''Axiom Collection'' series of albums are compilations from the

Axiom An axiom, postulate, or assumption is a statement that is taken to be true, to serve as a premise or starting point for further reasoning and arguments. The word comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning 'that which is thought worthy or ...

record label released between 1991 and 1996. The first collection, ''Illuminations'', collects one track from each of the label's first ten albums. The second collection, ''Manifestation'', contains mainly non-album mixes and edits. Subsequent collections were released to highlight specific music forms, and in the main contained new material.

Axiom Collection: Illuminations

Track listing

Simon Shaheen Simon Shaheen (; born in Ma'alot-Tarshiha, Israel) is an American oud and violin player, and composer. At the age of 2, Shaheen moved with his family to Haifa, but spent most of the weekends in Tarshiha, an Arab village in Upper Galilee. The ...

– "Sittel Habayeb" – 6:35 – taken from ''The Music of Mohamed Abdel Wahab'' #

Material A material is a matter, substance or mixture of substances that constitutes an Physical object, object. Materials can be pure or impure, living or non-living matter. Materials can be classified on the basis of their physical property, physical ...

– "Cosmic Slop" – 5:15 – taken from '' The Third Power'' # Gnawa Music of Marrakesh – "Baba L'Rouami" – 3:05 – taken from ''Night Spirit Masters'' #

Jonas Hellborg Jonas Hellborg (born 7 June 1958) is a Swedish bass guitarist. He has collaborated with John McLaughlin, Ustad Sultan Khan, Fazal Qureshi, Bill Laswell, Shawn Lane, Jens Johansson, Anders Johansson, Ginger Baker, Michael Shrieve, V. Selvaga ...

– "Saut-E Sarmad" – 3:28 – taken from ''The Word'' # Mandingo – "Powerhouse" dit– 4:56 – taken from ''New World Power'' #

Sonny Sharrock Warren Harding "Sonny" Sharrock (August 27, 1940 – May 25, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. His first wife was singer Linda Sharrock, with whom he recorded and performed. One of only a few prominent guitarists who participated in the fir ...

– "As we used to sing" – 7:45 – taken from '' Ask the Ages'' # Fulani Music of the Gambia – "Nayo" – 3:11 – taken from ''Ancient Heart'' #

Ginger Baker Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and Music of Africa, Africa ...

– "Under black Skies" – 6:59 – taken from ''Middle Passage'' # L. Shankar – "Ragam, Tanam, Pallavi Ragam: Kapi, Seethalakshmi Talam: 6 3/4 Beats" dit– 5:20 – taken from ''Soul Searcher'' #

Ronald Shannon Jackson Ronald Shannon Jackson (January 12, 1940 – October 19, 2013) was an American jazz drummer from Fort Worth, Texas. A pioneer of avant-garde jazz, free funk, and jazz fusion, he appeared on over 50 albums as a bandleader, sideman, arranger, and ...

– "Elders" dit– 5:08 – taken from ''Red Warrior'' # Mandinka Music of the Gambia – "Hamaba" – 4:40 – taken from ''Ancient Heart'' #Shankar – "Ragam: Kapi" dit– 8:0 – taken from ''Soul Searcher''

Axiom Collection II: Manifestation

Track listing

– "Mantra" oors of Perception Mix( Lakshminarayanan Shankar, Caroline,

Bill Laswell William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, wo ...

) – 8:53 – originally on '' Hallucination Engine'' #

Praxis Praxis may refer to: Philosophy and religion *Praxis (process), the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, practised, embodied, or realised * Praxis model, a way of doing theology * Praxis (Byzantine Rite), the practice of fai ...

– "Animal Behavior" ransmutation Video Version(Laswell,

Bootsy Collins William Earl "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951) is an American bass guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Rising to prominence with James Brown in the early 1970s before joining the Parliament-Funkadelic collective, Collins established himse ...

Buckethead Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative and virtuosic electric guitar playing. Buckethead's extensive solo discography currentl ...

) – 4:45 – originally on ''

Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis) ''Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis)'' is the first album by Bill Laswell's ever-changing "supergroup" Praxis. The album was released in 1992 and features Buckethead on guitar, Bootsy Collins on bass and vocals, Brain on drums, Bernie Worrell on k ...

'' # Bahia Black – "Captiao Do Asfalto" (

Carlinhos Brown Antônio Carlos Santos de Freitas, known professionally as Carlinhos Brown (Brazilian Portuguese: /kaʁˈlĩɲus bɾaw̃, -iɲuʃ/, 23 November 1962), is a Brazilian singer, percussionist, and record producer from Salvador, Bahia. His musica ...

) – 5.05 – originally on ''Ritual Beating System'' #Material – "Reality Dub" irtual Reality Mix(

Shabba Ranks Rexton Rawlston Fernando Gordon OD (born 17 January 1966), better known by his stage name Shabba Ranks, is a Jamaican dancehall musician. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was one of the most popular Jamaican musicians in the world. Throu ...

, Laswell,

Sly Dunbar Lowell Fillmore "Sly" Dunbar (born 10 May 1952, Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican drummer, best known as one half of the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and reggae production duo Sly and Robbie. Biography Dunbar began playing at 15 in a ba ...

Robbie Shakespeare Robert Warren Dale Shakespeare (27 September 1953 – 8 December 2021) was a Jamaican bass guitarist and record producer, best known as half of the reggae rhythm section and production duo Sly and Robbie, with drummer Sly Dunbar. Regarded as on ...

) – 7:22 – originally on '' The Third Power'' #

Nicky Skopelitis Nicky Skopelitis (born January 19, 1960) is an American guitarist and composer of Greek descent. He also has performed on banjo, oud, lute, keyboards and other instruments. Although Skopelitis has recorded few albums as a bandleader, he has app ...

– "Tarab Dub" asteland Mix(

, Laswell,

Jah Wobble John Joseph Wardle (born 11 August 1958), known by the stage name Jah Wobble, is an English bass guitarist and singer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s; ...

) – 10:11 – originally on '' Ekstasis'' #

Master Musicians of Jajouka The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar (sometimes written as ...featuring Bachir Attar) are a collective of Jbala Sufi trance musicians, serving as a modern representation of a centuries-old music tradition. The collective includes ...

featuring

Bachir Attar Bachir Attar (Arabic: بشير عطار, born 1964) is a Moroccan musician and the leader of The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar. He is the son of Hadj Abdesalam Attar, who led the group Master Musicians of Jajouka at the time ...

– "A Habibi Ouajee T'Allel Allaillya" (Hadj Abdelesalam Attar) – 4:12 – originally on ''Apocalypse Across the Sky'' #

Henry Threadgill Henry Threadgill (born February 15, 1944) is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. He came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles rooted in jazz but with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating other genres of music. He h ...

– "Better Wrapped / Better Unwrapped" dit(

) – 4:28 – originally on ''

Too Much Sugar for a Dime ''Too Much Sugar for a Dime'' is an album by Henry Threadgill, released in 1993 on the Axiom label. It has been described as: "a mad, glorious romp which explores some very dark timbres and tonalities and yet remains witty, fresh and consistent ...

'' #Mandingo – "Lanmbasy Dub" ora in Hell Mix(

Foday Musa Suso Foday Musa Suso (18 February 1950 – 25 May 2025) was a Gambian musician and composer. Biography He was a member of the Mandinka ethnic group and was a griot. Griots are the oral historians and musicians of the Mandingo people who live in se ...

) – 9:44 – originally on ''New World Power'' # Gnawa Music of Marrakesh – "Baniya" (traditional) – 5:59 – originally on ''Night Spirit Masters'' #Praxis – "Dead Man Walking" dit(Laswell, Collins,

Bernie Worrell George Bernard Worrell, Jr. (April 19, 1944 – June 24, 2016) was an American Keyboard instrument, keyboardist and record producer best known as a founding member of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective. In later years, he also worked with ...

Bryan Mantia Bryan Kei Mantia (born February 4, 1963), known professionally as Brain, is an American rock drummer. He has played with bands such as Primus, Guns N' Roses, Praxis, and Godflesh, and with other performers such as Tom Waits, Serj Tankian, Bill L ...

, Buckethead, Nathaniel Hall) – 3:33 – originally on ''Transmutation'' #Material – "Playin' With Fire" raxis Remix / Edit(Hall,

Michael Small Michael Small (May 30, 1939 – November 24, 2003) was an American film score composer known for his scores to thriller movies such as ''Klute'', '' The Parallax View'', '' Marathon Man'', and '' The Star Chamber''. Personal life Small was bor ...

, Laswell, Collins, Dunbar, Shakespeare) – 3:57 – originally on ''The Third Power'' # Talip Ozkan – "Feridem" (traditional) – 3:59 – originally on ''The Dark Fire''

Axiom Ambient: Lost in the Translation

Directions in music – sound sculptures by Bill Laswell with contributions from

Terre Thaemlitz Terre Thaemlitz is an American musician, composer, owner of the record label Comatonse Recordings, and a public speaker. Thaemlitz's work critically combines themes of identity politics – including gender, sexuality, class, linguistics, ethnici ...

The Orb The Orb are an English electronic music group founded in 1988 by Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty. Known for their psychedelic sound, the Orb developed a cult following among clubbers "coming down" from drug-induced highs. Their influential ...

Tetsu Inoue is a former electronic music producer from Japan. He primarily made various types of ambient music, such as ambient techno & lowercase, particularly on the label FAX. He has lived in Japan, San Francisco, and New York and collaborated with music ...

. Created and mastered at Greenpoint Studio, Brooklyn, New York. Produced by Bill Laswell.

CD1

#"Eternal Drift" (

) – 15:53 – originally on '' Hallucination Engine'' #"Peace" (

Pharoah Sanders Pharoah Sanders (born Ferrell Lee Sanders; October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of "sheets of sound", San ...

Eddie Hazel Edward Earl Hazel (April 10, 1950 – December 23, 1992) was an American guitarist and singer in early funk music who played lead guitar with Parliament-Funkadelic. Hazel was a posthumous inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 19 ...

) – 17:11 #"Aum" ( L. Shankar, Ganam Rao,

, Skopelitis) – 17:37 #"Cosmic Trigger" ( George Clinton,

, Laswell,

) – 16:19

CD2

#"Dharmapala" (MA Wahab,

) – 14:35 #"Flash of Panic" (HA. Attar,

, Skopelitis, Laswell) – 15:17 #"Holy Mountain" (

Liu Sola Liu Sola ( zh, s=刘索拉, p=Liú Suǒlā; born 1955 in Beijing, China) is a Chinese composer, vocalist, music producer, and author. Biography After graduating from the Central Conservatory of Music with a degree in composition, she published ...

, Laswell) – 16:41 #"Ruins" (Laswell,

) – 8:00 – originally on '' Hallucination Engine''

Side 1

#"Eternal Drift" – 9:00 #"Aum" – 17:37

Side 2

#"Dharmapala" – 8:44 #"Holy Mountain" – 8:16

Side 3

#"Eternal Drift" onstruct Over Destiny Mix– 12:02

Side 4

#"Holy Mountain" .F.O. What Do You Think? Mix– 9:05

Axiom Funk: Funkcronomicon

A 12" single containing four mixes of "If 6 was 9" was released in 1996 (Axiom/Island, PR12 7212-1) as Axion Funk featuring Bootsy Collins.

CD1

#"Order within the Universe" (

Grand Mixer DXT Derek Showard, better known by the stage name GrandMixer DXT, is an American musician, and the first DJ to use the turntable as a musical instrument. Early in his career, he was known as Grand Mixer D.ST, a reference to Delancey Street on the ...

) – 3:17 #"Under the Influence (Jes Grew)" ( George Clinton, Laswell,

) – 5.45 #"If 6 was 9" (

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

) – 6:00 #"Orbitron Attack" ( Grace Cook) – 12:29 #"Cosmic Slop" (Clinton, Worrell) – 5:15 – taken from

's '' The Third Power'' #"Free-Bass (Godzillatron Cush)" (Laswell, Collins, Weeden) – 5:43 #"Tell the World" (Collins,

Maceo Parker Maceo Parker (; born February 14, 1943) is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s and Prince in the 2000s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many of ...

, Sly Stewart) – 3:53 – taken from

's ''For All the King's Men'' #"Pray my Soul" (Cook) – 5:08

CD2

#"Hideous Mutant Freekz" (Clinton, Collins, Worrell, Laswell) – 7:25 #"Sax Machine" (Collins, Parker,

Bobby Byrd Bobby Howard Byrd (August 15, 1934 – September 12, 2007) was an American rhythm and blues, soul and funk singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, bandleader, and talent dedicated. He played a part in the development of soul and funk m ...

) – 7:47 – taken from Maceo Parker's ''For all the King's Men'' #"Animal Behavior" (Laswell, Collins,

) – 7:09 – taken from

'' #"Trumpets and Violins, Violins" (Hendrix) – 3:38 #"Telling Time" (

) – 4:57 – taken from

's '' Ekstasis'' #"Jungle Free-Bass" (Laswell, Collins) – 5:38 #"Blackout" (Blackbyrd McKnight) – 3:44 #"Sacred to the Pain" (Cook,

Umar Bin Hassan Umar Bin Hassan (born Gilbert Jerome Huling in Akron, Ohio, 1948) is an American poet and recording artist, associated with The Last Poets. He sold his younger sister's record player to purchase a bus ticket to New York City, where he joined the L ...

) – 4:54

Axiom Dub: Mysteries of Creation

Compiled, edited and mastered at Greenpoint Studio, Brooklyn, New York. Conceived and constructed by Bill Laswell.

CD1

#Ninj / Bill Laswell – "Maroon Rebellion" (Bill Laswell, Ninj) – 5:55 #*Ninj – beats #*Bill Laswell – bass #

Sly and Robbie Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separat ...

– "Return to the Bass and Trouble" (Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare) – 7:00 #*Sly Dunbar – drums #*Robbie Shakespeare – bass #*Bill Laswell – sound FX #Sub Dub – "Revolution" (John Ward,

Raz Mesinai Reuel Emanuel “Raz” Mesinai (born 1973) is an American record producer, musician, composer, artist, writer and educator from New York City. He has released recordings since 1989 under the monikers Badawi, Sub Dub, Ghost Producer, Psy Co., and ...

) – 6:59 #*John Ward – bass #*

aka the Bedouin – percussion #*Tony Buzzeo – guitar #

– "Cocksville U.S.A." (N.Burton, Andy Hughes,

Kris Needs Kris Needs (born 3 July 1954) is a British journalist and author, known for writings on music from the 1970s onwards. He became editor of proto-punk and early punk rock ''ZigZag'' magazine in August 1977 at 23 and has since written biographies ...

, Alex Patterson, Simon Phillips) – 10:32 # We featuring

DJ Olive DJ Olive (also known as The Audio Janitor; born Gregor Asch) is an American disc jockey and turntablist. He is known for producing music generally in the electronic music, electronic genre, with strong influences of Dub music, dub, and free imp ...

, Loop, Once 11 – "Illbient" ( Gregor Asch, Rich Panciera, Ignacio Platas) – 8:08 #

– "Ghost Light / Dread Recall" (Laswell) – 14:17 #Wordsound I-Powa – "Dungeon of Dub" (

Skiz Fernando Sarath "Skiz" Fernando (born 1968) is a former music critic, who has written for ''The New York Times'', ''Rolling Stone'', ''The Source'', ''Spin'', and ''Vibe''. Later, under the alias Spectre, he became a record producer, rapper, and electroni ...

) – 5:33

CD2

Mad Professor Neil Joseph Stephen Fraser (born 27 March 1955, Georgetown, Guyana) known by his stage-name Mad Professor, is a British dub music producer, engineer and remixer. He has collaborated with reggae artists Lee "Scratch" Perry, Sly and Robbie, ...

– "Ariwa Dub Club" ( Neil Fraser) – 5:06 #Automaton – "Beta One / Assyrian Dub" (

, Gabe Katz,

) – 11:12 #*

, Gabe Katz – bass #*Nicky Skopelitis: guitar #

Dub Syndicate Dub Syndicate is a British dub band, formed by Adrian Sherwood, which became a showcase for Adrian Sherwood's collaboration with Lincoln "Style" Scott, former drummer with the Roots Radics, Suns of Arqa and Creation Rebel. Dub Syndicate init ...

– "Gun Too Hot" (Style Scott, Adrian Maxwell, Bernard Alexander) – 4:41 #*produced by Style Scott and

Adrian Sherwood Adrian Maxwell Sherwood (born 20 January 1958) is an English record producer specialising in the genre of dub music. He has created a distinctive production style based on the application of dub effects and dub mixing techniques to other forms ...

#*Akuba &

I Roy Roy Samuel Reid (28 June 1944 – 27 November 1999), better known as I-Roy, was a Jamaican deejay who had a very prolific career during the 1970s. Biography Born in 1944 in Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica, Reid graduated from Dinthill Technical Co ...

– backing vocals #* Errol "Flabba" Holt – bass #*

Skip McDonald Skip McDonald (born Bernard Alexander, September 1949) is an American musician who also performs under the stage name Little Axe. Career Early career Grounded in blues music learned from his father, a steel worker who played blues guitar at w ...

– guitar #*Franklyn "Bubbler" Waul – keyboards #*

Dean Fraser Dean Ivanhoe Fraser (sometimes appearing as Dean Frazer; born 4 August 1957) Allmusic.com biography by Sandra Brennan/ref> is a Jamaican saxophonist who has contributed to hundreds of reggae recordings since the mid-1970s. He was awarded the Mus ...

– sax #*

Keith Sterling Keith Sterling (born Keith Sterling-McLeod, January 1952, Kingston, Jamaica)Larkin, Colin (2006) ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', 4th edn., OUP USA, , p. 743 is a piano and keyboard player. Biography Keith Sterling is a well-respected Jam ...

– piano, synthesizer #*Carlton "Bubblers" Ogilvie – piano, organ, synth #*Style Scott – drums, percussion #* Scully – percussion #Jah Wobble with

Jaki Liebezeit Jaki Liebezeit (born Hans Liebezeit; 26 May 1938 – 22 January 2017) was a German drummer, best known as a founding member of experimental rock band Can. He was called "one of the few drummers to convincingly meld the funky and the cerebral". ...

and Neville Murray – "Nev 12" (Jah Wobble, Neville Murray) – 6:08 #*Jah Wobble – bass #*Jaki Liebezeit – drums #*Neville Murray – percussion #

Techno Animal Techno Animal was an electronic duo formed in 1990 in London, England by British musicians Justin Broadrick (of the band Godflesh) and Kevin Martin (aka the Bug, of the band God). The duo released six LPs beginning with their 1991 debut ''Gho ...

– "Cyborg Dread" (D.Bennet,

Justin Broadrick Justin Karl Michael Broadrick (born 15 August 1969) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the band Godflesh, one of the first bands to combine elements of extreme metal and i ...

, Kevin Martin) – 5:39 #*Dr. Israel – voice #New Kingdom – "Black Falcon Dub" (Jason Furlow, Sebastian Laws, Scott Harding) – 6:06 #Scarab – "Fall of the Towers of Convention" (Fernando, Sassan Ghari) – 7:39 #*Skiz Fernando & Sassan Ghari – sounds #

DJ Spooky Paul Dennis Miller (born September 6, 1970), known professionally as DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid, is an American Electronic music, electronic and experimental hip hop musician whose work is often called by critics "illbient" or "trip hop". ...

– "Anansi Abstrakt" ( Paul Miller) – 11:37

Axiom: Reconstructions and Vexations

Remixes of tracks from

and Bill Laswell's ''Radioaxiom: A Dub Transmission'', and

Tabla Beat Science Tabla Beat Science was a musical group founded in 1999 by Zakir Hussain (musician), Zakir Hussain and Bill Laswell. Its style consists of a mixture of Hindustani music, Asian Underground, ambient music, drum and bass and electronica. In 2001 Kar ...

's ''Tala Matrix''. #

Carl Craig Carl Craig (born May 22, 1969) is an American electronic music producer, DJ, and founder of the record label Planet E Communications. He is known as a leading figure and pioneer in the second wave of Detroit techno artists during the late 1980 ...

– "Alsema Dub mix" (

, Ejigayehu Shibabaw) – 6:28 #

4 Hero 4hero (sometimes referred to as 4 Hero or 4-Hero) are an electronic music group from Dollis Hill, London, comprising producers Mark "Marc Mac" Clair & Denis "Dego" McFarlane. 4hero are known for being pioneers of breakbeat hardcore, Jungle musi ...

– "Orion" ollis Dub mix(Laswell, Wobble) – 5:48 #Bedouin Ascent – "Secret Channel" sian Resistance mix( Zakir Hussain, Laswell, K.Biswas) – 9:07 #Dr. Israel – "Alam Dub mix" (Laswell, Wobble, Shibabaw) – 8:37 #

Karsh Kale Karsh Kale (pronounced ''Kursh Kah-lay'', ''कर्ष काळे'' in Marathi; born 1 November 1974) is an Indian-American musician born in England. Known primarily for his experimental tabla playing within electronic music contexts, Kale ...

– "Taarut" -Hail the Lehra mix(Hussain,

Ustad Sultan Khan Ustad Sultan Khan (15 April 1940 – 27 November 2011) was an Indian ''sarangi'' player and classical vocalist belonging to ''Sikar Gharana''. He was one of the founding members of the Indian fusion group Tabla Beat Science, with Zakir Hussa ...

) – 5:18 #Carl Craig – "Alsema Dub" stral Africa mix(Laswell, Wobble, Shibabaw) – 10:47 # Midival Punditz – "Palmistry" undit Stylee mix(Karsh Kale) – 4:26 #Bill Laswell – "Shiva Myth" (Laswell) – 6:00

Release history

*''Axiom Collection: Illuminations'' – 1991 – Axiom / Island, 422-848 958-2 (CD) *''Axiom Collection II: Manifestation'' – 1993 – Axiom / Island, 314-514-453-2 (CD) *''Axiom Ambient: Lost in the Translation'' – 1994 – Axiom / Island, 314-524-053-2 (2CD) *''Axiom Ambient: Lost in the Translation'' – 1994 – Axiom / Island, 314-524-053-1 (2LP, 2000 copies) *''Axion Funk: Funkcronomicon'' – 1995 – Axiom / Island, 314-524-077-2 (2CD) *''Axiom Dub: Mysteries of Creation'' – 1996 – Axiom / Island, 524 313-2 (2CD) *''Axiom: Reconstructions & Vexations'' – 2003 – Axiom / Palm Pictures, PALMCD 2093-2 (CD)

Referemces

{{reflist Material (band) albums