Merzbow : S/D

If/when I start making $X in my new career, I'm going to celebrate by buying a Merzbox

xpost Oh yes---also in the spirit ov Merzbow:

http://magicmonkeyboy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/drink-my-red-blood-by-richard-matheson.html

^my fave matheson short story, which deeply affected horror-obsessed-young-me when i read it as a boy. the whole treatment of vampirism seems very similar to the vibe that george a romero was going for w/ his movie martin, and i know romero admitted that matheson was the primary inspiration behind NOTLD. you can see why stephen king is such a big matheson fan, too - that 'naturalistic'/everyday treatment of the supernatural. again, this story reminds me v much of parts of the tobe hooper tv movie of salem's lot - vampirism as teenage yearning/disaffection

― Ward Fowler, Sunday, September 9, 2012 4:17 PM

guy brushing his teeth during Merzbow pic.twitter.com/PaOIl3ua1i https://t.co/q7kC1u0BFx

— kate bush's husband (@airbagged) June 19, 2023

apparent resemblance of a younger Ivan Dorin coming to mind

how difficult would it be to modify the motors of a sonicare to be a MERZBRUSH?

been on a big kick lately, Tauromachine and Rainbow Electronics are sounding especially good today

pluramon remix best thing on the "bit sand riders" pluramon remix album

oh totally, I have that!

Every now and again a Merzmood overtakes me

I am deep in it

reviews of Akasha Gulva claim that it is the "harshest", "most difficult", etc album, but I found it quite soothing when I was in the hot tub the other night, it's like ambient white noise. Also it has his ex-wife Reiko on it, who has been systematically excised from the Merzbow history via altered reissues #merzdrama (see the excised track "Modular" from Cloud Cock OO Grand, not included on reissues as it is Reiko solo). If only for the duo effect, a lot of the records with her on them stand out to me during that time period, more of a ritual/trance CCCC vibe going on

oh also, I guess this is the best/main thread for it, but I bought the Merzbox. it should arrive next week, and yes I will rip/listen to all 50 discs. apparently some discs have issues with the plastic used for the sleeves/storage, we will see. Whiney if u are around, did u ever get one?

If/when I start making $X in my new career, I'm going to celebrate by buying a Merzbox

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Thursday, July 14, 2022 4:27 PM (one year ago) bookmarkflaglink

My new career was software development and then, like journalism, it also imploded. Still boxless.

<3 I promise to YSI when I get done ripping

How much did it cost?

450, so less than $10 per disc, last US copy on Discogs that I could see

where I tap out is that Vinyl On Demand 10-LP box, I don't need that much early-80s junk noise

also worth noting that I sold a bunch of records at a show last Sunday and did really well, this was basically a trade and not $ I had lying around

I think some merzbow is exactly what I need for my nightly run. Time to test it out

It's sad about the Reiko thing. She's been quite active in live performance but hasn't released much recorded work over the years. Her entire small back catalogue is amazingly great though - check the Venus in Virgo alb and the collab with Astro "Lilith's Illium" for evidence.

currently on Disc 7, the first live show from March 1981. All the discs ripped just fine, there was a teeny tiny bit of diginoise on the very 1st disc that I was able to wave-edit/interpolate back to normal, that's the only issue so far. The book has a very welcome guide to the individual discs!

notes from group chat:

Merzbox arrived early

oh this is glorious (disc 2, late 1979)

sorry this is January 1980! I mean, I like Whitehouse and all but this is just amazing, the level of intuitive control over saturated feedback processes

11 minutes in and it sounds like that Heldon guitar freakout track from Heldon III, "Zind" I think?

currently listening to a track called "Merztronics Jazz Mix"

spoiler: not jazz

the MERZBOOK informs me that disc 7, Paradoxa Paradoxa, is the very first live concert in March of 1981. all this early stuff is mostly duo action with Kiyoshi Mizutani, this is especially spacious and free.

some Gruppo D'improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza vibes at times

Disc 8, Material Action For 2 Microphones: "I found we can able to make big noise from small sound by overload recording"

Merzbox Disc 10 "Solonoise" - the noise is getting a lot denser already and it's only 1982

"The idea of "Environmental Percussion", which is the main focus of this series, has existed since 1982, when "Material Action for 2 microphones" was released. In concrete terms, it refers to acoustics obtained by tapping on the floor or walls of a room, or by picking up the sounds of various objects and small objects around us with contact microphones, amplifying them, and adding spatial effects such as reverb and delay.
The main materials used in this approach are Styrofoam chunks (used to hit the floor, etc.), plastic cassette cases and cards (played with a violin bow), rubber bands (pinched), toilet paper wicks (blown), gas stoves and table lamps (metal percussion), etc. Unplugged noises with subtleties and textures different from distorted effects processing noises are produced."

these "Dying Mapa" tapes (3 volumes) totally rule as does everything on the Aeon/DYS label family (Pascal Comelade, Mnemonists, Asmus Tietchens)

Merzbox update: Disc 21, "Pornoise Extra" is particularly cool, almost melodic loop work, very very different from the grueling half-hour tracks on the "regular" Pornoise release (5 tapes, 4 1/2 hours).

now on disc 23, a mutant version of Batz-Tou-Tai (a big fave of mine), and things are back to being subtle again! "Radio 1511" was not on the original 2LP.

I want to do a Pitchfork Sunday Review on the Merzbox

DO IT

I've never really listened to Merzbow. I have a track on a split 7". and I've heard a few collaborations - Gore Beyond Necropsy/Full of Hell/Boris. his discography is a little daunting. are there any recommended noob releases? "accessible" probably isn't a thing with Merzbow lol

Pulse Demon is pretty well regarded, I think. I "liked" Tauromachine and Door Open at 8AM. All three of those are available on streaming services.

Pulse Demon is the "famous" one, yeah. I think Venerology (released two years earlier) is better just because it sounds more like a expressionist rendering of a rock record as opposed to just alien noise, so it might be an easier gateway

I want to do a Pitchfork Sunday Review on the Merzbox

I still remember your Throbbing Gristle box review. I hope the cat eventually calmed down.

maybe rainbow electronics if you're looking for something with more dynamics? (the first one, tho I like both)

Rainbow Electronics is the MZ I reach for - it’s fabulous. Also second the love for Pulse Demon.

yep Rainbow!

a quick top ten I did for the group chat off the top of my head:

Pinkream 2x10"
Batz-Tou-Tai 2LP
Hybrid Noisebloom
Cloud Cock OO Grand
Rainbow Electronics
Doors Open At 8 AM
Animal Magnetism
Merzbeat
the collab w/Christoph Heeman
the split with SBOTHI

sorry Christoph Heemann!

Cosign Hybrid Noisebloom, Cloud Cock OO Grand, Rainbow Electronics as top-tier Merz. Would also add Venerology, Pulse Demon and 1930

thanks all, will give these a try

I was also given a big list of underground disco compilations by another ilxor recently so looks like it's going to be a disco and harsh noise summer! am hoping Merzbeat combines these

omg Merzbox Disc 26 "Live In Khabarovsk, CCCP (I'm Proud By Rank Of The Workers)" is free jazz! complete with piano and drum set. plus screechy noise tapes on the first side.

"Recorded live at AMUR Jazz & Experiment Music Festival"

Not sure if they’ve been montioned yet, but the ones with boris are always good fun.

speaking of collabs, I've consistently gone back to those two two partikel records with nordvargr. they're quite good. RIYL the harsher pansonic material or would be curious to hear "merz goes idm" or something like that.

most of these late 80's releases (specifically Enclosure, Vratya Southward, the live Russia album, and Storage currently) are very much not harsh noise walls, they are spacious and even delicate at times.

If ever in the company of a colicky baby: I dub thee Merzbawl!

so it's fair to think of Cloud Cock OO Grand as the big leap forward given it was the first DAT recording and all, but I just got to Scissors For Cutting Merzbow (Discs 32 & 33) and dang. This record was stupid rare back in the day so I never heard it, but it seems to have all the ingredients of 90's Merzbow present (i.e. what is referred to in the book as "hell's garbage disposal"). it's also clear that his collaboration work w/Achim Wollscheid was super influential on his approach and technique, this record is a great example as he is recycling and deconstructing and editing/cutting up his whole back catalog here. the silences here are much shorter, and as a result you don't get much of the clang/scrape echo-in-a-cave sound of the previous period (discs 25-30).

(the record itself is originally from late 1989, to be clear)

and the next disc (Severances) is almost straight rock music! there's a sliced-and-diced super noisy instrumental cover of "Wild Thing"!

took me a while to give Cloud Cock OO Grand a good listen, the (now sadly excised, see above) howling maelstrom of "Modular" definitely points the way forward. The previous long tracks are a joy, very varied and crunchy sounds.

more notes:

Merzbox disc 39, "Stacy Q, Hi Fi Sweet Leaf" continues the longform trend over teh last few, this one has lotsa loops and more of a slow grind at times,still not anything like a harsh noise wall
ooh Rolling Stones samples popping up out of the murk and churn!
only 6 minutes in to this 26:28 track and a ton of shit has happened already
yeah this is a fun one, a Merzbox exclusive!

disc 40 is totally different, military drums!
sounds way more like mid-80s stuff e.g. Batz-Tou-Tai, lots of loops of classical Japanese music
"Injured Emperial Soldiers Marching Song" is quite a title
ah consulting the MERZBOOK reveals that these are the first recordings with Bara (their butoh dancer in the 90s) and are video soundtracks, that explains why they are so different.

I don't think I have the stamina for the next one just now, it's called Brain Ticket Death and is from my fave overall period, 93-95

01 Metal Of Doom
02 Electric Peekaboo
03 Iron Caravan
04 Brain Ticket Death

OK lol "Brain Ticket Death", the track, is in fact a brutal noise remix of Brainticket, applause

Merzbox disc 43 Exotic Apple
"I used samples from Arthur Lyman lots on this album. Apple Rock was recorded after period of Dadarotenvator LP and which tend to make material for Flying Testicle. But finally didn't used."
much quieter, sounds like distorted Berlin school electronica or maybe TG sometimes, really cool stuff.
has more mass appeal than I think any of the other box discs so far

Merzbox discs 44 & 45: #44, Liquid City, starts off full bore noise wall but settles into more varied stuff. #45 is unreleased stuff from 1995 or so including personal fave Pinkream, first use of EMS synth, lots of wild squiggly oscillations.

so far none of these later discs are as noisy as other contemporary releases of his.

well "noisy", I mean it is Merzbow

disc 47 "Rhinogradentia" - continues the same surprisingly varied noise textures that he explored in the 90s

previous disc 46 had a sweet Reiko A solo piece on it with some dense low end snarl

OK Disc 48, "Space Mix Traveling Band" is genuinely harsh, moving into the nu-Merzbow era of the 00's and beyond

ian weighs in:

"FINALLY the genuinely harsh years (laugh emoji)"

I was surprised too!

there are plenty of super harsh 90s releases for sure, but the box doesn't really focus on that

earliest full on HNW is Akasha Gulva from 1996, but basically any of the "live performance, single 1 hour track" releases from that decade are full on blast furnace action

even the last track here on Disc 48 is doing some weird cosmic record skipping shit right now

holy shit disc 49 "Motorond" is a total blast furnace HNW with added deep hoarse screaming thru some light effects, just brutal

two 30+ minute tracks

also some high volume indecipherable muttering