"In the late 1980s, Masami Akita’s Merzbow began to shift from being a studio project into a fully fledged performative undertaking. It was a decisive period that began opening up new possibilities for his very particular approach to sound.
Across the first half of the 1990s, Merzbow began touring extensively across Europe, the United States and also in his homeland. It was during this period that the dynamism of Merzbow exploded and the physicality of volume became a primary driver for the experiential capacity of the work.
Simultaneously, Merzbow began developing a range of self made instruments and techniques for exploiting found objects as sound sources, which he used in combination with amplifiers to create a unique spectra of noise and feedback both in the studio and live.
Noise Mass catalogues a critical period within the continuum of Merzbow. It typifies the radical approaches he developed not just through his music, but also through mastering, pushing the very medium of digital audio to its limit through extreme post-production approaches.
Of Noise Masami Akita remarks, “This was around the time Venereology was released from Relapse and the work of Merzbow became more well known to the world. Far greater quantities of that Relapse release were pressed, and much more promotion along with it. In other words, the image of Merzbow's music as it is best known in the world today came from this time. The music of Merzbow has always been a continuum, the piece added this time to Noise Mass, the revised version of Hole, is a work utilising a voice similar in style to Venereology. Listening to both Hole and Venereology, one can appreciate how these works constitute a thread of continuity through this period.”
Noise Mass is just that, a ritual of intensity and ferocity that denotes the force that is Merzbow’s approach to noise in the absolute."
Credits Mastered By, Lacquer Cut By – Rashad Becker Mixed By – Masami Akita Music By – Christian Stadsgaard, Masami Akita Photography By [Cover Photos By] – Corinne Schiavone
Notes Edition of 300 copies pressed on clear vinyl.
1 –Merzbow Granulation 221 Music By – Masami Akita 20:04 2 –Raven (38) Unjustified Murder Music By – Djordje Miladinovic* 10:00 3 –Dao De Noize Slaughterhouse Diary 19:58
Companies, etc. Mixed At – Munemi House Recorded At – Raven's Nest
Notes Limited edition of 200 copies.
Track 1: Mixed at Munemihouse, January 2013. Track 2: Recorded at Raven's Nest, December 2013. Track 3: Recorded in January 2012. Thanks to: Gerald, Masami and Djordje.
Label: Relapse Records – RR6937 Format: Vinyl, LP, White, White & Clear Tri-Color Pie Slice With Rainbow Splatter Vinyl, LP, Clear, Clear & White Tri-Color Pie Slice With Rainbow Splatter All Media, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered Country: US Released: 29 Nov 2019 Genre: Electronic Style: Noise
Tracklist
A1 Woodpecker No. 1 A2 Woodpecker No. 2 A3 Spiral Blast A4 My Station Rock B1 Ultra Marine Blues B2 Yellow Hyper Balls C1 Tokyo Times Ten C2 Extract I (Bonus) D Worms Plastic Earthbound
Companies, etc. Recorded At – ZSF Produkt Studio Mixed At – ZSF Produkt Studio Pressed By – GZ Media – 191450E Exclusive Retailer – Relapse Records
Credits Music By [All] – Masami Akita Performer [Metals], Synthesizer [EMS Synthi A], Audio Generator, Tape, Electronics [Noise Electronics, Shortwave], Voice – MA* Remastered By – James Plotkin
Notes Edition of 100 copies exclusive to Relapse.com with first record pressed on white, white and clear tri-color pie slice with rainbow splatter and second record pressed on clear, clear and white tri-color pie slice with rainbow splatter. Includes digital download card. Features "Extract 1", a never before released track that was recorded as part of the original Pulse Demon sessions. Recorded and mixed at ZSF Produkt, Tokyo 1995.
Insomnia
