Avant-garde rocker Bill Laswell's Axiom label, distributed by Polygram, was founded to distribute world-music, ambient, and other experimental music produced by Laswell and partners like Nicky Skopelitis (his bandmate in the Golden Palominos), Bootsy Collins and Bernie Worrell (P-Funk alumni), Liu Sola (Chinese folk/blues singer), and "world music" experimentalists like The Master Musicians of Jajouka.
The Axiom Funkonomicron is a follow-up to last year's Axiom Ambient Lost in the Translation, (see Consumable 2/6/95), a two-disc collection of remixes of past Axiom releases. This two-CD set, though, concentrates on the hip-hop and funky dance music released by the label, but the filler is kept to a minimum (three album tracks from releases by Material, Praxis, and Skopelitis) -- for this set, Bill Laswell brings in Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Gary "Mudbone" Cooper, and George Clinton himself. Herbie Hancock (who became a household name long before US3 with the dancey, Laswell-produced 80s classic "Rock-It"), among others, also appears on the set.
Longtime Funkadelic cover artist Pedro Bell drew all the booklet art (including an amusing mini-comic in which the voluptuous Lucy IV is sent to kill Laswell and Bell and bring them to Hell -- unfortunately, this cartoon is reproduced almost too small to read in the CD booklet). Even guitarist Eddie Hazel, on tape, makes a posthumous appearance. The project is dedicated jointly to Hazel (Laswell joins Ween, Mike Watt, and the Beastie Boys in dedicating recent projects to Hazel, who died in 1992) and to Jimi Hendrix, whose "If Six Was Nine" is sung by Bootsy Collins.
The first disc includes the aforementioned "If Six Was Nine," Hazel's twelve minute "Orbitron Attack," and Collins' acid alter-ego Zillatron's "Free-Bass (Godzillatron Cush.)" Clinton appears on "Under the Influence (Jes Grew)," dissing the unfunky parts of his current base of operations, Southeast Michigan.
Sly Stone co-wrote and sings on the sweet soul ballad "Tell The World." This is, unfortunately, the only Sly Stone material on the set -- it's a great song, but it may not justify the $25-30 purchase price if you don't like the controversial Laswell's ways with ambient, dub, or P-funk style. Most funkateers either love or hate Laswell.
The strongest track may well be "Hideous Mutant Freekz", disc two's opener, which recalls the wacko subject matter and addictive vocal hooks of Parliament's heyday. Besides featuring the harmonies of Clinton, Garry Shider, Cooper, and Collins, features a prominent (and ironic) old-school Public Enemy sample.
"Sax Machine" is a nod toward the James Brown style of dance music. Although essentially a Maceo Parker (alto sax) vehicle, it also spotlights Laswell's bass and Bobby Byrd's vocals. They even invoke Brownisms like "Get into it, get involved!"
"Animal Behavior" is a rerun from Praxis' major-label sojourn (the funk-metal ensemble has recorded two other albums for Laswell's indie label Subharmonic) spotlighting Bootsy's "ain't nothin' but a pah-ty, baby" persona.
Umar Bin Hassan and Abiodun "Doon" Oyewole, the Laswell-friendly faction of the Last Poets, contribute vocals to two tracks on disc two. Of them, Doon fares better, sitting in for Hendrix on "Trumpets and Violins, Violins."
Overall, I'd recommend looking for this set on sale, if you're interested in what Bootsy and Bernie have been doing between P-Funk All-Stars tours, or are curious about Bill Laswell's funk experiments but were afraid Axiom was too "spacey."
