The Merzbow Archive series by Slowdown Records, which has released eight editions so far, enters its ninth edition. This edition contains unreleased material from 2001 to 2003. From 1999 to the mid-00's, the computer became the main tool in Merzbow's production, and from 2001~2003, this method of production led to such notable works as "Dharma" (Double H Noise Industries, 2001), "Merzbeat" (Important Records, 2002), and "A Taste Of..." (Mego, 2002).
"Pig A.Y." was recorded in March 2001, and the third track is from the split album "Split Ver. 0.5" (less than zero, Japan) with Struggle For Pride, released in 2001 under the name Marzbow. The first and second tracks are unreleased recordings from the same day. Merzbow's performances during the period when computers were used were characterized by scene transitions where multiple sounds were instantly rewritten into another. In this album, this happens in great detail, creating busy and complex sound transitions that are difficult to achieve with analog equipment configurations. In particular, the detailed development of the first track, starting with the interplay of sounds that are not highly pressurized, such as deeply applied spatial sounds, inorganic repetitive sounds, and electronic sounds with a degraded quality, and ending with a sound reminiscent of a doom metal guitar riff and a burst of noise, is a highlight of the album. This is a very different kind of performance from a full-volume, full-throttle performance.
yorosz(aka Shuta Hiraki)
credits
released December 10, 2021
Composed, Mixed, Performed by – Masami Akita
Recorded & Mixed at Bedroom, Tokyo March 2001
Remastered at Munemihouse, Tokyo 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
The pulsing industrial sounds on the wonderfully brutal new LP from Tokyo group Rinsaga will be catnip for the black-glove-and-mesh set. Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 15, 2022
Composer Eiko Ishibashi's soundtrack from "Drive My Car" is full of sweeping yet gentle melodies that rise and fall in romantic waves. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 3, 2022
Culled from unreleased recordings from her recent "Light Sleep" and "Voice Hardcore" releases, Hiromi Moritani's latest showcases the softer, less harrowing side of Phew’s sound Bandcamp Album of the Day Sep 2, 2020
Easily one of my favourite Merzbow records and one of my favourite noise records in general. Expertly crafted and blisteringly hot sonically, it's definitely not one to miss. heckicus_doomicus_wizardus