Masami Akita, Eiko Ishibashi

Prolific Japanese artist Masami Akita aka Merzbow teams up with session musician, producer, and singer-songwriter Eiko Ishibashi for a work that showcases yet another side to Akita's monumental catalog. Kouen Kyoudai consists of two side-long tracks that could be read as a contemporary take on the traditional avant-garde. With its skittering electronics, percussion, piano, doom, and noise, Kouen Kyoudai seamlessly incorporates many strands of experimental thought and practice. The tension that arises from the human use of the tool is made explicit as these works unfold in a storm of ecstatic human/instrument/machine interaction. Drums hammer alongside an ecstatic drone. Notes on a piano jostle with a storm of splintered electronics. Kouen Kyoudai highlights the pull between beauty and chaos; structure and the abyss -- leaving behind a thrilling display of the interplay between the human and the technological while opening up new paths for both musicians involved. Masami Akita: noise electronics, computer, drums. Eiko Ishibashi: piano, drums, synth. Recorded at Gok Sound and SuperDeluxe, Tokyo. Recorded and mixed by Jim O'Rourke. Cut at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin 2015. Photography by Shunichiro Okada. Design by Jacob Cates.