Essay on «Biography of a musician»
Merzbow is the stage name of Masami Akita, a Japanese musician born in 1956 in Tokyo. He is one of the most influential figures in the world of experimental and noise music. From a young age, Masami was interested in exploring unconventional sounds and was inspired by avant-garde art and music. In the 1970s, he began experimenting with electronic sounds and noise, gradually developing his own unique style.
Merzbow started his musical career in the late 1970s, creating recordings that used electronic distortion, feedback, and other unconventional techniques. His music is known for being loud, chaotic, and intense, often challenging listeners’ perceptions of what music can be. Over the years, he released hundreds of albums and collaborated with many other experimental artists.
One interesting fact about Merzbow is that he was influenced by European avant-garde music and Japanese experimental art. Despite his focus on noise, he has always considered his work a form of artistic expression rather than just noise for noise’s sake.
Another fascinating fact is that Merzbow’s work has influenced many artists across different genres, including electronic, industrial, and even mainstream music. Despite the challenging nature of his sounds, he has gained a large following and respect from musicians worldwide.
In late March 1988, Merzbow (consisting of Masami Akita and Kiyoshi Mizutani) performed in Khabarovsk, USSR, at the Jazz-Amur ’88 festival dedicated to jazz, improvisational, electroacoustic, and experimental music. This was one of Merzbow’s first public performances in the USSR and in the world. Initially, the organizers tried to present him as a proponent of lo-fi and a poor musician suffering from capitalist exploitation, hiding parts of his work. The first concert in a hall for 800 people had to be interrupted after half an hour because the jury considered it «too wild.» Later, to avoid losing the audience, the performance was somewhat softened and supplemented with more traditional music. This event became one of the first large-scale public appearances of noise music in the USSR, as well as Merzbow’s first performance abroad. Recordings from this concert were released as the album «Live in Khabarovsk» and included in the famous Merzbox collection.