Customer Reviews

Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album is not only a SuperGroup effort of the best kind, but a masterclass in instrumental music. Take Funkadelic alums Bernie Worrell and Bootsy Collins, add Primus drummer Brain and sprinkle the mad genius of renegade guitar god Buckethead, and bake it in the Bill Laswell Low-End Bake Oven, and you've got a ThrashJazzFunkMetalScratch masterpiece, almost good enough for the whole family.

This album has most certainly withstood the test of time--I've owned my copy since just a few months after its release, and it has remained a mainstay of my personal rotation. There is a great sense of play and humor in juxtapositions of "Blast," a brief but numbing thrash assault, to "War Machine Dub," a slow-as-HELL bassy barrage. The jam-funk of "Animal Behavior," the only song on here with any vocals to speak of, is a centerpiece of this band's efforts and a fun tune, but these guys also give you tracks like "The Interworld and the New Innocence" just to show you that they are also master musicians who can put together a song like nobody else's business, songs that use music to move you through an experience as satisfying as any ingenius little turn of phrase or neat rhyme. Other incarnations of Praxis have included Laswell himself coming to the fore on bass, or John Zorn on alto, or Yamatsuka Eye pelting out some gutteral screams, but this version is the most flawless one, free of defect, and creating what should be (if there is truly any justice in the universe) one of the seminal albums of the late 20th century--music that does not fit easily into any one genre but actively plays with them all, mixing them together into an incredible whole that reminds us that music is a pure form, existing outside of schools of thought and mere labels, and that it is transcendent of this world into a spiritual plane. Just swing along with this one, and it will take you to new heights.

This album was one of my first introductions to Buckethead. I distinctly remember listening to this and questioning everything else that I listened to, and you'll probably do the same. Buckethead seems to get most of the attention in the reviews here but really everyone featured on Transmutation is at the top of their game. If you're a fan of any of the five musicians on here (and Bill Laswell too) this is a must-have. In fact there's enough genres covered on here to satisfy almost anyone. Chaos IS never-ending as the liner notes say, and this is one chaotic masterpiece you'll be begging not to end.

This is one of the most intense and mind-blowing fusion albums of all time. No, it's not jazz-rock or irrelevant genres like neo-classical. It's a fusion of where all the modern RELEVANT genres are heading in the future. Bill Laswell has masterfully assembled a group of incredible musicians and produced an album of uncompromising vision of modern music's future. Elements of funk, dub, electronica, hip-hop, trance, trip-hop, techno, rock, metal, thrash, shred, and free-form jazz all intermingle in ways never heard before or since. Everyone is superb on this album, but Buckethead stands out as the true differentiator. This guy's speed is just insane, but it's never speed for speed's sake. His playing always fits the context of the music and that's what's so refreshing. The album sounds today (nearly a decade later) as vital and cutting-edge as it did when it first came out. This is a must-have album for all serious adventurous music fans who want to be challenged about their assumptions about music.

This is like a modern version of Stravinsky. You will either be amazed or repulsed by it. The music is dense, challenging, confusing, beautiful, funky, dark and dangerous, often hitting all of those adjectives within the course of two minutes. There are more twists and turns on this disk than San Francisco's Lombard street. Not for the musically faint of heart. This is the CD that made Buckethead a superstar. A must own for fans of guitar heroics. And great way to clear the room when you want to get rid of the Pop-Tarts and Frat Rock lovers crowding your space.

if you like this,you'll like cornbugs too.this would be the cd for people to start with because it's the most pop-oriented of the prax's-the tunes are catchy as hell!then get "metatrom"if you're impressed.I describe praxis and the other "funk-weirdo" projects as funk/ambient/hip-hop/dj/new age/metal(death+regular)/fusion/dub/comedy/and pretty much anything else a tripper could ask from santa for christmas!it's soul food in it's heartiest form.

Buckethead and Bootsy Collins together?! What more needs to be said? This album is incredible. Those of us who are of the right generation to remember Johnny Sokko's Flying Robot will enjoy a rendition of the theme song from that series. Bootsy goes off in this one. Panteravai is most likely an adolescent. Perhaps he can only listen to Yngwie Malmsteen and George Lynch. Not that there was anything wrong with Yngwie 15 years ago...he could still play... This is fresh and interesting. Different and outworldly. Check out Somewhere Over the Slaughterhouse if you want solos..."This is a must-have album for all serious adventurous music fans who want to challenge their assumptions about music."

This cd is a brand new blast of fresh crazy gas for you. Its versital, dynamic, moody, energetic and eatable. Not for the sensitive stomach type of funkateers. A true test for true musicians. Constantly interesting and on the edge of your seat funk. Keep a bucket close by 'cause this CD is sick!!

This album i feel cannot be classified, though many people disagree. It just has a lot of different types of music all rolled into one beautifully crafted album, especially considering Laswell was involved. I can't get enough of Bootsy and "Animal Behavior", and the scratching work of AN AMF, i never thought i'd even like that type of stuff, but its great, and The Interworld and the New Innocence is a highlight of this album. If you love avant garde music, I highly recommend this Praxis masterpiece.

You remember when you were little, and, fascinated with the bright colors of Play-Doh (TM), you would mix together lumps from the different cannisters? Remember your disappointement when they would form into one uniform grey-brown lump rather than something new and magical?

With this album (and this album only), Praxis successfully performs the Play-Doh trick. metal, industrial, ambient, prog-rock, and funk swirl together, their individual colors only glowing more brightly as they're kneaded against each other.

Sure, it's an uneven album, occasionally wandering off into wankery for a couple minutes. But, like the movie "Blue in the Face," the sensation of talented performers relaxing and having fun exploring their prodigous skills together makes their enjoyment infectious.

Whenever I listen to this album, I feel like I'm joining in the play and discovery it represents.

Subsequent Praxis albums are also worth listening to, but are much darker in tone, with Bill Laswell's Industrial/Dark Ambient predilections overwhelming Bootsy's lightheartedness.

Great. Bootsy, Brain, Bernie, and Buckethead make this perhaps the best album ever. Funky bass lines, ripping guitar, awesome beats and crazy boardwork make this a must have. Get anything of Bucketheads you can get your hands on.