The Merzbow Archive series by Slowdown Records, which has released ten editions so far, enters its eleventh edition. This edition contains recording material from 2006 to 2007. This period saw the release of "Minazo" (Important Records, 2006), "F.I.D. (Fur Is Dead)" (Fourth Dimension Records, 2006), "Bloody Sea" (Vivo, 2007), "Merzbear" (Important Records, 2007), and "Peace For Animals" (Quasi Pop Records, 2007). Each of these works has a message of mourning for the southern elephant seals kept at the Enoshima Aquarium, opposing fur, and protesting whaling and dolphin fishing, the bear slaughter, the Yasukuni Shrine pigeon release ceremony. All of these indicate that during this period, Akita's interest in animal rights, which began after he became a vegan in 2003, was expressed in his works as opposition to more specific issues. In addition, there was a big change in his musical life during this period, as he stopped playing live only with a laptop computer, which he had been doing since 1999, and started using analog equipment again. First, he added his own instruments and some effects pedals to laptop, and as time went on, he gradually started to use more analog equipment. Furthermore, the use of on-stage guitar and bass amps, which had been stopped during the laptop- only gigs, was resumed.
This album "Bloodour" contains three songs, each recorded at different times. The first track, as the title suggests, is an outtake from the 2007 album "Bloody Sea" (recorded in February 2006). It's an experimental performance, with an unstable feedback-like tone at the end, and a series of effects and electronic sounds with rich higher harmonics that create an effect of being swallowed by the waves. The second and third tracks were recorded in 2007, the former being a rehearsal recording for the Dour Festival in Belgium.
yorosz(aka Shuta Hiraki)
credits
released February 28, 2022
Composed, Mixed, Performed by – Masami Akita
Recorded at Bedroom Feb 2006 (tr1), July 2007 (tr2) & Oct 2007 (tr3).
Remixed & Remastered at Munemihouse, Aug 2020.
Mastered at Kentaro Hayashi, Osaka, Japan.
Yasuyuki Nakamura (slowdown records) : A&R
While still sounding harsh a lot of the time, this will not obliterate you like other Merzbow releases. Steady elements give a noob like me something to cling to amidst the chaos. Hans
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