HAKIM BEY

T.A.Z.

  1/  Chaos                                      (Bey,Laswell)                 6.04
  2/  Poetic Terrorism                           (Bey,Laswell)                 4.22
  3/  Amour Fou                                  (Bey,Laswell)                 4.57
  4/  Immediatism                                (Bey,Laswell)                 13.35
  5/  The Tong                                   (Bey,Laswell)                 12.48
  6/  Boycott Cop Culture                        (Bey,Laswell)                 10.38

          Recorded and mixed at Greenpoint Studio, Brooklyn, New York
          Engineered and mixed by Robert Musso
          Additional engineering by Oz Fritz
          Assistant : Imad Mansour
          Produced and arranged by Bill Laswell
          Mastered at Masterdisc by Howie Weinberg
Hakim Bey : readings; Bill Laswell : basses, treatments, samples, sound collage; Wu Man : pipa; Nicky Skopelitis & Buckethead : guitar.

          1994  -  Axiom/Island (USA),  314-524 014-2  (CD)

REVIEWS :

The title stands for Temporary Autonomous Zone, if you've been slacking on your alternative, radical-chic thinkers, and haven't encountered Bey, probably a pseudonym for Peter Lamborn Wilson. Bey, along with Terrence McKenna, exists on the margin of academic credibility (as they should), but command more respect than the term "cult following" usually implies—the tribally enlightened, modern-primitive intelligentsia—hotly debate and cherish their books and reading/happenings. Bey has parallels with Chomsky as a thinker, but is more fascinated with media and pop culture and is well-versed in subcultures as well. Not that he coddles the `alternative culture.' Wherever you stand, you'll find yourself challenged and indicted by TAZ, but thrilled nonetheless. As for the recording, it's great; Bey's voic is clear as a bell, soothing even while his thoughts provoke. Bill Laswell, Buckethead, and Nicky Skopelitis among others provide a global sonic backdrop, as effectively recombining bits from the Axiom catalogue. Bey's ideas and radical, witty intelligence plus the hypnotic presentation make "Poetic Terrorism," ("art as crime") and "Immediatism," a call for ritualistic direct communication, must hears. And I'd like to see MTV try to co-opt the man who wrote "Boycott Pop Culture." Or perhaps Bey could use them to his own effect. If you like recordings of William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, or Jim Morrison's An American Prayer, you'll probably dig this. It may affect you even more.

Danny Housman, January 1995 (courtesy of the Oculus website)