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.
Seven Souls
Material Lyrics
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The ancient Egyptians postulated seven souls.
Top soul, and the first to leave at the
Moment of death, is Ren, the Secret Name.
This corresponds to my Director.
He directs the film of your life from conception to death.
The Secret Name is the title of your film.
When you die, that's where Ren came in.
Second soul,
And second one off the sinking ship, is Sekem: Energy, Power, Light.
The Director gives the orders, Sekem presses the right buttons.
Number three is Khu, the Guardian Angel.
He, she, or it is third man out ...
Depicted as flying away across a full moon,
A bird with luminous wings and head of light.
Sort of thing you might see on a
Screen in an Indian restaurant in Panama.
The Khu is responsible for the subject and can be injured in his
Defense-but not permanently, since the first three souls are eternal.
They go back to Heaven for another vessel.
The four remaining souls must take their
Chances with the subject in the Land of the Dead.
Number four is Ba, the Heart, often treacherous.
This is a hawk's body with your face
On it, shrunk down to the size of a fist.
Many a hero has been brought down, like Samson, by a perfidious Ba.
Number five is Ka, the Double,
Most closely associated with the subject.
The Ka, which usually reaches adolescence at the time of bodily death,
Is the only reliable guide through the
Land of the Dead to the Western Lands.
Number six is Khaibit, the Shadow, Memory,
Your whole past conditioning from this and other lives.
Number seven is Sekhu, the Remains
Material's song Seven Souls is a thought-provoking exploration of ancient Egyptian mythology and its concepts of the human soul. The song opens by explaining that the ancient Egyptians believed in the existence of seven souls, each with its own unique purpose and destiny. The first soul to leave the body upon death is called Ren and is responsible for directing the film of one's life from conception to death. The Secret Name is the title of this film, and it is what Ren brings with him upon one's passing. The second soul to leave is Sekem, which represents energy, power, and light. The Director directs, and Sekem presses the right buttons.
The third soul is Khu or the Guardian Angel, and this is the first of the three eternal souls. Khu is depicted as a bird with luminous wings and head of light, flying away across a full moon. The Khu is responsible for the subject's defense and can be injured in the process but not permanently. Ba, the Heart, often treacherous, is the fourth soul, and it can be the downfall of many heroes by being perfidious. The fifth soul is Ka, the Double, which is most closely associated with the subject. The Ka reaches its adolescence at the time of physical death and is the only reliable guide through the land of the dead to the Western Lands. The sixth soul is Khaibit, the Shadow, Memory, representing one's whole past conditioning from this and other lives. The final soul is Sekhu, the Remains, which survives the death of the physical body and returns to the state of pure energy.
In conclusion, Material's Seven Souls is an insightful song that delves into ancient Egyptian beliefs about the human soul. The song's lyrics explain the purpose and destiny of each of the seven souls, from the Secret Name to the Remains. The images of luminous wings, hawk's bodies with human faces, and past conditioning make for a rich and evocative portrayal of these souls.
Line by Line Meaning
The ancient Egyptians postulated seven souls.
According to ancient Egyptian beliefs, a human being possesses seven distinct souls.
Top soul, and the first to leave at the
Moment of death, is Ren, the Secret Name.
Ren is the first soul to depart the body when a person dies. It is called the Secret Name since it represents the life's film directed by a higher being.
This corresponds to my Director.
He directs the film of your life from conception to death.
The Secret Name is the title of your film.
When you die, that's where Ren came in.
The Director is a metaphor for a higher being who oversees a person's life from birth to death. Ren, which represents the Secret Name or a person's life story, is the first soul to leave the human body upon death.
Second soul,
And second one off the sinking ship, is Sekem: Energy, Power, Light.
The Director gives the orders, Sekem presses the right buttons.
Sekem is the second soul to leave the body after death. It is a representation of energy, power, and light, which is directed by the Director or the higher being. The metaphorical language suggests Sekem as the power that gives life to a person's being.
Number three is Khu, the Guardian Angel.
He, she, or it is third man out ...
Depicted as flying away across a full moon,
A bird with luminous wings and head of light.
Sort of thing you might see on a
Screen in an Indian restaurant in Panama.
Khu is the third soul that leaves a person's body upon death, known as the Guardian Angel. It is often portrayed in art as a flying bird with radiant wings and a luminous head. The use of metaphorical language and exotic imagery suggests a mystical association with the third soul.
The Khu is responsible for the subject and can be injured in his
Defense-but not permanently, since the first three souls are eternal.
They go back to Heaven for another vessel.
Khu is the soul responsible for protecting the individual and may be injured in doing so. However, the first three souls are eternal and immortal. Once the body dies, they return to heaven in search of another vessel.
The four remaining souls must take their
Chances with the subject in the Land of the Dead.
The four remaining souls take their chances in the so-called Land of the Dead, which could be a metaphor for an afterlife or a purgatory-like existence.
Number four is Ba, the Heart, often treacherous.
This is a hawk's body with your face
On it, shrunk down to the size of a fist.
Many a hero has been brought down, like Samson, by a perfidious Ba.
Ba is the fourth soul and takes the form of a hawk with a person's shrunken-down face. It represents the heart and is often associated with deceit, which may cause a heroic individual's downfall.
Number five is Ka, the Double,
Most closely associated with the subject.
The Ka, which usually reaches adolescence at the time of bodily death,
Is the only reliable guide through the
Land of the Dead to the Western Lands.
Ka is the fifth soul and is most closely associated with the individual. It represents a person's essence that usually reaches maturity upon physical death. It is the only reliable guide to navigate the Land of the Dead to reach the Western Lands.
Number six is Khaibit, the Shadow, Memory,
Your whole past conditioning from this and other lives.
Khaibit is the sixth soul and represents the person's memories and past conditioning from previous lives. It could be interpreted as the mind or consciousness that is carried to the afterlife.
Number seven is Sekhu, the Remains
Sekhu is the seventh and last soul that remains after a person's death. It represents the remains of the physical body or the essence of the being that didn't make the transition to the afterlife.
Writer(s): LASWELL, BURROUGHS
Contributed by Andrew B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@buchisti
The ancient Egyptians postulated seven souls.
Top soul, and the first to leave at the moment of death, is Ren, the Secret Name.
This corresponds to my Director.
He directs the film of your life from conception to death.
The Secret Name is the title of your film.
When you die, that's where Ren came in.
Second soul, and second one off the sinking ship, is Sekem: Energy, Power, Light.
The Director gives the orders, Sekem presses the right buttons.
Number three is Khu, the Guardian Angel.
He, she, or it is third man out ...
depicted as flying away across a full moon, a bird with luminous wings and head of light.
Sort of thing you might see on a screen in an Indian restaurant in Panama.
The Khu is responsible for the subject and can be injured in his defense-but not permanently, since the first three souls are eternal.
They go back to Heaven for another vessel.
The four remaining souls must take their chances with the subject in the Land of the Dead.
Number four is Ba, the Heart, often treacherous.
This is a hawk's body with your face on it, shrunk down to the size of a fist.
Many a hero has been brought down, like Samson, by a perfidious Ba.
Number five is Ka, the Double, most closely associated with the subject.
The Ka, which usually reaches adolescence at the time of bodily death, is the only reliable guide through the Land of the Dead to the Western Lands.
Number six is Khaibit, the Shadow, Memory, your whole past conditioning from this and other lives.
Number seven is Sekhu, the Remains.
@ChuckDeFuque
The ancient Egyptians postulated seven souls
Top soul, and the first to leave at the moment of death, is Ren, the secret name
This corresponds to my director
He directs the film of your life from conception to death
The secret name is the title of your film
When you die, that's where Ren came in
Second soul, and second one off the sinking ship, is sekem
Energy, power, light
The director gives the orders, sekem presses the right buttons
Number three is Khu, the guardian angel
He, she, or it is third man out
Depicted as flying away across a full moon
A bird with luminous wings and head of light
Sort of thing you might see on a screen in an Indian restaurant in panama
The Khu is responsible for the subject and can be injured in his defense
But not permanently, since the first three souls are eternal
They go back to heaven for another vessel
The four remaining souls must take their chances with the subject in the land of the dead
Number four is Ba, the heart, often treacherous.
This is a hawk's body with your face on it, shrunk down to the size of a fist
Many a hero has been brought down, like Samson, by a perfidious Ba
Number five is Ka, the double, most closely associated with the subject
The Ka, which usually reaches adolescence at the time of bodily death
Is the only reliable guide through the land of the Dead to the western sands
Number six is Khaibit, the shadow, semory
Your whole past conditioning from this and other lives
Number seven is sekhu, the remains
@GovenorJerryBrown
Donald Trump brought down, like Samson, by a perfidious Ba.
@Blackkey034
He still standin baby
@onazram1
@@Blackkey034 -He will not be brought down by the lying hypocrite's... True patriot's will stand till death!
@horiturk333
so edgy
@kangelino1884
@@Blackkey034 !
@HPmob420
@@onazram1 tRump is a lying hypocrite
@edups88
This song along with the filmography of the opening of season 6 is pure genius and raw creative talent.
@JohnSmith-iq4xqi
Do you know what it means in conjunction with the Sopranos?
@hectortorres9316
@@JohnSmith-iq4xqi Yes
@Darkness-ie2yl
they do keep you coming back