The Merzbow Archive series by Slowdown Records, which has released twelve editions so far, enters its thirteenth edition. This edition consists of recordings made between 2011 and 2012. The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred around this time, and Merzbow responded by releasing "Dead Zone" on the Ukrainian label Quasi Pop Records in 2011, which deals with radioactive contamination from the Fukushima and Chernobyl nuclear accidents. Other early creative responses to the situation include a photo of the Nagasawa Water Treatment Plant used on the cover of "UZU ME KU" (Samboy Get Help! Recordings, 2012), which shows a pillar cracked by the disaster. His trilogy of works on the theme of "sacred cows," "Kamadhenu," "Surabhi," and "Gomata," which was commissioned by Hypnagogia, continued the theme of animal rights, but gradually attempts are being made to move to non-direct animal rights themes such as "Lop Lop" (Rustblade, 2011) and later "Konchuuki" (Essence Music, 2015). In addition, in terms of equipment, there has been the introduction of new, smaller oscillator synths, drone machines, and miniature kotos, which characterize the sound very strongly.
This album "Kumo No Zettaichi" contains two tracks recorded in 2011. In this album, he plays with a combination of small drone machines and oscillator synths such as Sleepdrone3 and Sleepdrone6, Glamoure Machine, Utopia Synth from Skychord Electronics, Cacophonator 2 from Subtle Noise Maker, triwave pico generator from 4ms Peddals. The performance can be described as drone and ambient, with multiple sustained sounds that fluctuate and create layers of different thickness and hues. The first track in particular, which lasts 33 minutes, is relatively tranquil, and there are many moments that give the impression of a gentle flow, the aspect of which is reminiscent of the flow of clouds, as the title suggests.
yorosz(aka Shuta Hiraki)
credits
released June 30, 2022
All Music by Masami Akita
Recorded & mixed at Munemihouse, January 2009.
Recorded & Mixed at Munemihouse, 2011.
Remastered, January 2021.
Yasuyuki Nakamura (slowdown records) : A&R
supported by 4 fans who also own “雲の絶対値 Kumo No Zettaichi”
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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