BILL LASWELL

OSCILLATIONS

  1/  Digitaria                                  (Laswell,Ninj)                6.21
  2/  Faktura                                    (Laswell)                     6.11
  3/  Dislocation                                (Laswell)                     8.00
  4/  Extinguisher                               (Musso)                       7.49
  5/  Third Stage Navigator                      (Laswell)                     9.00
  6/  Wird                                       (Laswell)                     8.30

          Created at Greenpoint Studio, Brooklyn, New York, Spring 1996
          Engineered by Robert Musso
          Produced by Bill Laswell
          Track 4 produced by Robert Musso
          Material Inc.: John Brown
          Axiom: Bill Murphy
Bill Laswell: bass, beats, sounds; Ninj (1): sounds, beats; Robert Musso (4): guitars, sounds.

Track 4 performed by Transonic

          1996 - Sub Rosa (Belgium), SRV 109(Vinyl)
          1996 - Sub Rosa (Belgium), SR 109 (CD)

REVIEWS :

Despite all the recommendations ("It's some of 1996's finest drum and bass") that I should buy this one -- I must say that am still not overly impressed as mixed emotions continue rule out in my mind. Digitaria kicks it off with a (serious!) bass line than only Laswell could cook up. Heavy, thick and mind melting -- wow! Mr. Bill gets some help from an artist named Ninj (who I have never heard, but heard of) and the two bring a pretty standard drum and bass tune to the table, if not a very impressive low frequency onslaught. It's not really too dark or evil (like we might expect) -- which is surprising since you can definitely make out a chanting sample from a Raison d'etre (aka Peter Andersson) track called Of Dying Relics (quite the evil, ambient tune on the Cold Meat Industry label). Faktura (track 2) opens with a seethingly evil tone (very nice), this is Laswell as we know him. Surprisingly, there's an excellent use of horn sounds in this one (if you can believe it), as well as some great metallic droning -- good stuff.

Dislocation closes out the A-side with some very abstract tones and comes across as a rather scientific approach to drum and bass -- however, this track meanders and doesn't do much which can also be said for Extinguisher, another track that you might envision getting good, but doesn’t in my opinion. There is simply no flow to it, and amidst the percussion workout and an ever peculiar bass line (rather comic, somewhat playful), the track becomes too segmented for my liking. Third Stage Navigator is rather nice with its sharp bass line (but not too sharp) and jazzy percusion. The closer, Wird, is easily the most Laswellian (traditionally) of the lot. Beginning with a gloomy intro, the track heads into some eastern rhythms (not that unlike Laswell's Material project) and some jazzy breaks -- it's easily the jewel of the lot as well. In short, Oscillations comprises six movements of exploratory drum and bass that can take you anywhere from Bourbon Street to the Bell labs. Some trips good-- some trips bad.

Aaron (courtesy of the Surveillance website)