bill laswell: lo. def pressure bill laswell: lo. def pressure (Quatermass - 2000) Bass-wielding producer extraordinaire bill laswell straddles two continents, with one foot planted in New York and the other stepping firmly into New Dehli. lo. def pressure is built of two extended sound-panoramas which incorporate the best of both worlds. Mixed and mastered in NJ and NY with additional recording from Bombay, Dehli and Madras. Pattering tabla rhythms merge with determined drum-and-bass stylings in shyvamythscience (23:36), behind which ambient textures swirl like incense smoke. Laswell's beyond-dub basslines wind through the proceedings, without overpowering the delicately hypnotic haze which unfurls like an exotic tapestry to be stitched by thousands of syncopated drumbeats. Rhythmic elements come and go, sometimes dropping out entirely to let the backdrop shine in a gorgeous state of ethnic-influenced ambiance, as in the several-minute-long closing passage. A shimmering clouds of flutes and sultry ethno-beats warms up black ice (24:37) for the oncoming bass which thrums warmly. The Indian percussion melds seamlessly with the Western world's drum 'n' bass beats as both tirelessly pound on. More than midway through, the general atmosphere slows to a peaceful gathering of energized serenity. Eventually, the rhythms turn wispy, fading into a lovely twilight world of glowing resonance in a peaceful nightsky. Cross-cultural pollenization has rarely sounded this good, but what do you expect from master bill laswell? A bit too muscular to qualify as "ambient" per se, but to miss the drummy, dreamy 9.1 textures of lo. def pressure would be a shame. (Of course this isn't Bill's first excursion to India... see this month's overview of City of Light). Just another of many, many fine discs carried by Dutch-East India. This review posted August 30, 2000 AmbiEntrance © 2000-1997 by David J Opdyke (except CD cover art, rights retained by original owners).