Bill Laswell

A longtime linchpin of the New York City underground music scene, bassist, producer, label boss, and auteur Bill Laswell has been among the most prolific artists in contemporary music. As a performer, producer, and label chief, his signature is on literally thousands of albums -- including more than 135 of his own, starting with 1985's Baselines -- the majority of which have a signature sound fusing the energy of post-punk with the bone-rattling rhythms of funk, fusion, and dub. He's also known for star-studded collaborations, having founded Praxis, Material, and several other groups. In addition, Laswell records immersive electronic ambient explorations as well as fusions of disparate genres from Indian, Latin, and African music to opera, klezmer, hip-hop, jazz, and many others. He released 2022's Nammu with Ulf Ivarsson, and two duo recordings with John Zorn, 2022's The Cleansing and 2023's Memoria.