Bill Laswell

Bill Laswell

dub music, jazz

United States

About

Sound in a sentence: "Laswell's music pulses with deep grooves and rich layers, creating tension through rhythmic complexity and dynamic space."
Bill Laswell matters for his transformative ability to weave disparate musical threads into a cohesive sonic tapestry that challenges traditional boundaries. By pulling from the deep wells of dub and jazz, he has fostered a space where rhythm and texture reign supreme, encouraging listeners to rethink how they engage with sound on a fundamental level.
Bill Laswell matters for his transformative ability to weave disparate musical threads into a cohesive sonic tapestry that challenges traditional boundaries. By pulling from the deep wells of dub and jazz, he has fostered a space where rhythm and texture reign supreme, encouraging listeners to rethink how they engage with sound on a fundamental level. His work has impacted both underground and mainstream scenes, inspiring artists to explore the interplay between genres while maintaining an ear for the groove. Laswell’s approach centers on collaboration and experimentation, often bringing together musicians from varied backgrounds to create polyrhythmic landscapes that pulse with life and energy. This process emphasizes a loose structure, allowing for improvisation to take center stage. Laswell's production techniques—layering sounds and utilizing effects—create immersive environments that feel both expansive and intimate, inviting the listener to lose themselves within the textures. In his songwriting, Laswell frequently explores themes of connection and disconnection, using instrumental narratives to evoke emotional responses rather than relying solely on lyrics. His tone ranges from reflective to provocative, often employing irony in his storytelling while conveying sincerity through musical expression. The result is a body of work that feels alive, resonating with raw human experience.

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Discography

65 releases • 65 studio • 1983–2014
Type: |
Baselines
Baselines (1983)
Hear No Evil
Hear No Evil (1988)
Ambient Dub Volume II: Dead Slow
Ambient Dub Volume I... (1993)
Deconstruction: The Celluloid Recordings
Deconstruction: The... (1993)
Ambient Dub Volume I
Ambient Dub Volume I (1993)
Light in Extension
Light in Extension (1994)
Dub Terror Exhaust
Dub Terror Exhaust (1994)
Lost in the Translation
Lost in the Translat... (1994)
Cymatic Scan
Cymatic Scan (1994)
Jihad
Jihad (1994)
Outer Dark
Outer Dark (1994)
Doom Ride
Doom Ride (1994)
Silent Recoil: Dub System One
Silent Recoil: Dub S... (1995)
South Delta Space Age
South Delta Space Ag... (1995)
Akasha
Akasha (1995)
Subsonic 2: Bass Terror
Subsonic 2: Bass Ter... (1995)
Web
Web (1995)
The Dark Side of the Moog IV
The Dark Side of the... (1996)
The Dark Side of the Moog V
The Dark Side of the... (1996)
Chapter One: Book of Entrance
Chapter One: Book of... (1996)
Distill
Distill (1996)
Off World One
Off World One (1996)
Ambient Compendium
Ambient Compendium (1996)
Mysteries of Creation
Mysteries of Creatio... (1996)
Aspiration
Aspiration (1996)
Oscillations
Oscillations (1996)
The Dark Side of the Moog VI
The Dark Side of the... (1997)
Dub Meltdown
Dub Meltdown (1997)
City of Light
City of Light (1997)
Oscillations Remixes
Oscillations Remixes (1997)
Chapter Two
Chapter Two (1997)
Dreams of Freedom: Ambient Translations of Bob Marley in Dub
Dreams of Freedom: A... (1997)
The Dark Side of the Moog VII
The Dark Side of the... (1998)
Sacrifice
Sacrifice (1998)
Oscillations 2
Oscillations 2 (1998)
Nagual Site
Nagual Site (1998)
Broken Vessels
Broken Vessels (1999)
The End of Law
The End of Law (1999)
Serene Timeless Joy
Serene Timeless Joy (1999)
Imaginary Cuba
Imaginary Cuba (1999)
Permutation
Permutation (1999)
Invisible Design
Invisible Design (1999)
Emerald Aether: Shape Shifting
Emerald Aether: Shap... (2000)
Lo. Def Pressure
Lo. Def Pressure (2000)
Dub Chamber 3
Dub Chamber 3 (2000)
The Redesign
The Redesign (2000)
Points of Order
Points of Order (2001)
Filmtracks 2000
Filmtracks 2000 (2001)
Book of Exit: Dub Chamber 4
Book of Exit: Dub Ch... (2002)
Final Oscillations
Final Oscillations (2003)
AFTERMATHematics
AFTERMATHematics (2003)
ROIR Dub Sessions
ROIR Dub Sessions (2003)
Version 2 Version: A Dub Transmission
Version 2 Version: A... (2004)
Brutal Calling
Brutal Calling (2004)
Trojan Dub Massive: Chapter One
Trojan Dub Massive:... (2005)
Trojan Dub Massive: Chapter Two
Trojan Dub Massive:... (2005)
No Matter
No Matter (2008)
Invisible Design II
Invisible Design II (2009)
Konton
Konton (2011)
Bass & Drums
Bass & Drums (2011)
Túwaqachi
Túwaqachi (2012)
Means of Deliverance
Means of Deliverance (2012)
The Dream Membrane
The Dream Membrane (2014)
Space/Time – Redemption
Space/Time – Redempt... (2014)
The Stone
The Stone (2014)

Albums ()

The Dream Membrane

The Dream Membrane

2014

The Stone

The Stone

2014

Space/Time – Redemption

Space/Time – Redemption

2014

Means of Deliverance

Means of Deliverance

2012

Túwaqachi

Túwaqachi

2012

Konton

Konton

2011

Bass & Drums

Bass & Drums

2011

Invisible Design II

Invisible Design II

2009

No Matter

No Matter

2008

Trojan Dub Massive: Chapter One

Trojan Dub Massive: Chapter One

2005

Trojan Dub Massive: Chapter Two

Trojan Dub Massive: Chapter Two

2005

Version 2 Version: A Dub Transmission

Version 2 Version: A Dub Transmission

2004

Brutal Calling

Brutal Calling

2004

Final Oscillations

Final Oscillations

2003

AFTERMATHematics

AFTERMATHematics

2003

ROIR Dub Sessions

ROIR Dub Sessions

2003

Book of Exit: Dub Chamber 4

Book of Exit: Dub Chamber 4

2002

Points of Order

Points of Order

2001

Filmtracks 2000

Filmtracks 2000

2001

Dub Chamber 3

Dub Chamber 3

2000

Emerald Aether: Shape Shifting

Emerald Aether: Shape Shifting

2000

Lo. Def Pressure

Lo. Def Pressure

2000

The Redesign

The Redesign

2000

Broken Vessels

Broken Vessels

1999

The End of Law

The End of Law

1999

Serene Timeless Joy

Serene Timeless Joy

1999

Imaginary Cuba

Imaginary Cuba

1999

Permutation

Permutation

1999

Invisible Design

Invisible Design

1999

Nagual Site

Nagual Site

1998

The Dark Side of the Moog VII

The Dark Side of the Moog VII

1998

Sacrifice

Sacrifice

1998

Oscillations 2

Oscillations 2

1998

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

1997

Dub Meltdown

Dub Meltdown

1997

The Dark Side of the Moog VI

The Dark Side of the Moog VI

1997

City of Light

City of Light

1997

Oscillations Remixes

Oscillations Remixes

1997

Dreams of Freedom: Ambient Translations of Bob Marley in Dub

Dreams of Freedom: Ambient Translations of Bob Marley in Dub

1997

The Dark Side of the Moog IV

The Dark Side of the Moog IV

1996

The Dark Side of the Moog V

The Dark Side of the Moog V

1996

Chapter One: Book of Entrance

Chapter One: Book of Entrance

1996

Distill

Distill

1996

Off World One

Off World One

1996

Ambient Compendium

Ambient Compendium

1996

Mysteries of Creation

Mysteries of Creation

1996

Aspiration

Aspiration

1996

Oscillations

Oscillations

1996

Silent Recoil: Dub System One

Silent Recoil: Dub System One

1995

South Delta Space Age

South Delta Space Age

1995

Akasha

Akasha

1995

Subsonic 2: Bass Terror

Subsonic 2: Bass Terror

1995

Web

Web

1995

Light in Extension

Light in Extension

1994

Dub Terror Exhaust

Dub Terror Exhaust

1994

Lost in the Translation

Lost in the Translation

1994

Cymatic Scan

Cymatic Scan

1994

Jihad

Jihad

1994

Outer Dark

Outer Dark

1994

Doom Ride

Doom Ride

1994

Ambient Dub Volume II: Dead Slow

Ambient Dub Volume II: Dead Slow

1993

Deconstruction: The Celluloid Recordings

Deconstruction: The Celluloid Recordings

1993

Ambient Dub Volume I

Ambient Dub Volume I

1993

Hear No Evil

Hear No Evil

1988

Baselines

Baselines

1983

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