The Summer Of Merzbox:

Balor/SS1535 · August 13, 2025, 12:49:49 AM

Disc 41: This is definitely one of my favorite discs in the Merzbow---from the first second onwards, this would not be out of place amongst the likes of 90s Americanoise or even some Bizarre Uproar. The note says this was made at the same time as the recording of a comp track for Mother Savage. You can tell.

Balor/SS1535 · August 13, 2025, 04:06:03 AM

Disc 42: Not too into track one (no real reason, maybe the rhythmic sounds in the beginning?). That said, the second and third tracks are solid 90s noise! Nothing else to say...

Balor/SS1535 · August 14, 2025, 10:16:49 PM

Disc 43: Others (on the Scream and Writhe forum) are pointing out that this might be one of the earliest examples of cut-up noise, and listening now I can certainly hear what they are saying. The funny thing, though, is that my first thought upon turning on this disc was that it is structurally very similar to the sound-collage Merzbow of the early 1980s. This reaction is seemingly shared by the author of the liner notes in the Merzbook. Going forward also means going back!

Balor/SS1535 · August 15, 2025, 03:56:45 AM

Disc 44: Solid, solid, solid. Another favorite from the box!

Balor/SS1535 · August 16, 2025, 01:28:51 AM

Disc 45: More great harsh noise! Listening to this one made me go back through the Merzbook to see when tapes began to dip out of Akita's toolbox, and the earlist example in the box of that seems to be 1988? Tapes never seem to fully disappear, but early instances of leaving them out seem to make a huge impact on the resulting sound and composition style.

Balor/SS1535 · August 19, 2025, 04:31:23 AM

Disc 46: I like how Merzbow got to the 90s and then sort of returned through previous directions of the project---only now distorted through newfound harshness. I liked this disc a lot because it reminded me a lot of what I had been calling "industrial Merzbow" in past posts. It's a shame that Akita hates his ex so much, as this sounds like it deserves an independent reissue!

Balor/SS1535 · August 20, 2025, 07:38:31 AM

Disc 47: Time constraints force only a quick sampling of this disc, but I like much of what I hear---especially the tremendous blow of the initial seconds of track 2! The Merznote mentions that Akita performed a few times with sound like this under the name Zecken? I don't find much on this project online, other than that it was only used for two synth performances that he did.

Balor/SS1535 · August 21, 2025, 07:45:55 AM

Disc 48: I like that Merzbow is now using the term "decomposition" to refer to his strategy of re-working through old material. Unfortunately, circumstances again curtailed my listening, but I did like what I heard. Merzbow with straight synth tones (though overlayed more complexly here with other sounds) is always exciting!

Apparently this is the release that was the source of much of this disc: https://www.discogs.com/release/241314-Merzbow-John-Watermann-Brisbane-Tokyo-Interlace

I'll need to listen to it---and I am doubly curious now that I read it was apparently "deleted" from the Cold Spring catalog? Wonder why...

Balor/SS1535 · August 22, 2025, 06:00:57 AM

Disc 49: I was really excited for the first track of this disc---Merzbow live in 1997 sounds, in theory, as impossible to do wrong---but I just did not like Bara's vocal stylings... Bara is mentioned a few times in the liner notes, but he only makes sound contributions on this and the final disc in the set. Discogs/the book say he did a lot for Merzbow in this period, but I know very little about her. I will have to do some research!

The second track (part 1? ha) is enjoyable noise. Enough said.

Balor/SS1535 · August 23, 2025, 06:25:03 AM

Disc 50: Even the most exciting boxes eventually come to an end... and what an end this is! Probably the harshest disc in the set---or at least it seems so now. It also helped that I listened to it on a pretty good car stereo with the highs boosted as far as they can go. I even liked Bara's voice. It's also interesting to read that track 4 was originally released as a split with Kadef? Given that I see Kadef doing splits with the likes of Star and 666vbm (!), I think it's time that I take some time to get acquainted with his work.

Theodore · August 23, 2025, 11:51:36 PM

Quote from: Balor/SS1535 on August 23, 2025, 06:25:03 AMGiven that I see Kadef doing splits with the likes of Star and 666vbm (!), I think it's time that I take some time to get acquainted with his work.

If you are talking about physical releases then ... good luck! Most very limited, rare, and if they appear, expensive. It is the case that we definitely need a boxset or a collection / anthology.

BTW for anyone in EU reading and interested, I have this https://www.discogs.com/release/965798-Kadef-Arnst%C3%A4dter-Aktionen-Arnst%C3%A4dter-Fraktionen-Arnst%C3%A4dter-Komplikationen-Ein-R%C3%BCckblick . C20 if I remember correctly. Open to trade with other similar tape of his.

Balor/SS1535 · August 24, 2025, 03:53:36 AM

Quote from: Theodore on August 23, 2025, 11:51:36 PM
Quote from: Balor/SS1535 on August 23, 2025, 06:25:03 AMGiven that I see Kadef doing splits with the likes of Star and 666vbm (!), I think it's time that I take some time to get acquainted with his work.

If you are talking about physical releases then ... good luck! Most very limited, rare, and if they appear, expensive. It is the case that we definitely need a boxset or a collection / anthology.

BTW for anyone in EU reading and interested, I have this https://www.discogs.com/release/965798-Kadef-Arnst%C3%A4dter-Aktionen-Arnst%C3%A4dter-Fraktionen-Arnst%C3%A4dter-Komplikationen-Ein-R%C3%BCckblick . C20 if I remember correctly. Open to trade with other similar tape of his.

Ha---I figured as much! A boxset would definitely be appreciated in this case.