Discography

Axiom Records

 

Easily the biggest and most well-known of Bill Laswell's labels. Starting at the tail-end of the '80s, this label had the backing of Chris Blackwell and Island Records allowing for some bigger budget recordings. According to Bill in an interview with Jah Wobble in 1999, it was right after Blackwell sold Island to Polygram and for whatever reason, the timing seemed right to propose such a label. Without this kind of backing, many of these projects would never have happened. In part, due to the financial backing of a major label, studio releases by people/groups as seemingly far-flung as Talip Ozkan, Praxis, Simon Shaheen and Ronald Shannon Jackson were done as well as recording and releasing a batch of field recordings from various regions in Africa. After Blackwell's finally gave up his desire to run Island under Polygram's watch, Axiom moved to Palm Pics., Blackwell's new venture. After a handful of releases, though, the label ceased activity. The order of releases below are approximated within each year as the catalog numbers do not always show in the same sequence.

 

THROUGH ISLAND RECORDS 

  1990

    Gnawa Music Of Marrakesh - Night Spirit Masters
    Mandinka And Fulani Music Of The Gambia - Ancient Heart
    Ronald Shannon Jackson - Red Warrior
    Ginger Baker - Middle Passage
    Simon Shaheen - The Music of Mohamed Abdel Wahab
    Shankar - Soul Searcher
    Mandingo - New World Power
    Mandingo - Powerhouse (12")

  
  1991

    Material - The Third Power
    Material - Reality
    Jonas Hellborg - The Word
    Sonny Sharrock - Ask the Ages
    Collection - Axiom Collection: Illuminations

  
  1992

    Material - Playin' With Fire
    Bahia Black - The Seven Powers/Retrato Calado (12")
    Bahia Black - Ritual Beating System
    Master Musicians Of Jajouka - Apocalypse Across The Sky
    Talip Ozkan - The Dark Fire
    Praxis - Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis)
    Praxis - Animal Behavior

  
  1993

    Material - Mantra
    Bahia Black - Capitao Do Asfalto (12")
    Umar Bin Hassan - Be Bop Or Be Dead
    Henry Threadgill - Too Much Sugar For A Dime
    Collection - Axiom Collection II: Manifestation
    Nicky Skopelitis - Ekstasis

  
  1994

    Material - Eternal Drift
    Material - Hallucination Engine
    Material - Lost In The Translation
    Liu Sola - Blues In The East
    Hakim Bey - T.A.Z.
    Maleem Mahmoud Ghania with Pharoah Sanders - The Trance Of Seven Colors
    Axiom Ambient - Lost in the Translation (vinyl)
    Axiom Ambient - Lost in the Translation

  
  1995

    Axiom Funk - Funkronomicon

  
  1996

    Various Altered Beats - Assassin Knowledges Of The Remanipulated
    Axiom Funk - If 6 Was 9 (12")
    Altered Beats - Altered Beats (12")
    Axiom Dub - Mysteries of Creation
    Axiom Dub - Axiom Dub (12")

  
  1997

    Bob Marley - Dreams of Freedom
    Bob Marley - Dreams of Freedom (12")
    Arcana - Arc Of The Testimony