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Merzbow

Country: Japan

Masami Akita has been the name most people reach for when they say "Japanese noise". He started Merzbow in Tokyo in 1979, taking the name from Kurt Schwitters's Merzbau, the collage that slowly filled his house, and treated sound the same way: layers of feedback, tape, junk metal and later laptops piled up until only density is left. Since then he has released well over four hundred records, including the fifty CD Merzbox of 2000.

Hatomatsuri
*200 copies limited edition* Unfettered harsh noise from the legendary Japanese noise artist Masami Akita aka Merzbow. Tirelessly churning layers of distortion are punctuated across two tracks with glistening, jagged feedback and thrashing pulsations that lash at the ears and utterly invigorate the senses.
Plays
Available for the first time as the artists originally intended!
XCIII
More than 25 years after their first partnership, international collaborators Smegma and Merzbow reunite for an all-new album that pushes the conceptual springboard of random composition generation even further. Consisting of two movements spread over 93 tracks, XCIII presents a collage of abstract electronics, unconventional instruments, reel to reel tape manipulation, loops and effects, best experienced in unique combinations on shuffled play.The first movement, Climactic Gruesome Costumes (wh…
Space Metalizer
**Limited Edition of 199 copies. Reissue for the first time, this album stands as a testament to Merzbow's artistic vision and his relentless pursuit of pushing the folds of noise. Space Metalizer is a must-listen for enthusiasts of noise music and anyone seeking a transformative and immersive sonic experience. Comes with original cover collage plus a bonus postcard and poster with amazing colored new and old collages by Masami Akita.** Noise music emerged as a distinct genre in the late 20th ce…
CATalysis 猫媒
*Limited edition of 300 copies.*  Elevator Bath is thrilled and honored to present the brand-new album from Merzbow, "CATalysis 猫媒": Nearly 70 minutes of highly varied but uniformly pummeling noise from one of the Greatest Of All Time. This epic collection of entirely new material is one for the ages, comprising so much of what longtime listeners have come to admire about the living legend's utterly distinctive body of work: junk electronics, screaming feedback, random beeps and blasts, occasion…
Pulse Demon
*Holographic Cover* Pulse Demon probably is the most iconic, most representative and best known album in the japanoise scene and Merzbow discography. This is the edge of music and sound, here you enter a new dimension made of powerfull noise. Recorded in 1995 and first released in 1996 on the US label Relapse, this album was re-released several times in both, CD and Vinyl formats. This is first time in which album was completely re-mastered by Masami Akita for CD re-release with the addition of …
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Bundle
Cloud Cock OO Grand / Inner Mind Mystique
This bundle includes two of the newest Urashima vinyl releases:Merzbow "Cloud Cock OO Grand" (2LP)Masonna "Inner Mind Mystique" (LP)Merzbow "Cloud Cock OO Grand" (2LP)**Limited Edition of 299 copies.** Merzbow came roaring onto the Tokyo scene in 1979. To this day, the project remains one of the most prolific and aggressively forward-thinking acts in experimental music. Initially a duo of Masami Akita and Kiyoshi Mizutani, before settling as the moniker of Akita alone, the project took its name …
Cloud Cock OO Grand
**Limited Edition of 299 copies.** Merzbow came roaring onto the Tokyo scene in 1979. To this day, the project remains one of the most prolific and aggressively forward-thinking acts in experimental music. Initially a duo of Masami Akita and Kiyoshi Mizutani, before settling as the moniker of Akita alone, the project took its name from German artist Kurt Schwitters' pre-war architectural assemblage, The Cathedral of Erotic Misery or Merzbau, and quickly set out to challenge entrenched notions of…
Vibractance
*50 copies limited edition* Originally released in France in 1998, Vibractance is one of the most unique and haunting titles in Merzbow’s vast catalog. It’s unique drone, noise, almost ambient like qualities makes this a great starting point for adventurer ears but also an essential album for the initiated. A true journey into the unknown where pulsating sonar waves swim between a sea of eerie beauty and tangible dreams. Celebrating it’s 25th anniversary, Aurora Central Records proudly presents …
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Hope
Ever the optimist, Masami Akita - better known as Japanese noise master and pioneer Merzbow offers us 'Hope'. The four pieces that comprise the album were created and mixed in 2002 at his Munemihouse studio in Tokyo. Expect Akita's ever-pulverizing frequency assault with chirping avian/alien frequencies drilling into your dome, while feedback and strange loops tear a hole in the sky, opening up a portal to transcendence. Killer artwork and design by Zavoloka.
Kazakiribane
*100 copies limited edition.* A pulsating onslaught of layered harsh noise by Merzbow on Dinzu Artefacts. Second press. Recorded & Mixed at Munemihouse, Tokyo February 2021.
Noisembryo / Noise Matrix
Tip! Noisembryo definitively presented here on cd with bonus disc noise matrix including unreleased material from the same sessions as Noisembryo and counterpart 'hole' and selected recording from the time period. Absolutely can’t be missed for fans of this period of noise deity Merzbow. the bonus disc alone makes this essential for any Merzbow fanatic as well as new listeners. When people ask where to start with Merzbow? This is the answer! The holy grail, not only of Merzbow’s obsessive discog…
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Green Wheels
Tip! *199 copies limited edition* Green Wheels is Merzbow in its most straightforward, most genuine, most uncontrolled and refined form. Originally released by the legendary US label Self Abuse Records in 1995 on CD and 5-inch vinyl record, both housed in a foil-lined cardboard box with the abstract and impressive art work created by the artist himself, which has become another of the fetishist objects of Merzbow and now incredibly hard to find. Like all of his work since the early nineties, Gre…
Rainbow Electronics
Tip! *199 copies limited edition* Originally released on CD in 1990 by Alchemy Records as part of the Good Alchemy Series, Rainbow Electronics marks the pinnacle of Merzbow's late 80’s noise phase. Selected and transformed from about 21 hours tape of primitive raw material recorded during three years (1987-1990) in 14 fragments lasting about 74 minutes, this monumental work is an aural trip through a cold plotted universe of intergalactic space ships and golden celestial bodies. Remastered in De…
Paradise Pachinko
*200 copies limited release* Paradise Pachinko is an album by the Japanese noise musician Merzbow. It consists of raw material recorded on four-track cassette. The album is named after and depicts the Pachinko Tengoku pachinko parlor.
Antimonument
*In process of stocking. 300 copies limited edition* "This is probably one of the most industrial Merzbow's records that he ever made. For an album in transitional period between his early musique concrète/sound collage pieces and later harsh noise works that he's best known for, it's nothing surprising. Nevertheless fact remains that Antimonument sounds pretty different from any other of his records, but instead of explaining it by the former way, I'd rather see it as a very intentional artisti…
Vratya Southward
*In process of stocking. 200 copies limited edition* "It's actually surprising that this album ends up feeling quite a bit different in comparison to Enclosure, considering that they both have used the same source material, raw material from Ecobondage. This one is much more subdued, a series of industrial/musique concréte-like improv pieces evoking Nurse With Wound with its warbly, echoing, factory-like atmosphere, dominated by tape/vinyl scratches, speedups/slowdowns and homemade percussion fr…
Psychorazer
*In process of stocking. 200 copies limited edition* "An odd release that doesn't seem to follow any sort of a recognizable theme or singular approach to noise, just three random tracks pasted together. In the first track there's not much interesting variation within it. The second track is a cool Music for Films evoking electronic drone that's also 56 seconds long. The main course here is the third track, which is a massive beast of thick fuzz that has a very strange, "rattly" effect to it, ach…
Fantail Vision
Slowdown Records will release a box of six new Merzbow albums. The box "Fantail Vision" consists of six new Merzbow albums from 2020-2022: "Mukogenerator","Mukomodulator", "Mukotronics", "Hinawave", "Animal Mukomodulator", "Magnetic Rain".  The recordings include not only recordings that are being released for the first time, but also some that have been digitally distributed on Soundcloud and Bandcamp. Merzbow has released five original albums on Slowdown Records to date, "Kaoscitron", "Indigo …
Amlux
Slightly damaged top right corner, hence the reduced price. ** Limited edition of 300 ** Certainly Amlux is a very cohesive and well-constructed piece; starting more softly than usual, the record slowly builds into the chaotic harsh sound that Merzbow is well known for, but this time adding some actual recognizable music elements (like rhythms), and constructing various surprisingly well-texture soundscapes, that made of this album a more focused and immersive piece that effectively  keeps engag…
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Slowdown Records Box Sets bundle
2025 Stock, very last copies. "Merzbow's unpublished/excavated archive series by Slowdown Records began to be released in 2018, and so far 15 chapters have been published. This "35 CD Box" contains chapters 11-15 of this archival series, with the addition of "2017-2020" (5CD), a collection of five original Merzbow albums released on Slowdown Records from 2017 to 2020. These chapters are presented in chronological order of when the recordings were made, and each chapter was compiled with some con…
New Ear Control
"The Merzbow Archive Series from Slowdown Records is a collection of unreleased or unearthed Merzbow recordings. So far, fifteen series have been released, each series distinguished by recording period and musical theme. Each individual series consists of six albums. This "New Ear Control" is the 16th in the series and is comprised of six albums: "Nil Cluster," "Lacrima," "Bluedron," "Orthogenesis," "450Q," and "Noise 5706". This archive series by Slowdown Records began in 2018 and has compiled …
After Hours
"The Merzbow Archive Series from Slowdown Records is a collection of unreleased or unearthed Merzbow recordings. So far, fourteen series have been released, each series distinguished by recording period and musical theme. Each individual series consists of six albums. In its 15th series, six albums were released, "Purple Fish", "Janus Guitar", "Beetle", "Seven Sides", "White Bird", and "Persimmon Mask", containing material from 2014 to 2015. This box set "After Hours" is a compilation of those s…
Flesh Metal Orgasm
*Limited edition of 300 copies.* Out via Old Europa Café in early September is the CD re-edition of an ultra-rare Merzbow tape, “Flesh Metal Orgasm”, which was originally released in 1989 on Nihilistic Recordings and then re-released in 2010 by Blossoming Noise. Both editions are long time sold out and this is the first time this album is released on CD format. Recorded live at the ZSF Studio in September 1988, the tapes and CD hold 2 tracks, “No-1” (21:50) and “No-2” (24:14). The material for t…
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Peace For Animals
*Limited edition of 300 copies.* Music by Masami Akita. Recorded and mixed at Bedroom in Tokyo, August 2007. Originally this album was released by Quasi Pop Records in 2007 in Ukraine. Full of ice-breaking analogue feedbacks over dense overdrived textures, some beasty, pulsing rhythmic elements on the background and rollercoaster's LFO spazmes of analogue synth. This is the bright example of modern "post-analogue-post-laptop era" sound of Merzbow: these compositions are wild at heart as the wild…
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Victoriaville Mai 2011
Richard Pinhas, Merzbow and Wolf Eyes together at Victoriaville on 20 May 2011: guitars, electronics, tapes, saxophone and voice in a spontaneous five-way noise session.
Patterns and Mechanisms
** Edition of 300 ** "Patterns and Mechanisms", Eraldo Bernocchi and Merzbow's first album together, was written and recorded during the lockdown. Both artists exchanged audio files and ideas fascinated by the phenomenon of urban wildlife where wild animals decide to relocate, or establish home in our cities, the album is just two long pieces. Despite being dense and noisy, "Patterns and Mechanisms" has a 'melodic' approach to composition, with Merzbow's noise assault conjugating with Bernocchi'…
Magnesia Nova
**Limited Edition of 299 copies.** Merzbow stands as the most important artist in noise music. The moniker of Japanese artist Masami Akita was born in Tokyo in 1979. Inspired by dadaism and surrealism, Akita took the name for his project from German artist Kurt Schwitters's pre-war architectural assemblage The Cathedral of Erotic Misery or Merzbau. Working in his home, he quickly gained notoriety as a purveyor of a musical genre composed solely of pure, unadulterated noise. Embracing technology …
Aqua Necromancer
Tip! "Expect the unexpected.  Masami Akita, corrupt mastermind behind the bound and gagged and tossed into the jet engine noise of Merzbow has, over the last years, really begun to stretch the limits of what he sonically does.  Seems, with releases (Tauromachine, Hybrid Noisebloom, 1930...), there has been more variety within the choppy slabs of noise that he designs. What we have here is, quite possibly, the most varied Merzbow release to date.  Why?  Because, amidst the stalk and squeal noise,…
Material Action 2
First time on CD for this classic Merzbow duo album from 1983. Material Action is a favorite among early Merzbow free-music, junk-noise workouts. Psychedelic improvised instrumental energy abounds on this essential early recording that is Pure Merz. Masami Akita plays tapes, percussion, electro-acoustic noise, organKiyoshi Mizutani overdubs tapes, synthesizer, violin, machine noise
Merzbeat
*20th anniversary reissue!* Merzbow's Merzbeat is one the most unique and legendary titles in the artist's vast archive. This 20th anniversary reissue is being issued at the same time as CD reissue of his 1983 album Material Action 2 and a brand new collaboration with Arcane Device, all on Important Records. Originally released in 2002, Merzbeat contains over 50 minutes of aggressive, psychedelic, organic, analog beat oriented Merzbow compositions. Drummed rhythms, massive looping samples, a pun…
s/t
Japan's leading noise luminary Merzbow meets American electro-feedback artist Arcane Device as they mix and manipulate each other's work.
Merzbeat
2025 Edition. 100 copies only! In collaboration with Wax Mage, Aurora Central brings you the definitive edition of Merzbow's groundbreaking album Merzbeat. Every copy features an incredibly beautiful hand-poured colored vinyl - each one unique - housed in an archival style sleeve and gatefold jacket, plus two inserts reproducing paintings by Masami Akita created around the time of the album's recording. Remastered by Masami Akita at Munemihouse, Tokyo 2021. Originally released in 2002 on Importa…
Amlux
** Limited edition of 100 tapes, 50 on original colored version (this one) and 50 on blue colored version cover. ** Certainly Amlux is a very cohesive and well-constructed piece; starting more softly than usual, the record slowly builds into the chaotic harsh sound that Merzbow is well known for, but this time adding some actual recognizable music elements (like rhythms), and constructing various surprisingly well-texture soundscapes, that made of this album a more focused and immersive piece th…
Door Open at 8 A.M.
** Limited edition of 100 tapes, 50 Copies with yellow coloured cover artwork (this one) and 50 Copies with pink coloured cover artwork ** Introducing Masami Akita's homage to free-jazz. Door Open at 8am is one of the most adventurous outings made by Merzbow. Recorded during the same era as Aqua Necromancer, this new recording also incorporates the use of sampled sounds. However, this time Akita is paying homage to his love of free jazz, free-jazz drummers to be precise. It includes tracks such …
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Bundle
Hybrid Noisebloom / Masonna Vs. Bananamara
This bundle includes the newest Urashima vinyl releases:Merzbow "Hybrid Noisebloom" (2LP)Masonna "Masonna vs. Bananamara" (LP)Merzbow "Hybrid Noisebloom" (2LP)**Limited Edition of 299 copies.** When it comes to Japanese noise, few projects have pushed boundaries or risen to a more iconic status than Merzbow. The mutant child of punk and experimental music, the project’s blistering sounds - as singular and wild as they are unique - are among the movement’s most important, definitive statements, c…
Hybrid Noisebloom
**Limited Edition of 299 copies.** When it comes to Japanese noise, few projects have pushed boundaries or risen to a more iconic status than Merzbow. The mutant child of punk and experimental music, the project’s blistering sounds - as singular and wild as they are unique - are among the movement’s most important, definitive statements, continuously laying the groundwork for countless artists who have followed in its wake. Like so many artefacts of Japanese noise, Merzbow’s output - often relea…
Cat's Squirrel
Cat's Squirrel is a live recording of Masami Akita & Oren Ambarchi's performance in Sydney, Australia in May 2012. Although Akita & Ambarchi have known one another since 1993 & performed together as part of larger ensembles, this was their first performance as a duo. Together they create a massive wall of sound that moves from the cavernous to the blisteringly psychedelic, laying down shifting low-end structures over which pointillist details ricochet across the stereo field. Akita & Ambarchi's …
Kookaburra
"There is no argument; Merzbow stands as the most important artist in noise music. The moniker of Japanese artist Masami Akita has appeared on over four hundred albums since 1979. The name comes from German artist Kurt Schwitters' famous work Merzbau, in which he transformed the interior of his house with found objects. This is reflected in Akita's junk art / collage aesthetic. Other influences on the Merzbow philosophy range from ritualised eroticism (fetishism & bondage), surrealism to extreme…
2017-2020
"2017-2020 is a box set of five original albums by Merzbow released on Slowdown Records. Since 2018, Merzbow has been running an archive series on the same label that contains mainly unreleased and unearthed material from the past, and while each series is organized according to production period and musical concept, this box is a collection of original albums produced individually. However, this box is a collection of original albums produced individually, and each one has a very different musi…