This is a comprehensive discography of the Japanese noise musician Masami Akita, best known for his project Merzbow. Since 1980 he has released hundreds of recordings, collaborated with dozens of musicians, contributed over two hundred exclusive tracks to compilations, and made numerous guest appearances on recordings by other artists.
Akita has released recordings on over a hundred independent labels all over the world. Some of the labels which have made multiple releases include: Alchemy, Alien8, Blossoming Noise, Cold Spring, Cuneiform, Dirter Promotions, Extreme, Hydra Head, Important, Mego, Release Entertainment (a sublabel of Relapse), RRRecords, Rustblade, Slowdown, Soleilmoon, Tzadik, and Vivo. In the 1980s, he released five LPs and dozens of homemade cassettes on his own labels Lowest Music & Arts and ZSF Produkt.
From 2009, reissues and archival releases of previously unreleased material have become a significant part of Merzbow's output. In 2018, the Japanese label Slowdown Records began releasing archival recordings on a semimonthly basis, ultimately releasing 96 archival CDs by the end of 2022.
Merzbow has appeared twice on the Billboard charts charts for one week each time, both for collaborations: Gensho with Boris appeared at number 21 on the Heatseekers Albums chart and at number 24 on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart for the week of April 9, 2016.[1]Cuts Up, Cuts Out with Balázs Pándi, Mats Gustafsson and Thurston Moore appeared at number 21 on the Jazz Albums chart and at number 13 on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart for the week of May 5, 2018.[1]
Note: Release reissues and compilation tracks taken from albums are not listed. The infobox count includes all aliases.
Worldwide, the English rock band the Beatles released 12 studio albums, 5 live albums, 51 compilation albums, 36 extended plays (EPs), and 17 box sets. In their native United Kingdom, during their active existence as a band, they released 12 studio albums, 1 compilation album, and 13 EPs. The early albums released from 1962 to March 1968 were originally on Parlophone, and their albums from August 1968 to 1970 were on their subsidiary label Apple. Their output also includes vault items, remixed mash-ups and anniversary box-sets.
Kazuyuki Kishino, known by his stage name KK Null, is a Japanese experimental multi-instrumentalist active since the early 1980s. He began as a guitarist but learned how to compose, sing, play drums, and create electronic music. He also studied Butoh dance at Min Tanaka's workshop.
Maso Yamazaki, better known by his stage name Masonna, is a Japanese noise musician. He was born Takushi Yamazaki on November 16, 1966, in Miyazu, Kyoto, Japan.
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.
Pulse Demon is a studio album by the Japanese noise musician Merzbow, released 28 May 1996. The album was reissued on vinyl in May 2018 by Bludhoney Records, and again in November 2019 by Relapse, with a bonus track.
Venereology is an album by the Japanese noise musician Merzbow. It was inspired by death metal and grindcore.
Sun Baked Snow Cave is a collaborative album between Japanese experimental doom band Boris and Japanese noise musician Merzbow. The album consists of a single track that clocks in at over an hour in length. The album artwork was done by Sunn O))) member and regular Hydra Head designer Stephen O'Malley.
Batztoutai with Memorial Gadgets is a double album by the Japanese noise musician Merzbow. It was later remixed and reissued in 1993 as Batztoutai with Material Gadgets: De-Composed Works 1985~86.
04092001 is a collaborative live album between Japanese experimental metal band Boris and noise musician Merzbow. Although no track listing is provided on the cover, the recording clearly consists of five songs from Heavy Rocks.
Rock Dream is a collaborative live album between Japanese band Boris and Japan noise musician Merzbow.
Merzbow is a Japanese noise project started in 1979 by Masami Akita, best known for a style of harsh noise music. Since 1980, Akita has released over 500 recordings and collaborated with numerous artists.
Klatter is the third collaborative studio album and sixth release by the Japanese experimental rock band Boris and Japanese noise musician Merzbow. The album features re-recorded versions of "Akuma no Uta" and "Naki Kyoku" from Akuma no Uta, and a cover of the song "Jane" by the German progressive rock group of the same name. It was originally planned for release on Troubleman Unlimited in 2007 under the unconfirmed title Mellow Peak, but for unknown reasons, the release did not happen.
Zev Asher was a Canadian experimental musician and documentary film maker.
Cuts is collaborative studio album by the Japanese noise musician Merzbow, Hungarian drummer Balázs Pándi, and Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson. It was recorded during a stop on the trio's East European tour in April 2012. The album was followed up in January 2015 by Live in Tabačka 13/04/12, which was recorded live the day before Cuts in Slovakia. Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper, a studio album recorded with the addition of Thurston Moore, was released in March 2015.
Full of Hell & Merzbow is a collaborative studio album between the American grindcore band Full of Hell and the Japanese noise artist Merzbow. The album was released on November 24, 2014 through Profound Lore Records. The CD version of the album was also packaged with a five-song, 35-minute bonus disc titled Sister Fawn that was described as an "extension" of Full of Hell & Merzbow; it was later released in a digital format as well.
Keio Line is a collaborative studio album by the French electronic rock guitarist Richard Pinhas and the Japanese noise musician Merzbow. The album was released in September 2008, on double CD by Cuneiform Records in the US and on triple LP by Dirter Promotions in the UK. It is the first of several collaborations between Pinhas and Merzbow.
Gensho is the fourth collaborative studio album and seventh release by the Japanese experimental band Boris and noise musician Merzbow. It is presented in two parts; the first disc features re-recordings of several Boris songs and a cover of the My Bloody Valentine song "Sometimes" in drone-based, drumless style, while the second disc consists of new compositions by Merzbow. They are intended to be played at the same time, much like the previous Boris double album Dronevil, or as separate works.
An Untroublesome Defencelessness is a collaborative studio album by the Japanese noise musician Merzbow, Japanese guitarist Keiji Haino, and the Hungarian drummer Balázs Pándi. Merzbow and Pándi have worked together since 2009; Merzbow and Haino previously played together as Kikuri, and released the album Pulverized Purple on Les Disques Victo in 2008.
Eiko Ishibashi is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician.
2R0I2P0 is the eighth collaborative release by the Japanese experimental band Boris and noise musician Merzbow. It features several rerecorded tracks that first appeared on Boris' album Love & Evol, and a cover of the Melvins song "Boris", which the band is named after. It was released in December 2020.
References
"Merzbow". Primordial. Vol.2. 1985. pp.2–3.
Wehowsky, Ralf (1987). "Masami Akita aka Merzbow: Eine Cassettographie". Bad Alchemy. Vol.7. pp.45–46.
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