Over the course of three decades, visionary bassit/producer Bill Laswell has been one of the most prolific and restlessly creative forces in contemporary music, always a few steps ahead of the curve, EVOLUTION/REVOLUTION.
AGAINST EMPIRE, a new catagory of magical, electro/acoustic technology. Further research may shed a most revealing light on thr development of sound storage in material culture.
AGAINST EMPIRE projects a hybrid activity, constantly evolving texture crashes against smooth, unfolding rhythms built around the solid and elastic drum foundations of four iconic drummers - Jerry Marotta (Peter Gabriel), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Hideo Yamaki (Japan's top drummer) and Satoyasu Shomura (Japanese pop phenomenon). The legendary saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, especially known for his radical collaborations with John Coltrane, versatile multi-instrumentalist Peter Apfelbaum, minimal contributions from the great Herbie Hancock on electric piano and the unmistakable touch of master percussionist Adam Rudolph.
AGAINST EMPIRE, an iconoclast offering of multi-directional movements .... avant-jazz, rock, dub, experimental, ambient, sub-bass and on and on .... a dream colonization, a bizarre image of paradise, an imagined quality of elsewhere, constructs of the imagination, essence of difference.
Nothing is True, Everything Is Permitted
AGAINST the EMPIRE of LIES
AGAINST the ANTI-MUSIC of MEDIOCRITY
AGAINST COMPLACENCY and COMPROMISE
AGAINST SHAMELESS and UNINFORMED PRIVILEGE
AGAINST INHERENT RACISM DIRECT or INDIRECT, KNOWN or UNKNOWN
AGAINST EMPIRE
credits
released April 10, 2020
Bill Laswell: bass, effects
Pharoah Sanders: saxophone
Peter Apfelbaum: saxophone, flute, keyboards
Herbie Hancock: electric piano
Jerry Marotta: drums
Chad Smith: drums
Hideo Yamaki: drums
Satoyasu Shomura: drums
Adam Rudolph: percussion
Created at Orange Music, West Orange, NJ
Engineering: James Dellatacoma
Mastered by Michael Fossenkemper at TurtleTone Studio, NYC
Photo by Toshiya Suzuki
Artwork by Yoko Yamabe @ Randesign
M.O.D. Reloaded: Dave Brunelle, Yoko Yamabe
A lost funky jazz-fusion record from the the late '70s that fairly burbles over with the exuberance of its players. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 12, 2019
supported by 12 fans who also own “Against Empire”
Despite being released in 1988, this album still sounds as innovative and inspirational as ever. Plus Bill added two 18+ min epic ambient excursions to this digital release in the form of Lost Roads Orchestral Site and Kingdom Come Ambient Site. This release should be a cornerstone of your Bill Laswell collection. Lance C McGannon