Material is a musical group formed in 1979 and led by bass guitarist Bill L… Read Full Bio ↴Material is a musical group formed in 1979 and led by bass guitarist Bill Laswell.
In 1978, having received a substantial royalty payment for his work with The Yardbirds, Georgian music entrepreneur Giorgio Gomelsky relocated to New York in an attempt to open up the American market to the European progressive rock/jazz-rock bands he was working with, such as Gong, Henry Cow and Magma. He established the Zu Club in Manhattan and after meeting 24 year old bass player Bill Laswell, encouraged him to form a band. Three young friends, Michael Beinhorn (17, synthesizer), Martin Bisi (17, engineering) and Fred Maher (14, drums), responded to Laswell's advert in The Village Voice and the band began rehearsing in the club's basement.
The band became known as the "Zu Band" until Gomelsky hooked them up with former Gong front-man Daevid Allen for a performance at his Zu Manifestival at the Zu Club on October 8, 1978, for which they became New York Gong. Guitarist Cliff Cultreri, who was replaced by guitarist Michael Lawrence for the Manifestival, and second drummer Bill Bacon joined them for a Spring 1979 tour of the USA in an old school bus playing most of Gong's "Radio Gnome Invisible" trilogy. In autumn, they recorded the album About Time. Allen and the band amicably parted company when they "discovered they couldn't stand the European way of life" during a tour of France.
The band then took the name Material, from the Laswell/Cultreri composed instrumental "Materialism" on the About Time album. Their debut recording was 1979's instrumental post-punk industrial funk Temporary Music 1 EP for Gomelsky's Zu Records. The band then signed to Celluloid Records, and the single "Discourse" was issued in 1980.
They were reduced back to the trio of Beinhorn, Laswell and Maher for the 1981 EP Temporary Music 2. Their first full album, Memory Serves, which featured strong jazz leanings, had contributions from guitarists Sonny Sharrock and Henry Cow's Fred Frith, cornetist Olu Dara, saxophonist Henry Threadgill and violinist Billy Bang.
They started working with singers and their music became more melodic and funkier. Their next single "Ciquiri" (included on their American Songs EP) which featured guitarist Robert Quine, became popular in New York City dance clubs. The 1981 "Bustin' Out" single was released as an extended club mix, and they were fronted by singer Nona Hendryx with support from guitarist Ronnie Drayton. This line-up also recorded "It's a Holiday" for a split single with Cristina.
By 1982's One Down, drummer Maher had left the band, and they embraced a multitude of singers including Hendryx, B.J. Nelson, Bernard Fowler and Whitney Houston in one of her first lead singer recordings. Houston's vocal was on a cover version of Hugh Hopper's Memories, which also featured a lead break by saxophonist Archie Shepp. Critic Robert Christgau of the The Village Voice called her contribution "one of the most gorgeous ballads you've ever heard". As an indication of the direction the band headed for, Chic's guitarist Nile Rodgers was involved alongside Frith and Drayton, but perhaps more significantly, was one of the first appearances of longtime Laswell collaborator Nicky Skopelitis.
Bill Laswell and Michael Beinhorn settled into a duo and began working with other musicians, producing, writing and performing. They worked initially in the electro genre, but quickly moved into the fields of hip-hop and rap, collaborating with turntablist D.St (AKA Grandmixer D.S.T.) graffiti artists PHASE 2 and Fab Five Freddy.
A chance meeting between Laswell and Herbie Hancock at Elektra Records, in which the latter expressed interest in making music in the vein of Malcolm McLaren's "Buffalo Gals" lead to a collaboration that brought forth the Future Shock album and the hit single "Rockit". They would collaborate with Hancock on two further albums released under his name, 1984's Sound-System and 1988's Perfect Machine. Hancock himself would go on to contribute to many of Material and Laswell's projects.
In 1984, under the name Timezone, they released the single "World Destruction" which featured disc jockey Afrika Bambaataa and John Lydon (former singer of the Sex Pistols).
In 1985 Laswell and Beinhorn parted company. Beinhorn went into record production for the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Marilyn Manson. Laswell retained the Material name and was calling upon a large group of musicians with, at its core, guitarist Nicky Skopelitis, keyboardist Jeff Bova, percussionist Aiyb Dieng, former Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell and bassist Bootsy Collins, plus Jamaican reggae duo Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare (Sly & Robbie).
By 1989, Laswell had ceased using the Material name as an umbrella for his own activities and began to use it as a front for specific projects. The first of these projects was the album Seven Souls, featuring William S. Burroughs reading portions of his novel The Western Lands. In 1998, the album was subject to a series of re-mixes by Laswell, Talvin Singh, Spring Heel Jack, DJ Olive and released as The Road to the Western Lands.
The Third Power was released in 1991, with duo Sly & Robbie and Bootsy Collins being Laswell's main collaborators. Vocal performances were given by the Jungle Brothers' Baby Bam and Mike G, The Last Poets' Jalaluddin Mansur Nuriddin, and Shabba Ranks. Other musicians included members of Funkadelic, Herbie Hancock, Henry Threadgill and Olu Dara.
1993's Hallucination Engine was a fusion of jazz, Indian and Middle Eastern influences. Noted jazz players included Wayne Shorter, Jonas Hellborg, and from John McLaughlin's Shakti tabla player Zakir Hussain, violinist Lakshmi Shankar and Vikku Vinayakram (on ghatam). Palestinian violinist Simon Shaheen and Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu also contributed.
The last studio release under the name Material was 1999's Intonarumori. Sub-titled "Rap is still an art", it featured contributions from Rammellzee, Kool Keith, Flavor Flav and Killah Priest.
Laswell has on occasion used the name for live performances, the last being at the Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 13, 2004 with, among others, his wife Gigi, drummer Bryan "Brain" Mantia and guitarist Buckethead (both from Laswell's other project, Praxis). In late 2010, Laswell's new label, M.O.D. Technologies releases 'Mesgana Ethiopia', a live album credited to Gigi w/ Material.
In 1978, having received a substantial royalty payment for his work with The Yardbirds, Georgian music entrepreneur Giorgio Gomelsky relocated to New York in an attempt to open up the American market to the European progressive rock/jazz-rock bands he was working with, such as Gong, Henry Cow and Magma. He established the Zu Club in Manhattan and after meeting 24 year old bass player Bill Laswell, encouraged him to form a band. Three young friends, Michael Beinhorn (17, synthesizer), Martin Bisi (17, engineering) and Fred Maher (14, drums), responded to Laswell's advert in The Village Voice and the band began rehearsing in the club's basement.
The band became known as the "Zu Band" until Gomelsky hooked them up with former Gong front-man Daevid Allen for a performance at his Zu Manifestival at the Zu Club on October 8, 1978, for which they became New York Gong. Guitarist Cliff Cultreri, who was replaced by guitarist Michael Lawrence for the Manifestival, and second drummer Bill Bacon joined them for a Spring 1979 tour of the USA in an old school bus playing most of Gong's "Radio Gnome Invisible" trilogy. In autumn, they recorded the album About Time. Allen and the band amicably parted company when they "discovered they couldn't stand the European way of life" during a tour of France.
The band then took the name Material, from the Laswell/Cultreri composed instrumental "Materialism" on the About Time album. Their debut recording was 1979's instrumental post-punk industrial funk Temporary Music 1 EP for Gomelsky's Zu Records. The band then signed to Celluloid Records, and the single "Discourse" was issued in 1980.
They were reduced back to the trio of Beinhorn, Laswell and Maher for the 1981 EP Temporary Music 2. Their first full album, Memory Serves, which featured strong jazz leanings, had contributions from guitarists Sonny Sharrock and Henry Cow's Fred Frith, cornetist Olu Dara, saxophonist Henry Threadgill and violinist Billy Bang.
They started working with singers and their music became more melodic and funkier. Their next single "Ciquiri" (included on their American Songs EP) which featured guitarist Robert Quine, became popular in New York City dance clubs. The 1981 "Bustin' Out" single was released as an extended club mix, and they were fronted by singer Nona Hendryx with support from guitarist Ronnie Drayton. This line-up also recorded "It's a Holiday" for a split single with Cristina.
By 1982's One Down, drummer Maher had left the band, and they embraced a multitude of singers including Hendryx, B.J. Nelson, Bernard Fowler and Whitney Houston in one of her first lead singer recordings. Houston's vocal was on a cover version of Hugh Hopper's Memories, which also featured a lead break by saxophonist Archie Shepp. Critic Robert Christgau of the The Village Voice called her contribution "one of the most gorgeous ballads you've ever heard". As an indication of the direction the band headed for, Chic's guitarist Nile Rodgers was involved alongside Frith and Drayton, but perhaps more significantly, was one of the first appearances of longtime Laswell collaborator Nicky Skopelitis.
Bill Laswell and Michael Beinhorn settled into a duo and began working with other musicians, producing, writing and performing. They worked initially in the electro genre, but quickly moved into the fields of hip-hop and rap, collaborating with turntablist D.St (AKA Grandmixer D.S.T.) graffiti artists PHASE 2 and Fab Five Freddy.
A chance meeting between Laswell and Herbie Hancock at Elektra Records, in which the latter expressed interest in making music in the vein of Malcolm McLaren's "Buffalo Gals" lead to a collaboration that brought forth the Future Shock album and the hit single "Rockit". They would collaborate with Hancock on two further albums released under his name, 1984's Sound-System and 1988's Perfect Machine. Hancock himself would go on to contribute to many of Material and Laswell's projects.
In 1984, under the name Timezone, they released the single "World Destruction" which featured disc jockey Afrika Bambaataa and John Lydon (former singer of the Sex Pistols).
In 1985 Laswell and Beinhorn parted company. Beinhorn went into record production for the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Marilyn Manson. Laswell retained the Material name and was calling upon a large group of musicians with, at its core, guitarist Nicky Skopelitis, keyboardist Jeff Bova, percussionist Aiyb Dieng, former Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell and bassist Bootsy Collins, plus Jamaican reggae duo Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare (Sly & Robbie).
By 1989, Laswell had ceased using the Material name as an umbrella for his own activities and began to use it as a front for specific projects. The first of these projects was the album Seven Souls, featuring William S. Burroughs reading portions of his novel The Western Lands. In 1998, the album was subject to a series of re-mixes by Laswell, Talvin Singh, Spring Heel Jack, DJ Olive and released as The Road to the Western Lands.
The Third Power was released in 1991, with duo Sly & Robbie and Bootsy Collins being Laswell's main collaborators. Vocal performances were given by the Jungle Brothers' Baby Bam and Mike G, The Last Poets' Jalaluddin Mansur Nuriddin, and Shabba Ranks. Other musicians included members of Funkadelic, Herbie Hancock, Henry Threadgill and Olu Dara.
1993's Hallucination Engine was a fusion of jazz, Indian and Middle Eastern influences. Noted jazz players included Wayne Shorter, Jonas Hellborg, and from John McLaughlin's Shakti tabla player Zakir Hussain, violinist Lakshmi Shankar and Vikku Vinayakram (on ghatam). Palestinian violinist Simon Shaheen and Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu also contributed.
The last studio release under the name Material was 1999's Intonarumori. Sub-titled "Rap is still an art", it featured contributions from Rammellzee, Kool Keith, Flavor Flav and Killah Priest.
Laswell has on occasion used the name for live performances, the last being at the Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 13, 2004 with, among others, his wife Gigi, drummer Bryan "Brain" Mantia and guitarist Buckethead (both from Laswell's other project, Praxis). In late 2010, Laswell's new label, M.O.D. Technologies releases 'Mesgana Ethiopia', a live album credited to Gigi w/ Material.
Ruins
Material Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Ruins' by these artists:
8-Bit Arcade This project is the death of our lives As facades built…
Aaryan Shah Too blind to see the light My eyes got used to…
Acherontia Strayed in time, gaze of the sun. Lost and confused, men…
Adrian K. Smith I am weak, You are strong I don't know where I…
After the Fall This is the land of the free where we celebrate…
Alerion You know the place where eagles soar They feel the…
Aloha the cupboard is bare I've been watering the fields that I …
Angels I can't believe I can't believe That I let things get this…
B.O.O.M. Got writer's block in my heart when it comes to…
Bebo Norman Laying flat upon my back All the world in motion Everything …
Bein' Ian What on earth am I gonna do now? I'm a different…
Billy Brown We sit like abandoned cars in old junkyards Slowly rust away…
Body Void I I am In Ruins Drifting In Darkness Like candles in the dis…
Boris 灼けた写真 口だけが笑っている 拭う 降り積もった記憶を 身を知る 雨 止め処なく 瓦礫の郷愁 馬鹿になってく 脆き錆…
Breach The Void Rise out of ignorance You seem to lose yourself The blindfol…
Breathe Carolina Face the sea I stand alone A haunted fortress Memories of ba…
Breathe Carolina Feat Angelika Vee Face the sea a stand alone Hunted portraits Memories of batt…
Bridge To Solace Drag me down with all you've got with patterns and dogmas…
C. Okayasu You're my safety net You catch me when I fall How could…
Carved in Stone Quiet ruins, covered with snow, they keep the legends from…
Cat Stevens It's so quiet in the ruins walking though the old…
Charlie Barnes Let me tell you Any old blade Could cut the atmosphere in…
Circles I held you once I held your body in this room within…
Daniel Tompkins Castles don't survive through kings emptied hearts With you…
Dauntless Forces of the doomed land A battle that got out of…
David Dunn You been disappointed for so long It doesn’t disappoint you …
Dead Clouds Oh you're trying to strangle my desire Cover me and let…
Deadborns From my window late at night I see you like…
Degreed Ruins I walk in the ruins of my hometown Walking…
Destroid Images of the past Replaced with new technology New genera…
Drakeford Well it's hard for me to say where the pieces…
dreamsfear [7:28] Up from these ruins we'll rise To conquer this wo…
Drew Schueler Maybe it’s broken or maybe it’s one of a kind But…
E.N.Cowell I don't wanna' ruin it What did we even have tho' Alright…
Ella Isaacson (Ruins, ruins, ruins) They were like a glasshouse So breakab…
Ephel Duath ... And in poor seconds, The filthy figures surrounding Beco…
Esmée Denters (Let, let love, let, let love) (Let, let love, let, let…
Eternal of Sweden Darkness Fallin, Can't let you know all the secrets, Watch m…
Extreme-G The reason that we haven't gotten into it I can't speak…
Fear of Men When I think of you my whole life falls in…
First Aid Kit Today, I climb the highest mountain I have ever climbed And…
First And Last This journey is the quest for the answers. Don't tell me You…
George is Jones Lost all the day, a brains escape It just can erase…
Georgia Jones Nobody cares after 21 Last day on earth, and I just…
gesunokiwamiotome 手に入る前に捨ててしまう 勿体無いと思っても いつもその時にはすでに遅い 愛しいはずのものも僕らは簡単に諦めてしまう …
Gold Youth Ruins are made I guess I came to the right…
Hikkikomore and more I got a semi hollow body on my chest. My…
InMe Remove the cables from my sins, Add to your collection of…
J.Beatty I let you ruin my life One too many times I let…
Jade Bird How do we have to do this again? I'll tell you…
Jawny BadLuck Oh I'd cross my heart and hope to die I'll love…
Jester Castles fall around my ears Where is she now I'm alone in…
JOYH-TV (SEPIA-SIS) Make me a ruin Take me into your arms Take me to…
Kiki Halliday Maybe it’s broken or maybe it’s one of a kind But…
Ledger And just stay there for a minute And just don't move…
LIVING ROOM - First Aid Kit Today, I climb the highest mountain I have ever climbed And…
Lord Ketil The sun sets behind the ruins Nature took back its rights It…
Lord of the Lost They walked this withered wasteland The taste of ash in…
Mahood Are we made of dust Are we made of more Because I've…
Mari Dangerfield You never said it baby But I know that something's wrong It…
Matt Pond PA Were you just being funny When you cut down my tree? I…
Melissa Don't try to call There are some bridges that burn Beyond re…
Michael A Tell me you hate me tell me you love me Tell…
Minutemen Culture moves the hands Of the man yet scanned Whose jud…
Motikat-Trio I've waited a long time for this life Just to ruin…
Mr. McNoggin Good Lord, I tried To push her memory to the back…
Mt. Joy Don't cry, the river will be alright We'll just melt all…
Nass Zuruck I'm dead inside There's nowhere to go nowhere to hide Dead i…
Never Healed ON THE OTHER SIDE IS THE GREATEST DAY OF OUR LIVES IN…
Nevergoinghome To the soundtrack of factories at the edge of a…
New Order of Sanity I've been hurt, a long ago Like everyone in some time,…
O. Children Valentine, there's no-one left to part from you and I, Band…
O.U.T.I.Z.M. Inc. The reason that we haven't gotten into it I can't speak…
Orí Take me Back to my home Take me Back to my home Take me Bac…
pink frost I fought right in, silence it shrives I cry for . Here…
Polyester Embassy Wise one comes She makes me dizzy away. She killed with her…
Prelude Life is a game, piped and cruel No winners allowed, hidden…
R. Strachan Check check! Yeah! JO on the beat! You know how we do it! Le…
Ragana Wind blows through the ruins Wind blows through the ruins W…
Rosalind They say we'll shuttle to Mars We'll pack money and fast…
Rose Betts I have spent a lifetime in your eyes Filling up the…
Ruins Ashen grey, poisoned horizon As you cling to your toppled th…
Ryder Ruins, ruins, ruins They were like a glasshouse So breakable…
Salvo Pictures fade We used to be so great No I'm not enough…
Secrets. Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, ay-ay-ay-ay-ay Will the sun rise A…
Seelennacht Stigmatized and torn apart Feel the lie, so cold your heart …
Shade Empire The giants holding world crumbled And the blow beyond the st…
Silence the City My heart in ruins Gravitate the atmosphere surrounds you As…
SILENT TEMPLE Kneeling down beneath the light of moon The curtain's been d…
Sleater-Kinney And just before midnight You came into our room A demon so…
Sleepers She finds him by the fire His clothes have got him…
SRVVRS I'm blinded by my fears, My wounds are festering (And my…
Swallowing Shit Rotting hatred in the face of progress. your remains ember…
Teddy feat. J Rick Why you ghosting when I'm smoking heat when I need…
The Dauntless Forces of the doomed land A battle that got out of…
The Mary Onettes And we can't hide, well drive in time I'll keep the…
The Mary Onettes feat. Maria Usbeck And we can't hide, we'll drive in time I'll keep the…
The Panics I'm close enough to know you're near but not enough to…
The Second Letter I think I dug this hole before A feeling Faint just knowing…
Thrive Worship The war came through and tore my walls apart The battle…
Tim Higgins I made you walk To the ruins at night I didn't know What…
To Kill Come crash me down I am bad damn Come flash me round With…
Unanimated Ruins among laughing dreams... so real Knowledge of a wind s…
Unprocessed Combat in the deserts sand Watching from the thrones A darke…
Unsilent What is left to do when two thirds of our…
Vel And now We're just in a different place Right now…
VI & the Omega Selfish and worthless, the scum latch on They aspire to suck…
Vöid No I don't want to, go in the streaks.... distorting the…
Wir hatten was mit Björn Grass on the ruins of the palace, still not ours…
Wooden Shjips Under my skin Chases after all the blues Look out for the…
Yes Man Jr. You opened the door Same as before What did you say instead…
You The clientele: Your kin and friends taking their bodies in a…
ゲスの極み乙女。 手に入る前に捨ててしまう 勿体無いと思っても いつもその時にはすでに遅い 愛しいはずのものも僕らは簡単に諦めてしまう …
We have lyrics for these tracks by Material:
I Hello starry eyes, it's just me Shut all the blinds, so…
I'm The One Give me the pleasure Give me the pain Feeling like a sinner …
Im The One Give me the pleasure Give me the pain Feeling like a sinner …
Let Me Have It All You have turned into a prayer I can feel I'm almost…
Memories I know, I cannot leave this place for the memories, Things…
Playin With Fire [Afrika Baby Bam] Well, I was standin on the verge, just…
Playin' With Fire [Afrika Baby Bam] Well, I was standin on the verge, just…
Secret Life They say the bad things They come in waves of three. If…
Seven Souls OVERVIEW LISTEN PEOPLE ALSO SEARCH FOR 1 of 4 2 of 4 Th…
Take a Chance These are the chances we take This is the way that…
Words Of Advice Well here are a few simple admonitions for young and…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found