Search - Praxis :: Zurich

Same as transmutation live but with a bonus track

Amit Desai | Athens, GA | 05/03/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I thought I would be getting an all new live Praxis CD but actually I only got one song. If you dont have transmutation live and you like buckethead or praxis then definatly pick it up. If you have transmutation live only buy this if you want the extra track"

3 1/2 stars-- a snapshot.

Michael Stack | North Chelmsford, MA USA | 05/02/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Praxis is a band whose core is bassist/producer Bill Laswell and guitarist Buckethead-- an exploratory project that looks in many directions. "Zurich" captures the band live in Zurich from 1996, with a bonus track from the Knitting Factory in 2000 tacked on the end. The band for this outing consists of Laswell, Buckethead, Brain, Grandmaster DXT, DJ Disk, Q-Bert, Mix Master Mike, Shortkut and live engineer Oz Fritz. Make no mistake, this is an album lodged firmly in turntablism-- with an army of scratches, cuts and samples taking center stage over funky grooves and occasional shredding guitar.



Having stated that, the album is interesting-- certainly I'm someone who actually appreciateds turntablism and the performances throughout are top-notch-- it's broken up into a handful of suites-- each of which has feature sections for Laswell, Buckethead and the turntables. Having stated that, it's also clear however that this barely begins to scratch at the surface of the energy and excitement this must have generated in person, and in the end, it's like looking at photos from someone else's vacation, you can appreciate them and they have their value, but it's not the same as being there.



Still, I don't regret having picked up "Zurich", it's a fine record, it just seems to be lacking something that would have been there in person."

Another great live collection from Praxis!

M. Ryan Fairbanks | Cleveland, Ohio | 01/06/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Zurich is the first of many live releases from the super group Praxis, (Keeping in mind that this is a reissue of Transmutation Live, originally released in 1997). Here we have Bill Laswell, Buckethead, and Brain functioning as the foundation of the performances with a vast array of DJ's doing their thing on top of it. The six DJ's featured are Grandmixer DXT, DJ Disk, Q-Bert, Mix Master Mike, Shortkut, and Oz Fritz.



For those who didn't get to hear the scarce first edition of this performance, you will quickly find Zurich much more appealing than the previous live disc Warszawa. Although the performance is still very jam-based, a number of the familiar tunes from Transmutation make an appearance under different titles. Fans will recognize the Praxis/Buckethead favorites like Crash Victim, Jowls, Giant Robot, and Animal Behavior embedded in the intense jams. The mixture of improv as well as familiar tunes make Zurich a more likable listen than Warszawa.



Although a lot of great material is present, I felt that perhaps a little too much time was dedicated simply to DJ scratching. In fact there are probably 4-5 average length tracks dedicated completely to scratching with no other instruments included. If you like that kind of thing you will love this CD, if not there will probably be a few tracks you won't revisit after the initial listen. Also as this is a genuine live recording with no overdubs, so there are some mistakes, and a lot of feedback sometimes. However when considering how great the recording is as a whole, these are small flaws that can be easily overlooked.



All in all a fantastic listen from Praxis and Company that shows what a great jam/ avantegarde band should sound like. I highly recommend Zurich."