund existence as powerful as life itself.
This dub transmission includes bassist Jah Wobble with whom Laswell co-wrote
most of the tracks, keyboardist Bernie Worrell, percussionist Karsh Kale,
and drummer/percussionist Abdou Mboup.
Come
meet the band: Jah Wobble was introduced to the world as the bassist in
Public Image Limited, John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten’s post-Sex Pistols
group. He has since gone on to a successful solo career and worked with
artists such as Brian Eno and Peter Gabriel. The Julliard-trained Bernie
Worrell made his name in George Clinton’s Parliament & Funkadelic,
of which he was an integral member. Worrell has gone on to play as a session
and touring member of Talking Heads and on albums by The Pretenders, Yoko
Ono, Ginger Baker, Gov’t Mule, & Pharoah Sanders. Karsh Kale,
has come to prominence with two solo releases for Six Degrees & playing
with Talvin Singh & with Laswell’s Tabla Beat Science Project.
Abdou Mboup is a renowned and respected drummer and percussionist.
Bill
Laswell is internationally hailed for his genre-breaking, innovative and
revolutionary musical concepts—daring, original ideas that consistently
transcend boundaries of musical content and context. By relentlessly rendering
obsolete the comfortable delineations separating genres, techniques and
cultures, he has become one of music’s most controversial and important
figures.
As
a world class bass player and producer, Laswell has worked with Afrika
Bambaataa, Bachir Attar, Bootsy Collins, Fela Kuti, Foday Musa Suso, George
Clinton, Ginger Baker, Herbie Hancock, Henry Threadgill, Iggy Pop, James
Blood Ulmer, Maceo Parker, Laurie Anderson, Manu Dibango, Material, Last
Exit, Mick Jagger, Motorhead, Peter Brotzman, Praxis, Ryuichi Sakamoto,
Sly & Robbie, Sonny Sharrock, Swans, Last Poets, Yellowman, Yoko Ono,
Brian Eno, Golden Palominos, John Zorn, Peter Gabriel, and has remixed
albums by Santana, Bob Marley & Miles Davis. And don’t forget
it was Laswell who “discovered” Whitney Houston.
