Music from Japan

Restocked: The old adage "nothing exceeds like excess" is inversely defined in Merzbow's latest exploit, a beguiling, gargantuan and limited (to 555 hand-numbered copies) 12 x CD boxset of "quieter" material, housed in hardcover box with red foil block print, featuring sounds recorded between 1987 and 1990 and accompanied by a die-cast metal medallion enscribed with the word 'dōbutsukaihō' meaning 'Animal Liberation' in Japanese. When Masami Akita (Merzbow) started touring internationally around…

Masami Akita’s Merzbow project is the biggest name in noise music. Few other artist enjoys the kind of respect within their fields as Merzbow does within the noise scene. If talking about noise music there is simply no way getting around Merzbow. Since 1979 Akita has worked relentlessly producing hundreds of records. He also has a long list of collaboraters: Richard Pinhas, Sunn 0))), Autechre, Pan Sonic, Jim O’Rourke, Boris, Gore Beyond Necropsy, Smegma and many others.Merzbow performed …

The Tasmanian Blue Gum tree, Eucalyptus globulus, is native to Tasmania and southern Australia. Eucalyptus trees are uniquely suited to the varied ecologies of Australia, and there is no other continent more closely associated with one genus of tree. Its leaves are the food of choice of the koala, and its flowers attract bees and hummingbirds. Out of approximately 300 identified species, Blue Gums are now the eucalyptus most frequently found in other parts of the world. Throughout the tro…

2010 release ** The installment on the Hijokaidan DVD live series, this is an early performance shot in 1981.

A DVD of Hijokaidan's most notorious concert, filmed at Osaka's Eggplant in 1989. Long the stuff of legend, it documents the performance-art extreme of the group's early shows, footage judged too transgressive for their major-label retrospective box. The King of Noise at their most confrontational.

Graft is an album by Japanese noise master Masami Akita aka Merzbow. This LP album is pressed on lime-green vinyl in a "bootleg"-style sleeve and sealed with a sticker. Limited to 300 regular copies. According to the Merzbow blog, the design was inspired by a '70s Jethro Tull bootleg called My God, and the recording was inspired by the plant illustrations in the Voynich manuscript. Recorded in November 2009 at Munemi House, Tokyo.

2008 release ** "The conception, the idea, realisation and sound sources of this CD are all based on original sound material (loops and sounds) from Rapoon's “Tribal Sci Fi” CD-ROM (courtesy of Sony/Sonic Foundry). Not the entire original Rapoon's tracks have been re-mixed  or re-composed, but the general “sound” (or the sound aesthetic of Rapoon's music) instead. All the artists have provided their own original compositions, that less or more based on the audio-sources from Rapoon. The album “G…

*Limited edition of 150 copies* Recorded Live at ZSF Produkt Studio, Tokyo on Sep 1988. Remastered from Original Master Tape on Jan 2010. Originally Released on ZSF Produkt 1988.

Early merzbow works featuring Masami Akita and Kiyoshi Mizutani. Recorded & Mixed at Various Studios on 1982. Remixed by Masami Akita at Lowest Music & Arts Studio, Tokyo. Remastered from Original Master Tape on Jan 2010. Originally Released on Lowest Music & Arts 1982.

Early merzbow works featuring Masami Akita and Kiyoshi Mizutani. Recorded & Mixed at Gap Works, Tokyo on 16 June 1981. Remixed by Masami Akita at Lowest Music & Arts Studio, Tokyo. Remastered from Original Master Tape on Jan 2010.

Limited 150 copies, Early Merzbow works featuring Masami Akita and Kiyoshi Mizutani. Recorded & Mixed at Gap Works, Tokyo on 16 June 1981. Remixed by Masami Akita at Lowest Music & Arts Studio, Tokyo. Remastered from Original Master Tape on Jan 2010. Originally Released on Lowest Music & Arts 1982.

Norwegian guitarist Håvard Volden (12-string guitar, objects) and Japanese master Toshimaru Nakamura (no-input mixing board) recorded these two pieces in Norway in 2008, creating what one Norwegian reviewer calls "a timbre based album with some auditory surprises." The music is "slow and quiet, with contrasting elements. A cutting tone, a crackling flicker, or a deep bass tone gives the progress colour. It is exciting to listen to an expression that moves with this much unpredictability." Norman…

'Egg Farm' is a private concert space in an egg farm (really!) in north of Tokyo. Originally, the space was established in early 80's and named 'Space Who'. Owner of the egg farm organized many live show of free improvisation at the space (Takayanagi, Evan Parker, Richard Titelbaum, Arthur Doyle and more. especially she loves Kosugi and Steve Lacy).

At first, Agencement was started as an anonymous tape music project in 1985. It started from an indie movement that had occurred in inverse proportion to the calm situation of Japan's mid-'80s domestic improvised music scene. As for activity of violin performances that I started from the influence of European improvised music after it is related to the edit of underground music magazine named Avant-Garde that Kanazawa University students issued from 1976 until 1979, several years have passed fro…

restocked, very last copies...Stellar vocals and drones by Sachiko of Overhang Party; three pieces of hypnotic, gliding delight. This is Sachiko's first - all-drone - vinyl release, in an edition of 350. Heavy-weight vinyl & paste-on sleeve with artwork created by Johan De Wilde. AudioMER edition in collaboration with Croxhapox gallery.

'We kick-off 2010 with possibly the most essential Merzbow release for many years. This 3CD set is culled from appearances on various compilations, ranging from the most obscure cassette releases, to long out of print gems on labels such as Blast First and Susan Lawly. This material spans an entire decade from 1991 to 2001 and as such, tells its own story of the development and sonic chicanery that is the Merzbow sound during this time. If you only own one Merzbow work, this is the one to…

Merzbow's 13 Japanese Birds is a 13 month series of releases inspired by Olivier Messaien's Catalogue D'Oiseaux. Beginning in January 2009 one volume of 13 Japanese Birds will be released each month. The 13th and final volume will be released January 2010. Each volume will be a one time pressing of 1000 copies.

LP in white vinyl, comes in aluminium-cork coversleeve, designed from children with mental handicaps with 4 inserts. It's limited to 150 copies.

'MERZBOW's 13 Japanese Birds is a 13 month series of releases inspired by Olivier Messaien's Catalogue D'Oiseaux. Beginning in January 2009 one volume of 13 Japanese Birds will be released each month. The 13th and final volume will be released January 2010. Cover art by Jenny Akita.'

Merzbow's 13 Japanese Birds is a 13 month series of releases inspired by Olivier Messaien's Catalogue D'Oiseaux. Beginning in January 2009 one volume of 13 Japanese Birds will be released each month. The 13th and final volume will be released January 2010. Cover art by Jenny Akita.