Language Barrier embodies Bill Laswell's belief that music is a universal language. Bringing together musicians from jazz, funk, dub, African music, hip-hop, and rock, the album dissolves cultural and stylistic boundaries into a single, richly textured musical conversation.

Its remarkable cast includes Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, Herbie Hancock, Bernie Worrell, Wally Badarou, Manu Dibango, Bob Dylan, and Afrika Bambaataa.

Rather than placing guests around a reggae rhythm section, Laswell pushed Sly & Robbie into an entirely new sonic universe—a digital funk, dub, and hip-hop hybrid that was years ahead of its time.

 

The cover for Language Barrier is an example of something Photoshop can create in seconds. In 1985, however, cutting up negatives and making countless prints in the darkroom was an all-night exercise.

The photo session itself  revealed nothing more than a couple of guys standing around wearing Issey Miyake sunglasses. That's where the work began.