Merzbox

Merzbox is a box set compilation by the Japanese noise musician Merzbow. It consists of 50 CDs spanning Merzbow's career from 1979 to 1997. 30 discs are taken from long out of print releases, while 20 are composed mainly of unreleased material. The box also contains two CD-ROMs, six CD-sized round cards, six round stickers, a poster, a black long-sleeve T-shirt, a medallion, and the Merzbook, all packaged together in a "fetish" black rubber box. It is limited to 1000 numbered copies. A Merzbox Sampler was released in 1997.

The Merzbook, subtitled The Pleasuredome of Noise, is a 132-page hardcover book written by Brett Woodward with over 100 images. It contains an extensive biography, culled from previous interviews and articles, a new interview, and essays by Achim Wollscheid, Jim O'Rourke, Damion Romero, Eugene Thacker, and Jonathan Walker. Masami Akita provides extensive liner notes for each disc. The book was also released separately with the Merzrom included.

The Merzrom is an interactive multimedia CD-ROM, designed by Troy Innocent. A second CD-ROM contains various Extreme press and a catalog. The "Merzdallion" medallion was designed by Marcus Davidson. Art direction and design were by Doriana Corda. Audio mastering was by François Tétaz.

History
Extreme's original plan was to reissue Collaborative, their only vinyl release, for the label's tenth anniversary. There was then discussion of reissuing other early releases, with talk of a ten disc box, the number was finally set at 50 discs. The Merzbox was originally scheduled for release in late 1997, and available for pre-order, but kept getting delayed until it was finally released in 2000. It was officially launched on June 16, 2000 at Sónar, Barcelona, where Merzbow also performed.

Those who had pre-ordered received a two CD album called Decomposition with remixes of Eugene Thacker and Shane Fahey followed by the original tracks, the Merzbox Sampler, and two posters. These were then made available with purchase of the Merzbox for extra money.

The Merzbox was exhibited at Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna from April 4 to April 7, 2002. Merzbow performed opening and closing concerts. All 60 hours were webcast live.

In December 2002, Georgia Tech's student-run radio station WREK broadcast the entire 50-disc Merzbox without interruption. An article in Creative Loafing described the Merzbow Marathon as "what may be the most obscure and counterintuitive move in the history of radio."

Between the final recordings of the set and its release, Merzbow switched to using a laptop, having first acquired a Macintosh to work on the artwork for the set.

Masami Akita has stated in a 2009 interview that he has enough unreleased material for another 50 CD box. Between 2010 and 2013, he released four 10 box sets of unreleased raw material recorded from 1987 to 1997; Merzbient, Merzphysics, Merzmorphosis, and Duo. 2012 also saw the release of Lowest Music & Arts 1980–1983, a 10 LP box set that included some full-length albums only partially released in the Merzbox. Since 2018, further archival recordings have been released through Japanese label Slowdown Records, including the 60 CD boxset 10×6=60 in 2021.

OM Electrique
The first noise recordings of Merzbow. Previously unreleased.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – tape recorder, percussion, meditation, guitar, Merztronics, taped drums, voice, water

Metal Acoustic Music
Earliest Merzbow recording available until the release of the Merzbox.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – Merztronics, tape recorder, recorded percussion

Remblandt Assemblage
First work using tape manipulation. Only a few copies distributed.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – tapes, prepared acoustic guitar, noise, tabla, percussion, microphone, voice, radio, concret sounds, egg cutter

Collection Era Vol. 1
The three Collection Era discs are compiled from the ten volume Collection series. The first five volumes were recorded for Ylem and consist of studio sessions with Kiyoshi Mizutani. However, Ylem went out of business before they could be released. Masami Akita then released them himself and recorded five more at home using previous Collection session recordings mixed with new material and effects.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – tapes, ring modulator, violin, tabla, voice, guitar, percussion, drums, radio
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – drums on track 1, percussion on track 2, organ on track 3

Collection Era Vol. 2
Note: The contents of CD 5 and CD 6 were switched (5 has eight tracks and 6 has seven), the info below is as it appears in the Merzbook.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – taped drums, tabla, guitar, tapes, Synare 3, percussion, ring modulated recorders, voice, endless tape, noise, rhythm box
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – wood bass on track 6

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – guitar, tape, damaged tape recorder, bass guitar, Dr. Rhythm, ring modulator, percussion, rubber guitar, violin, tape loops, Synare 3, tabla, drums, synthesizer
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – guitar on track 1, piano on track 4, violin on tracks 7–8

Paradoxa Paradoxa
The first Merzbow live performance.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – Merztronix, tape, solar organ on track 2, violin, Dr. Rhythm, alto saxophone, radio, feedback
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – solar organ on track 1, violin, tape, piano
 * Masahiro Kurose – live recording

Material Action for 2 Microphones
"Material Action" was a term for using household objects to make quiet sounds, which were then amplified, inspired by John Cage's "Cartridge Music". The term itself was taken from Otto Muehl. This recording was used as raw material for other works such as Material Action 2 N.A.M.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – condenser microphone, environmental percussion, scratched sound, tapes, turntable, radio
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – condenser microphone, percussion, additional synthesizer

Yantra Material Action
Originally intended to be the first Merzbow LP, but it went unreleased. Six months later the label then asked again to release the LP, but Akita decided to record new material – which became Material Action 2 N.A.M. Includes reworks of past recordings with added effects and new instrumentation. The liner notes were to have been written by Fred Frith, who heard the tape and liked it.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – tapes, junks, noise, percussion, radio, drums, guitar
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – percussion, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, tapes
 * H. Kawagishi – sound engineering

Solonoise
Solonoise means "Solar-Noise", inspired by Georges Bataille's The Solar Anus.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – electronics, ring modulator, violin, voice, treated tapes, acoustic guitar, Nil Vagina tape loop, treated percussion, Synare 3, TV, styrofoam
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – violin, electric piano on track 1

Expanded Music
Conceptual works manipulating various inputs using feedback processed audio mixer. Inspired by Stan Brakhage's scratched films.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – TV test signal, feedback mixer, damaged tape recorder, Dr. Rhythm, tapes, percussion, synthesizer

Nil Vagina Tape Loops
Featuring a four track tape recorder found in the street. A different sound was recorded on each track, and then played back randomly.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – Sony 464 tape recorder, Nil Vagina tape loop, treated tapes, percussion, Synare 3, Dr. Rhythm

Material Action 2 N.A.M
The first Merzbow LP. The 2 in the title refers to Yantra Material Action, which was meant to be the first LP. Sounds include styrofoam and a typesetting machine (Kiyoshi Mizutani worked at a typesetting company at the time). Includes raw material from Material Action for 2 Microphones.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – tapes, junk percussion, electro-acoustical noise, organ, tape collage, recording, mixing
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – tapes, synthesizer, violin, machine noise
 * H. Kawagishi – engineering

Mechanization Takes Command
First release on ZSF Produkt. Akita changed the name of his label since he wanted to release other artists. Featuring the Synare 3, which was later destroyed by Bara on stage in the late 90s.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – Pearl drum kit, various percussion, tapes, TV, Synare 3, voice, tabla, Dr. Rhythm, ring modulator, guitar, feedback, synthesizer, recorder, scrap metals, devices

Dying Mapa Tapes 1-2
Title inspired by the Nyingmapa school of Tibetan Buddhism. Made with different equipment and instruments than other recordings of the same period. Featuring instruments recorded on tape, then slowed down or played backwards.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – tapes, radio, ring modulator, percussion, noise, rhythm box, guitar
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – violin, percussion

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – tapes, radio, ring modulator, percussion, noise, rhythm, junk electronics, TV, guitar, bass
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – violin, percussion

Agni Hotra
Originally intended to be the second Merzbow LP, but it went unreleased. Includes outtakes from Ushi-tra, which is from the same period. Loops were included on Loop Panic Limited.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – distorted tape loops, metals, recorder, tapes, tape reel, percussion, shakujo, bells, noise

Pornoise 1kg Vol. 1
In the 80s Masami Akita had a mail art project called Pornoise, in which he made collages using discarded magazines – in particular pornographic magazines – taken from the trash. These were then sent along with his cassettes, the idea being that his art was like cheap mail order pornography. Pornoise/1kg was released as part of these activities; the 1 kg refers to the total weight of the original package. The voice on "Night Noise White" is taken from the "Halt Tape".

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – distorted Sony 464, feedback mixer, radio, loop tapes, Synare 3, rhythm box, ring modulator, devices
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – taped typesetting machine noise and taped synthesizer on tracks 2–4 with distorted process

Pornoise 1kg Vol. 2
Field recordings on "Dynamite Don Don" include street sounds recorded from a moving bicycle, and a house being demolished across from Akita's apartment.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – distorted Sony 464, feedback mixer, loop tapes, Synare 3, ring modulator, field recording tapes, devices

Pornoise 1kg Vol. 3
The voice on "UFO vs British Army" is taken from the "Halt Tape". Some other samples are from horror films.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – distorted Sony 464, feedback mixer, loop tapes, Synare 3, ring modulator, devices

Pornoise Extra
Additional tracks from the Pornoise 1kg sessions. Original release had different track titles.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – feedback mixer, radio, loop tapes, Synare 3, rhythm box, ring modulator, distorted Sony 464, devices
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – sampled electric piano

Sadomasochismo / Lampinak
Includes unused tracks for Batztoutai with Memorial Gadgets

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – various metal percussion, chain, loops, noise electronics, Synare 3, tapes

Mortegage / Batztoutai Extra
Original recordings for the Batztoutai with Memorial Gadgets album. Includes samples from François Bayle, Conlon Nancarrow, Ivo Malec, Luc Ferrari.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – tapes, voice, electronics, scrap metals, percussion, field recordings

Enclosure / Libido Economy
First of two cassettes made with raw material from Ecobondage, Vratya Southward being the second.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – bowed instruments with piano wires, ring modulator, tapes, feedback mixer, effects, percussion, turntable

Vratya Southward
Second cassette made with raw material from Ecobondage. "Electric Red Desart" includes a field recording of the mask procession (面掛行列) festival at the Goryō shrine in Kamakura. Masami Akita posted photos of the procession on his blog in 2010.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – cymbals, various percussion, electronics, paper pipe, tapes, plastic, voice, flute, toy marimba, scratch records, electric violin on tracks 1–2; feedback mixer, piano strings on metal box on track 3

Live in Khabarovsk, CCCP – I'm Proud by Rank of the Workers
First two of three performances. First performance was stopped for being "too wild", so they then played more conventionally. Includes Batztoutai material on backing tape, and Russian radio.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – electric bowed instruments, tape, radio on track 1; drums, tape on track 2
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – piano, low feedback US MP guitar on track 1; piano, guitar on track 2

Storage
Due to issues with sound quality, the recording was edited for the LP release. The full-length recording is released here for the first time. The working title for the album was War Storage, which is now used for the track titles.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – bowed instruments with piano wires, percussion, tapes, effects, guitar
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – submitted raw material on track 2

Fission Dialogue
Unreleased tracks from Ecobondage and Storage period.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – cymbals, various percussion, electronics, voice, byan, bowed instruments, paper pipe on tracks 1–2; noise electronics, turntable, scrap metals on track 3

Collaborative
Essay by Jonathan Walker from the original LP is reprinted in the Merzbook.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – tapes, metals, scratch, guitar, mixing on track 3
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – samples, guitar, balalaika, byan on track 3
 * Achim Wollscheid – raw materials on track 1, production on track 2

Crocidura Dsi Nezumi
"Unplugged noise" made using household objects; violin sound is violin bow on plastic cassette case or wood, acoustic guitar is a rubber band, Tibetan trumpet is a toilet paper tube, electrical sounds are made with metal. "Environmental drums" are the floor, gas stove, the spring of a table lamp.

Names are taken from the Latin names of the Dsinezumi shrew, Japanese stoat, and Japanese least weasel. Other titles were inspired by Frank Zappa's song "The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet" and Sun Ra's album Strange Strings.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – environmental drums, bowed instruments, paper pipe, plastic, woods, flute, insects, effects on tracks 1–2; bowed instruments, motor, noise electronics on track 3

KIR Transformation
From a concert with Achim Wollscheid: first Merzbow played, then Wollscheid played using a recording of Merzbow's set, then Merzbow and Wollscheid played together.

SCUM Vol. 1
SCUM was project to create new works out of previous Merzbow sessions using cut-ups, effects, and mixing. Name taken from the SCUM Manifesto. The track titles influenced by American post-war art. This was last LP record on ZSF Produkt.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – electronics, tapes, bowed instruments, percussion, metal junks, motor, piano wires, noise generator, drums, guitar, radio
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – junks, effects on raw materials

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – electronics, tapes, bowed instruments, percussion, metal junks, motor, piano wires, noise generator, guitar, electric shaver, radio, effects
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – guitar, junks, effects on raw materials

Severances
Includes two covers, "Deaf Forever" by Motörhead and the Jimi Hendrix version of "Wild Thing".

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – tapes, turntables, electronix, drum kit, percussion, voice, metal percussion, bowed instruments, electro-shaver, motor, self-made junk
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – tape materials: guitar on tracks 1 and 3; keyboard, computer rhythm on track 2

Steel CUM
The EP on Vertical Records was remixed and released without permission, with the cover made using one of Masami Akita's collages. "But a result of EP was fine. So, I'm agreed. But EP is still bootleg."

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – guitar, drums, tapes, electronics, metal bowed instruments, feedback mixer, turntable
 * Kiyoshi Mizutani – drums, guitar on some parts

Cloud Cock OO Grand
During the European tour in 1989, Masami Akita could only bring simple equipment, and created a new live electronics style, different from his acoustical and tape based studio work, leading to the harsh noise Merzbow became known for in the 1990s. Cloud Cock OO Grand was the first example of this style, Merzbow's first digital recording, and the only CD on ZSF Produkt.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – tapes, noise electronics, metals, distorted DBX, turntable, loops, bowed instruments, metal harp, short wave
 * Reiko Azuma – bowed instruments on track 4
 * Peter Duimelinks – original live recordings

Newark Hellfire, Live at WFMU, USA
Radio session from Merzbow's first American tour.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – feedback audio mixer, metals, electronics, electric shaver
 * Reiko Azuma – metals, bowed instruments

Hannover Cloud
Features outtakes from Hannover Interruption and Cloud Cock OO Grand. "Rocket Bomber" uses raw materials from Sadomasochismo.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – noise electronics, metals, tapes

Stacy Q, Hi-Fi Sweet Leaf
Originally made as raw material for "Crash for Hi-Fi", "Wing Over", and "Another Crash for High Tide". Includes the use of a scratched Cloud Cock OO Grand CD.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – noise electronics, tapes, scratched CD, radio, sound effect records, guitar

Music for True Romance Vol. 1
Backing tracks made for True Romance, a performance art project with Seido and Bara.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – tapes, electronics, disks

Brain Ticket Death
Track 4 samples Brainticket's self-titled song from their album Cottonwoodhill. It's also a reference to Nurse with Wound, who used the same bit on Brained by Falling Masonry.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – noise electronics, metals, turntable, bass, guitar

Sons of Slash Noise Metal
Tracks 1 and 3 were made as raw material for recordings of the same period. Track 2 is a remix of a fragment.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – metals, noise electronics, scratched CD, radio, tapes

Exotic Apple
Includes Arthur Lyman samples. Yuuri Sunohara is a director, producer, model etc. for Kinbiken/Right Brain. "Apple Rock" includes unused material originally made for Flying Testicle.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – tapes, noise electronix, metals, guitar, EMS Synthi A, Roland TR-606

Liquid City
Originally intended to be part of a CD+CD-ROM called Scatologic Baroque, but it was canceled. The material for the CD-ROM was used for the book Anal Baroque. Part of the "World Trilogy" with Magnesia Nova and Green Wheels. "Liquid City 17-1-95" was recorded on the same day as the Great Hanshin earthquake. "Tiabguls" is a Throbbing Gristle tribute.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – noise electronics, metals, EMS, voice

Red Magnesia Pink
Outtakes from Red 2 Eyes, Magnesia Nova, and Pinkream.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – EMS Synthi 'A', noise electronics, metal, filters, voice

Marfan Syndrome
"Marfan Syndrome for Blue" is Akita's first track to use the EMS synthesiser. Track 2 is a reference to Claes Oldenburg, who creates oversized sculptures of everyday objects, including soft sculptures.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – noise electronics, EMS, Synare 3, metals, rubber bass guitar, telephone signal, tape, voice
 * Reiko Azuma – voice on tracks 1 and 5

Rhinogradentia
Named after a fictitious order of mammals. Masami Akita performed solo twice as Zecken, playing this style.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – noise electronics, EMS, audio generator, filters

Space Mix Travelling Band
Tracks 1–2 are based on four channel tape: two channels recorded in 1994 and used on tracks of the same period, and two channels of EMS recorded in 1996. Additional EMS and Moog overdub and final mix in 1997.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – noise electronics, EMS, Moog, metals, voice, tapes

Motorond
Track 1 was the most recent live performance when the Merzbox was compiled.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – noise electronics, Novation Bass Station, metals, pressure pedal
 * Bara – voice

Annihiloscillator
Selection of recent tracks when the Merzbox was compiled. Track 3 is a reference to Marguerite Yourcenar's Dark Brain of Piranesi, an essay about Giovanni Battista Piranesi's Carceri prints.

Personnel

 * Masami Akita – metal, noise electronix, EMS on tracks 1–2, Theremin on tracks 1–4, Moog on track 4
 * Reiko Azuma – noise on track 2
 * Bara – voice on track 2