Bill Laswell

If you had to label his style, it might be called Ambient-Avant-Jazz-Dub-hip-hop-free-experimental-world-Punk, but most likely Laswell would call that label too confining. As a musician, he's an adept improviser and foundation layer, choosing to work within the deep, sub-harmonic range of the bass. As a producer, he puts together amazing musicians in odd combinations that come from the funky inner depths of New York City, exotic regions of the earth, and nether realms of outer space electronica. His work in bands such as Material, Massacre, Last Exit and Praxis continually pushes the boundaries of Funk, hip-hop and Free Jazz, covering it all in an atmospheric haze. A partial list of some of the top-notch musicians with whom he has collaborated includes Herbie Hancock, John Zorn, Afrika Bambaataa, Mick Jagger, Sly Stone, Tetsu Inoue, George Clinton, Wayne Shorter, Zakir Hussain, Fela "Ransome" Kuti, DJ Spooky, Sly & Robbie, David Byrne, Yoko Ono, Public Image Limited, Motorhead -- the list goes on and on. So does his sound, which continues to be progressive, original and fiercely different.