"City of Light" is the sixth solo album by American composer Bill Laswell, released on July 29, 1997. It was recorded in Banaras, India, and mixed in Greenpoint, NY. It is about Banaras, a city older than history, tradition, and legends. It is Shiva's land, founded at the dawn of creation. It is India's oldest and most fabled city. The Hindus call it Kashi, the luminous The City of Light. The music is composed by Bill Laswell + Coil, Trilok Gurtu, Tetsu Inoue,and features texts and vocals from Lori Carson and an historical introduction by Hakim Bay. First time ever on vinyl, re-released in the Sub Rosa Blackcore series. While it may appear an anachronism in his catalog, fans of Bill Laswell will find "City of Light" an extension of ideas he has explored throughout his career. His strong interest in Eastern music and religion resulted in this 1997 collaboration with Janet Rienstra. Part sacred, spoken word, part meditative soundscape, "City of Light" takes as its inspiration the holy region of Banaras, India. Said to belong to Shiva, Banaras also contains the Ganges river: a place sought by Hindus for their cremation. Surrounding the texts is some of the most compelling music this genre has produced featuring Trilok Gurtu on tablas, Coil (Peter Christopherson + John Balance) on electronic, Tetsu Inoue at sound collages and Lori Carson at vocals. Tracklist: 1. Nothing2 Kashi 3. Kala4. Above the Earth About this product: this is a first-time issue for the album on 'Indian Green' vinyl. Limited 500 copies.
