Track Listing:
Blast/War Machine Dub {Bill Laswell, Buckethead, W Collins} 3:51
Interface/Stimulation Loop 2:17
{Buckethead}/{Buckethead, W Collins, B Worrell, B Mantia, B Laswell}
Crash Victim/Black Science Navigator 3:42
{Buckethead, W Collins, B Mantia}
Animal Behavior {B Laswell, W Collins, Buckethead} 7:09
Dead Man Walking 5:14
{W Collins, B Worrell, B Mantia, N Hall, Buckethead}
Seven Laws of Woo {B Worrell, W Collins, Buckethead} 5:05
The Interworld and the New Innocence 6:29
{Buckethead, W Collins, B Worrell, B Mantia}
Giant Robot/Machines In the Modern City/Godzilla 6:38
{Buckethead, W Collins, B Worrell, Brain, N Hall, B Laswell}
Aftershock (Chaos Never Died) {B Worrell, N Hall, W Collins} 16:20
Personnel:
Guitar, Toys: Buckethead
Space Bass, Vocals: Bootsy Collins
Synth, Clavinet, Vital Organ: Bernie Worrell
Drums: Brain
Turntable, Mixer: Af Next Man Flip (Lord of the Paradox)
Producer: Bill Laswell
Rating: RC: ***1/2
Comments:RC: This is a truly unique funk project that takes a trip through the lands of Ambient, Noise, Thrash, and Soul, among others. But it's riding on the good ship Funk the whole way, providing a bass-is of sanity inbetween sonic assaults. Bootsy and Bernie get down into some nasty, dirty, smelly funk here, producing sounds so low and rumbly they could give you CPR. Throw into the mix the psychotic yet delicate guitar phrasings of Buckethead and the solid-to-frenzied drumming of Brain, and it's quite a stew. Cool turntable scratchings add to the fun. I could have done without some of the noise thrown in at random, but it's part of the Praxis package, I suppose. Needless to say, this album isn't for everybody. But I truly appreciate the concepts and execution, even if I don't personally dig all the music that's happening here. The liner notes talk all about chaos as a positive force, as a subversive force, a liberating force, and that the album is the first in a line of subversive works. But they also note that chaos is not entropy, and although the album is certainly chaotic, it has its own shape and energy that is undeniable. Despite the crashbamboom nature of the album, with Bernie and Bootsy around, there is a distinct element of taste that keeps you listening. I would recommend Praxis to fans of Bootsy and Bernie who can appreciate their work outside a P.Funk context. They still get down, just differently. Fans of this album should also immediately get the Zillatron album, Lord Of The Harvest.
"Blast" comes out with a psychotic thrash intro from Buckethead that's matched perfectly by Bernie's organ thumping. Bootsy then slows it down with a superfunky bass-led section that just gets low and mean. "Interface" starts out with more rock blasts and psycho drumming, then turns into a hot duet between Bootsy's slap technique and Bernie's funky organ playing. "Crash Victim" continues the album at a breakneck pace, continuing on the speed metal tip, this time with some cool sampling and scratching. "Animal Behavior" is the most obviously accessible song here, with Bootsy's mellow and clever vocals, hot bass playing, cool samples and a remarkable organ solo from Bernie. "Dead Man Walking" is a remarkably delicate guitar piece from Buckethead, reminiscient in feel to "Maggot Brain". It evolves into some ultra-stinky Bernie grooves, with the bass and drums locked in on that bit of funk. "Seven Laws Of Woo" starts with a majestic intro from Bernie that then turns into a Buckethead showcase. "Interworld" starts off with some slow and delicate guitarwork, with weird echo effects matched well by the bouncing bass. It's another suprisingly majestic piece. "Giant Robot" veers off into some very weird territory, with all sorts of strange effects from Buckethead. "After Shock" is a long, looping Bernie showcase that weaves in his organ playing around all sorts of weird sounds.
The album is in print and should be easy to find. The cover features an interesting collage-style drawing.