Merzbow : S/D

Destroy: I'm not so keen on the proggy/fusiony (these terms are relative obv) stuff that he was churning out a few years back.

Anyone wanna burn me off a copy of the Merzbox?

he also told me its his best gig evah with masonna so that's obv something to do before you go to yr grave.

''Anyone wanna burn me off a copy of the Merzbox?''

yeah can someone do this please...

''I've been listening to his Music for Bondage performances''

did anyone see the C4 'documentary' on jap bondage on monday night.

also hasn't akita written a book on bondage?

destroy: his live set in rough trade (w/ russell haswell?) a few years ago was just dull.

i've heard about 13 discs from the merzbox, mostly the early stuff which is generally REAL good. between 15-20 there's some amazingly well done, minimal junk/tape music that beats the more known releases from his early period ("antimonument," "age of 369/chant 2") cold.

also, i like-like-like "vibractance" because it's just ems and it has those dynamics things.

i'd rather listen to deep purple's original, because it KICKS FUCKING ASS. and merzbow's deconstruction of it does not.

Out of all of the Merzbox I've heard so far, I'd say Cloud Cock OO Grand is the best because...there's just so much STUFF in it. The sample-based things like Agni Hotra and the Pornoise series are also real good because they're almost identifiably rock and hence easier to grasp. What I've heard of the last couple albums in the set will probably also turn out to favorites: they're so luxuriantly textural. Non-Merzbox-wise, I'd say the recent Dharma is my favorite. The last track is so DREAMY.

I prefer his drones over his scratchy white-noise oversaturation, his loops to his idiot-avant instrumentalisms, his synthwork over his guitar-work. I also prefer it when he composes via lap-top rather than by quasi-improvisation (he shirks from the word "improvisation," preferring "automatism" which I think roughly means making noise in a state of no-mind). It's less willful and random, and easier to get a handle on.

This shit is amazing

I also heartily applaud his current fascination with animal welfare and consequently animal sounds (Tamago uses recordings of his pet chickens!) only because, well, to be corny, it humanizes him somewhat.

He's been at it for a while...

What I want to know is what you guys think of this year's Kim Cascone. It took me a while to really get into it but then I started to appreciate its sprawling, meandering quality with moments of beauty.

Batztoutai/Loop Panic dbl CD
Merzbow Loves Emil Beaulieau CD
Pornoise CD

So, ya know, for like eightteen bucks you can get some good merz. jams. I would recommend it. RRRon deserves your money as much as just about anyone.

Dharma. Also Animal Magnetism (love the chickens).

I don't think I've made it all the way through any Merzbow album even once.

More opinions, please!

listening to a recent one right now, feddyyellow mix.1. pretty nice esp at the end where he got some "basic spectral sonic decantation" thing going on

I've mentioned this on a couple other threads, but the FIMAV album with Pan Sonic is fantastic.

that remix CD alluded to above (Scumtron) really is quite good. I also have soft spots for the Batz-Tou-Tai double on RRR (early clank/scrape), Pinkream (heavy analog noiz), the Music For Bondage Performance discs (quiet, very different), and the collaboration with Christoph Heeman.

hahaha i just did the rolex sweep to paralysis (hypnopompic mix satori so whacki

ooh also search the Frog LP, most excellent.

I recommended Merzdub with Jamie Saft on another thread, it really is a pretty channelling of the Merzbow noise along more "musical" routes. All the electro-acoustic stuff I've heard from the Merzbox has been nice too.

picked up tonight:

Venereology
1930

in the mail:

Synth Destruction (w/ Carlos Giffoni)
Electric Dress (w/ Carlos Giffoni & Jim O'Rourke)
Live Destruction at No Fun 2007

the only Merzbow stuff i'm familiar with is his work with Boris -- Megatone, Sun Baked Snow Cave, Rock Dream -- so i figured a good approach would be to check out a couple of his more 'acclaimed' albums, plus some of his work with Giffoni and O'Rourke, both of whom i'm already pretty familiar with.

... any thoughts?

i have this v pretty merzbird shirt btw: http://www.importantrecords.com/images/apparelimages/merbird_shirt.jpg

wow that album-by-album Merzbox review of Michael's upthread is most impressive.

Anyone read the Merzbook?

I have it, but haven't checked it out.

so... no thoughts, then.

i think you should read the thread, dude.

i think i've already read the entire thread, dude.

i was looking for some opinions that maybe weren't 4 years old. not that those are necessarily bad ones upthread, but maybe some of the newer posters here can offer some of their comments too. just a thought.

Welcome to 2009!
Important is starting off the new year with the beginning of our 13 Month/13 CD Merzbow series titled 13 Japanese Birds. Available to hold your 13 CD set is a deluxe screen printed, numbered, limited edition hand built bamboo box. More info about how to order it can be found here:
http://www.importantrecords.com/bird_box/bird_box_details.html

I need $300 for the version with a painting by Masami.

How's the album with Richard Pinhas?

I need $300 for the version with a painting by Masami.

I shelled out for it the other night, whilst drinking. Oh boy...

Ouch. I've resigned myself to not getting it.

Out of all of the Merzbox I've heard so far, I'd say Cloud Cock OO Grand is the best because...there's just so much STUFF in it.

Daddino was so right about Cloud... I listened to this last night looking for fucking catharsis after a bad-ish evening (to the extent that I knew it ws going to be before it happened; I unconciously left the CDR on top of the speaker just before I left), and all I found was DETAILS that ate away at you. People tend to dismiss him as junior Metal Machine Music. Although I'm sure it can lapse into that it does not here, not that -- (i) it should be necessarily a bad thing, and (ii) doesn't that give everyone an excuse to not bother sampling the huge catalogue: listening to music should never feel like work and yet its a strange reaction, to excuse yourself of what should never be a duty. I suddenly remembered a Lou Reed interview w/Lester Bangs where he talks about MMM having bits of Beethoven and Xenakis -- he ws joking (or ws he?) but here its like I hear all sorts of music, processed and yet retaining enough of a character to make an impression. I forgot to cut the sound of the TV completely off and a gap of silence (one track to the next) became what I thought was a sample of Will Smith in Fresh Prince of Bel Air!!

Another Merzbow Records "It compiles tracks from various other compilations and splits from 1991–2001, most of which are out of print". That fact puts me in a good mindset, makes me feel I'm covering a lot of Merzbow when I'm not and never will. This is another fact.

I actually went to get this because it compiled Ab Hunter, the first one of his I fell in love with (yes, there is room for love in Merzbow's world. This is a fact.) and I'm finding all sorts of joy -- pounding dance bits, metal, burstings of lava hot swooshes, wind machines turned up to 11000 (never mnd 11!) even the odd quiet moment dropped in!

This must be good to meditate to. This is another fact.

collabo with Mats Gustafsson out in Nov

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx37c2PNM3I

Search:

pic.twitter.com/ff4PSrs7rY

— 🐖🐐🐓Merzbow🐄🐏🦃 (@MerzbowOfficial) June 9, 2018

Strange days. There's this Merzcast podcast thing wherein two US dudes talk about selected Merzbow albums with various guests. They only play tiny clips of the music. They also have a Patreon account wherein subscribers can access further podcasts, although these don't feature any of the music either. In the last few days Merzbow, or his earthly representative, has made clear his disapproval of the project and now they are plastering "Merzbow Disapproved" all over the podcasts (they haven't stopped doing them or taken them down AFAIK).

I approve. People should listen to more (unfiltered) Merzbow and less podcasts.

But don't you think listening to podcasts might make people listen to more Merzbow?

he "disapproved" after 3 months prior posting a link to said podcast

promoting it ... and ostensibly ... approving it?

also dude can't take a joke

He's been shutting down online fan talk for at least 5 years:

http://merzbow.proboards.com/thread/223/proposed-deletion-forum

He's admittedly not heard Merzcast but took offense to GX Juppiter-Larsen's anecdote of touring porn shops together in Holland.

lol he was like, "my work isn't about that now." it's pretty much, control freak, stop you are embarrassing meeee tantrum ... someone posted a mock-up of a "merzbow-disapproved" t-shirt and he blocked them

enjoying this new semi-ambient joint with Vanity Productions this morning.

thinking about that guy brushing his teeth at the merzbow show again pic.twitter.com/CNprrkSGVQ

— ▀▀▀▀▀▀ (@immolations) October 4, 2020

le sigh

Cavity-free canines to maintain that neo-dada noise dude edge.

sad LOL at all the female concertgoers you can see eyeing him warily

don't want to be in splatter range when he drives that thing through his soft palate, probably

lol for a second I thought you were talking about the sheer sonic impact of a live Merzbow gig

also, Cloud Cock OO Grand totally fucking rules, as does most of the early 90's material imo

never really got into him but "annihiloscillator" is sounding good atm.

checking inzane johnny memes leading to that guy who wrote reviews of all the merzbox discs leading to this one on youtube. i think i like him when he's a little more structured.

the Urashima label has been doing really great remastered vinyl reissues of some "classic" joints, also available digitally on their Bandcamp (searching Bandcamp for Merzbow is a mess, predictably)

somebody made a "Merzdős number" list on discogs:

https://www.discogs.com/lists/Merzd%C5%91s-number/986381

I treated myself to the Urashima remastered 2LP of Hybrid Noisebloom and it sounds superb, dense and squiggly

https://urashima.bandcamp.com/album/hybrid-noisebloom

I just got the Hybrid Noisebloom CD used! I wonder if someone sold!

I also wonder what the right way to listen to 'Bow is!

Merzbow in everyday life!
from:Bright Remarks and Throwing Shade: What Are You Reading, Summer 2022?

I used to work in a bookshop where P.D. James was a regular customer. She was perfectly pleasant, quite chatty even, but ALWAYS used to complain about the music we played (which to be fair often strayed into the aggressively unlistenable). If I saw her coming I would always try and put a bit of Merzbow on.

― Ward Fowler, Friday, June 24, 2022 9:02 AM (two weeks ago)

xpost at medium volume on large speakers with a sub, IMO

also yeah I used to have that CD! but sold it prob 20 years ago. I still have a promo poster for it though, which is actually on my wall, so I was sorta obligated to buy the reissue

Urashima has some other fantastic Merzbow reissues as of late, some with bonus tracks

also lol @ that Ward story, get in here buddy

If/when I start making $X in my new career, I'm going to celebrate by buying a Merzbox

xpost Oh yes---also in the spirit ov Merzbow:

http://magicmonkeyboy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/drink-my-red-blood-by-richard-matheson.html

^my fave matheson short story, which deeply affected horror-obsessed-young-me when i read it as a boy. the whole treatment of vampirism seems very similar to the vibe that george a romero was going for w/ his movie martin, and i know romero admitted that matheson was the primary inspiration behind NOTLD. you can see why stephen king is such a big matheson fan, too - that 'naturalistic'/everyday treatment of the supernatural. again, this story reminds me v much of parts of the tobe hooper tv movie of salem's lot - vampirism as teenage yearning/disaffection

― Ward Fowler, Sunday, September 9, 2012 4:17 PM

guy brushing his teeth during Merzbow pic.twitter.com/PaOIl3ua1i https://t.co/q7kC1u0BFx

— kate bush's husband (@airbagged) June 19, 2023

apparent resemblance of a younger Ivan Dorin coming to mind

how difficult would it be to modify the motors of a sonicare to be a MERZBRUSH?

been on a big kick lately, Tauromachine and Rainbow Electronics are sounding especially good today

pluramon remix best thing on the "bit sand riders" pluramon remix album

oh totally, I have that!

Every now and again a Merzmood overtakes me

I am deep in it

reviews of Akasha Gulva claim that it is the "harshest", "most difficult", etc album, but I found it quite soothing when I was in the hot tub the other night, it's like ambient white noise. Also it has his ex-wife Reiko on it, who has been systematically excised from the Merzbow history via altered reissues #merzdrama (see the excised track "Modular" from Cloud Cock OO Grand, not included on reissues as it is Reiko solo). If only for the duo effect, a lot of the records with her on them stand out to me during that time period, more of a ritual/trance CCCC vibe going on

oh also, I guess this is the best/main thread for it, but I bought the Merzbox. it should arrive next week, and yes I will rip/listen to all 50 discs. apparently some discs have issues with the plastic used for the sleeves/storage, we will see. Whiney if u are around, did u ever get one?

If/when I start making $X in my new career, I'm going to celebrate by buying a Merzbox

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Thursday, July 14, 2022 4:27 PM (one year ago) bookmarkflaglink

My new career was software development and then, like journalism, it also imploded. Still boxless.

<3 I promise to YSI when I get done ripping

How much did it cost?

450, so less than $10 per disc, last US copy on Discogs that I could see

where I tap out is that Vinyl On Demand 10-LP box, I don't need that much early-80s junk noise

also worth noting that I sold a bunch of records at a show last Sunday and did really well, this was basically a trade and not $ I had lying around

I think some merzbow is exactly what I need for my nightly run. Time to test it out

It's sad about the Reiko thing. She's been quite active in live performance but hasn't released much recorded work over the years. Her entire small back catalogue is amazingly great though - check the Venus in Virgo alb and the collab with Astro "Lilith's Illium" for evidence.

currently on Disc 7, the first live show from March 1981. All the discs ripped just fine, there was a teeny tiny bit of diginoise on the very 1st disc that I was able to wave-edit/interpolate back to normal, that's the only issue so far. The book has a very welcome guide to the individual discs!

notes from group chat:

Merzbox arrived early

oh this is glorious (disc 2, late 1979)

sorry this is January 1980! I mean, I like Whitehouse and all but this is just amazing, the level of intuitive control over saturated feedback processes

11 minutes in and it sounds like that Heldon guitar freakout track from Heldon III, "Zind" I think?

currently listening to a track called "Merztronics Jazz Mix"

spoiler: not jazz

the MERZBOOK informs me that disc 7, Paradoxa Paradoxa, is the very first live concert in March of 1981. all this early stuff is mostly duo action with Kiyoshi Mizutani, this is especially spacious and free.

some Gruppo D'improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza vibes at times

Disc 8, Material Action For 2 Microphones: "I found we can able to make big noise from small sound by overload recording"

Merzbox Disc 10 "Solonoise" - the noise is getting a lot denser already and it's only 1982

"The idea of "Environmental Percussion", which is the main focus of this series, has existed since 1982, when "Material Action for 2 microphones" was released. In concrete terms, it refers to acoustics obtained by tapping on the floor or walls of a room, or by picking up the sounds of various objects and small objects around us with contact microphones, amplifying them, and adding spatial effects such as reverb and delay.
The main materials used in this approach are Styrofoam chunks (used to hit the floor, etc.), plastic cassette cases and cards (played with a violin bow), rubber bands (pinched), toilet paper wicks (blown), gas stoves and table lamps (metal percussion), etc. Unplugged noises with subtleties and textures different from distorted effects processing noises are produced."

these "Dying Mapa" tapes (3 volumes) totally rule as does everything on the Aeon/DYS label family (Pascal Comelade, Mnemonists, Asmus Tietchens)

Merzbox update: Disc 21, "Pornoise Extra" is particularly cool, almost melodic loop work, very very different from the grueling half-hour tracks on the "regular" Pornoise release (5 tapes, 4 1/2 hours).

now on disc 23, a mutant version of Batz-Tou-Tai (a big fave of mine), and things are back to being subtle again! "Radio 1511" was not on the original 2LP.

I want to do a Pitchfork Sunday Review on the Merzbox

DO IT

I've never really listened to Merzbow. I have a track on a split 7". and I've heard a few collaborations - Gore Beyond Necropsy/Full of Hell/Boris. his discography is a little daunting. are there any recommended noob releases? "accessible" probably isn't a thing with Merzbow lol

Pulse Demon is pretty well regarded, I think. I "liked" Tauromachine and Door Open at 8AM. All three of those are available on streaming services.

Pulse Demon is the "famous" one, yeah. I think Venerology (released two years earlier) is better just because it sounds more like a expressionist rendering of a rock record as opposed to just alien noise, so it might be an easier gateway

I want to do a Pitchfork Sunday Review on the Merzbox

I still remember your Throbbing Gristle box review. I hope the cat eventually calmed down.

maybe rainbow electronics if you're looking for something with more dynamics? (the first one, tho I like both)

Rainbow Electronics is the MZ I reach for - it’s fabulous. Also second the love for Pulse Demon.

yep Rainbow!

a quick top ten I did for the group chat off the top of my head:

Pinkream 2x10"
Batz-Tou-Tai 2LP
Hybrid Noisebloom
Cloud Cock OO Grand
Rainbow Electronics
Doors Open At 8 AM
Animal Magnetism
Merzbeat
the collab w/Christoph Heeman
the split with SBOTHI

sorry Christoph Heemann!

Cosign Hybrid Noisebloom, Cloud Cock OO Grand, Rainbow Electronics as top-tier Merz. Would also add Venerology, Pulse Demon and 1930

thanks all, will give these a try

I was also given a big list of underground disco compilations by another ilxor recently so looks like it's going to be a disco and harsh noise summer! am hoping Merzbeat combines these

omg Merzbox Disc 26 "Live In Khabarovsk, CCCP (I'm Proud By Rank Of The Workers)" is free jazz! complete with piano and drum set. plus screechy noise tapes on the first side.

"Recorded live at AMUR Jazz & Experiment Music Festival"

Not sure if they’ve been montioned yet, but the ones with boris are always good fun.

speaking of collabs, I've consistently gone back to those two two partikel records with nordvargr. they're quite good. RIYL the harsher pansonic material or would be curious to hear "merz goes idm" or something like that.

most of these late 80's releases (specifically Enclosure, Vratya Southward, the live Russia album, and Storage currently) are very much not harsh noise walls, they are spacious and even delicate at times.

If ever in the company of a colicky baby: I dub thee Merzbawl!

so it's fair to think of Cloud Cock OO Grand as the big leap forward given it was the first DAT recording and all, but I just got to Scissors For Cutting Merzbow (Discs 32 & 33) and dang. This record was stupid rare back in the day so I never heard it, but it seems to have all the ingredients of 90's Merzbow present (i.e. what is referred to in the book as "hell's garbage disposal"). it's also clear that his collaboration work w/Achim Wollscheid was super influential on his approach and technique, this record is a great example as he is recycling and deconstructing and editing/cutting up his whole back catalog here. the silences here are much shorter, and as a result you don't get much of the clang/scrape echo-in-a-cave sound of the previous period (discs 25-30).

(the record itself is originally from late 1989, to be clear)

and the next disc (Severances) is almost straight rock music! there's a sliced-and-diced super noisy instrumental cover of "Wild Thing"!

took me a while to give Cloud Cock OO Grand a good listen, the (now sadly excised, see above) howling maelstrom of "Modular" definitely points the way forward. The previous long tracks are a joy, very varied and crunchy sounds.

more notes:

Merzbox disc 39, "Stacy Q, Hi Fi Sweet Leaf" continues the longform trend over teh last few, this one has lotsa loops and more of a slow grind at times,still not anything like a harsh noise wall
ooh Rolling Stones samples popping up out of the murk and churn!
only 6 minutes in to this 26:28 track and a ton of shit has happened already
yeah this is a fun one, a Merzbox exclusive!

disc 40 is totally different, military drums!
sounds way more like mid-80s stuff e.g. Batz-Tou-Tai, lots of loops of classical Japanese music
"Injured Emperial Soldiers Marching Song" is quite a title
ah consulting the MERZBOOK reveals that these are the first recordings with Bara (their butoh dancer in the 90s) and are video soundtracks, that explains why they are so different.

I don't think I have the stamina for the next one just now, it's called Brain Ticket Death and is from my fave overall period, 93-95

01 Metal Of Doom
02 Electric Peekaboo
03 Iron Caravan
04 Brain Ticket Death

OK lol "Brain Ticket Death", the track, is in fact a brutal noise remix of Brainticket, applause

Merzbox disc 43 Exotic Apple
"I used samples from Arthur Lyman lots on this album. Apple Rock was recorded after period of Dadarotenvator LP and which tend to make material for Flying Testicle. But finally didn't used."
much quieter, sounds like distorted Berlin school electronica or maybe TG sometimes, really cool stuff.
has more mass appeal than I think any of the other box discs so far

Merzbox discs 44 & 45: #44, Liquid City, starts off full bore noise wall but settles into more varied stuff. #45 is unreleased stuff from 1995 or so including personal fave Pinkream, first use of EMS synth, lots of wild squiggly oscillations.

so far none of these later discs are as noisy as other contemporary releases of his.

well "noisy", I mean it is Merzbow

disc 47 "Rhinogradentia" - continues the same surprisingly varied noise textures that he explored in the 90s

previous disc 46 had a sweet Reiko A solo piece on it with some dense low end snarl

OK Disc 48, "Space Mix Traveling Band" is genuinely harsh, moving into the nu-Merzbow era of the 00's and beyond

ian weighs in:

"FINALLY the genuinely harsh years (laugh emoji)"

I was surprised too!

there are plenty of super harsh 90s releases for sure, but the box doesn't really focus on that

earliest full on HNW is Akasha Gulva from 1996, but basically any of the "live performance, single 1 hour track" releases from that decade are full on blast furnace action

even the last track here on Disc 48 is doing some weird cosmic record skipping shit right now

holy shit disc 49 "Motorond" is a total blast furnace HNW with added deep hoarse screaming thru some light effects, just brutal

two 30+ minute tracks

also some high volume indecipherable muttering

Merzbox 50 Annihiloscillator

do I even want to listen to this?

*dies*

so that was fun. here are my ten favorites:

Merzbox 02 Metal Acoustic Music
Merzbox 15 Dying Mapa Tapes 1-2
Merzbox 16 Dying Mapa Tapes 2-3
Merzbox 21 Pornoise Extra
Merzbox 23 Mortegage/Batztoutai Extra
Merzbox 33 Scissors For Cutting Merzbow Vol. 2
Merzbox 36 Cloud Cock OO Grand
Merzbox 40 Music For True Romance Vol. 1
Merzbox 43 Exotic Apple
Merzbox 45 Red Magnesia Pink

and the ones I liked the least:
Merzbox 12 Nil Vagina Tape Loops
Merzbox 20 Pornoise / 1kg Vol. 3
Merzbox 31 KIR Transformation (w/Achim Wollschied)
Merzbox 50 Annihiloscillator

Well done! btw he's released 13 albums this year already.

i sometimes wonder if there’s a collector maniac out there that has all of it. just seems impossible, even for merz himself.

that said, i do want to believe that someone does and that they even have the mythical merzbow car

further research in the excised Reiko A discography

Flare Gun - 12", 1 side 45 and all MA himself, b side is 33 with Reiko and some amazing guttural vocals from (I assume) Bara, cool shit
Great American Nude CD - 1990 US tour excerpts, blinding HNW for the most part, the live stuff just lacks that oomph, bonus studio track is great though w/lots of skipping digital freakouts
Metalvelodrome 4CD - a bit overwhelming, haven't done it all, includes the Rod Drug 93 7" which is one of my fave concise singles.

I listened to Pulse Demon this week. I'm not sure Merzbow is for me, because although I love noise, I like it when there's some structure to it. but after a bit it did start to make some sense. I liked Tokyo Times Ten. it does grow on you tbf

oh no, he's using AI for cover art now lol

What is AI art if not visual harsh noise?

lol fair

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0614813853_16.jpg

dense electronic oosh Merzbow is my favourite Merzbow and it's...interesting that I can enjoy that and not enjoy the grim splurge of AI shite but I think there is an analogy there somehow

this new one actually sounds very cool, and not like any others I have heard

https://slowdown-merzbow.bandcamp.com/album/spirulina-green

same with this one - actual piano!!!

https://slowdown-merzbow.bandcamp.com/album/parakeet

^ Looks like AI is fairly shit at doing clocks then
(xpost)

wow Merzbeat is really great, eh? One late pass please.

https://masamiakitamerzbow.bandcamp.com/album/merzbeat-remastered

I always got it confused with Scumtron which is the remix album

dude is slacking, only two albums this year, just released another piano-based one

https://slowdown-merzbow.bandcamp.com/album/mimesis

OK I have a new recommendation for newcomers/interested parties, go straight to Merzbeat