New Arrivals / Today
Process 9611
The clinical title emphasizes methodology over mysticism - appropriate for this period of technological transition when Akita was systematically exploring new tools' capabilities. "Process" suggests procedure, algorithm, step-by-step transformation. The numbered designation reflects systematic investigation as he developed fluency in his new digital language.
Unlike more poetically titled works, Process 9611 announces its interest in how sounds are made rather than what they mean. This transpare…
Tentacle (1st Mix)
Tentacle suggests oceanic creatures, reaching appendages, multiple simultaneous touches - apt imagery for Merzbow's newly expanded digital toolkit. Where analog equipment imposed physical limits on simultaneous operations, computers enabled unprecedented complexity. Tentacles reach in all directions at once, grasping multiple objects simultaneously.
This "1st Mix" preserves initial instincts before subsequent revision, documenting Akita's first responses to new capabilities. The cephalopod image…
Mighty Ace
Mighty Ace is a large-scale work spanning 50 minutes in a single track, showcasing remarkable sonic variety within unified form. According to Akita's notes, it shares characteristics with companion piece Tenshinkaku. The mix of digitally generated electronic sounds and highly inorganic looping reminiscent of machine operation - sounds not previously heard in Merzbow's work - creates impressions so diverse it's hard to believe this represents just the beginning of computer use.
The treatment of l…
Tenshinkaku
Tenshinkaku was originally recorded with the intention of releasing an album under the same title, but it never materialized. Some tracks were excerpted and edited into one track as "Tenshinkaku 01" on the bonus CD "Early Computer Works" accompanying the special edition of Scene (Waystyx, 2005). This Archive Series release presents the material in its original, complete form for the first time.
The title suggests "celestial tower" - an elevated metaphor for recordings from Merzbow's digital dawn…
Bluedelic+
The playful title suggests psychedelic blue - chromatic synesthesia rendered in noise. Akita has always been interested in the intersection of sound and color, titles throughout his catalog evoking visual qualities. These 1992 sessions capture Merzbow in experimental mode, the psychedelic reference connecting to traditions of consciousness expansion through intense sensory experience.
Blue carries particular associations: melancholy, depth, the infinite sky and sea. "Bluedelic" suggests psychede…
Phillo Jazz
Phillo Jazz winks at improvisational traditions Akita has always both honored and subverted. Jazz's spontaneity finds its noise equivalent - though the relationship is more conceptual than sonic. Where jazz improvisation operates within harmonic frameworks, Merzbow improvisation occurs in texture and density, shape and duration.
The "Phillo" prefix remains mysterious - perhaps referencing philosophy, philology, or simply playing with sounds. These recordings demonstrate fluidity at its best: not…
Wa
These recordings represent the very beginning of Merzbow's laptop style - the birth of a new methodology that would reshape the project's sound and process. The album references "Wa 30.25" from Collapse 12 Floors (Ohm, 2000), including the extended mix alongside previously unreleased re-edited material.
"Wa" carries multiple Japanese associations: harmony, circle, Japan itself - suggesting meditation on identity and continuity at a moment of technological rupture. As Akita traded physical equipm…
Spring Harp-O
The evocative title conjures resonant strings and seasonal renewal - unexpected associations for harsh noise, yet characteristic of Akita's poetic sensibility. The harp represents ethereal beauty and delicate tones; by invoking it in a noise context, Merzbow performs characteristic subversion, finding harshness in beauty and beauty in harshness.
The "Spring" element suggests rebirth, new beginnings - perhaps reflecting Akita's sense that the late 90s represented a transitional moment, the end of…
Medamaya-O
Medamaya-O extends late-90s documentation with 1997-1998 recordings. "Medamaya" evokes eye imagery (目玉屋) - the eye shop or eye house. Akita's engagement with visual perception themes runs throughout his work; despite creating purely sonic art, he frequently invokes seeing and looking. The eye watches, judges, reflects - and can be overwhelmed by excessive input.
These recordings capture Merzbow at the end of the analog era, before digital tools transformed everything. There's a tactile quality t…
Tauro-O2
The "Tauro" albums contain outtakes from the 1998 masterpiece Tauromachine (Relapse/Release) and unused material from the same period - the "O" in the title standing for "Outtakes." While the 10CD box Merzmorphosis (Youth Inc., 2012) previously compiled much unreleased 1996-97 material, it excluded recordings related to 1930 and Tauromachine. This "Tauro" material appears here for the first time.
The equipment list reveals Akita's expanding palette: Moog Rogue, Theremin, Novation Bass Station, T…
Tauro-O1
The "Tauro" albums contain outtakes from the 1998 masterpiece Tauromachine (Relapse/Release) and unused material from the same period - the "O" in the title standing for "Outtakes." While the 10CD box Merzmorphosis (Youth Inc., 2012) previously compiled much unreleased 1996-97 material, it excluded recordings related to 1930 and Tauromachine. This "Tauro" material appears here for the first time.
The equipment list reveals Akita's expanding palette: Moog Rogue, Theremin, Novation Bass Station, T…
Cat Of Shell Vol.2
Volume 2. Cat Of Shell was recorded in 1996 and originally intended for release under the same title, but remained unreleased until now. According to Akita's notes, the DAT master index lists both "Cat Of Shell" and "1930" - indicating these recordings relate to the celebrated 1930 album (Tzadik). The repetitive sounds playing in clever, ear-catching balance suggest techno influences, while cracked sounds reminiscent of metal pronunciation and tremendous sonic depth characterize the sessions.
At…
Cat Of Shell Vol.1
Cat Of Shell was recorded in 1996 and originally intended for release under the same title, but remained unreleased until now. According to Akita's notes, the DAT master index lists both "Cat Of Shell" and "1930" - indicating these recordings relate to the celebrated 1930 album (Tzadik). The repetitive sounds playing in clever, ear-catching balance suggest techno influences, while cracked sounds reminiscent of metal pronunciation and tremendous sonic depth characterize the sessions.
At the time,…
Chameleon Body
Chameleon Body suggests shape-shifting, adaptation, camouflage - apt metaphors for Merzbow's endlessly mutating sonic identity. The chameleon changes appearance while remaining essentially itself; similarly, Akita's work transforms constantly while maintaining recognizable characteristics. The "body" element grounds these transformations in physicality.
This golden-period document captures the project at peak flexibility, demonstrating Akita's ability to shift between approaches without losing c…
Live at Doushisha University
This live recording from Doshisha University captures Merzbow in performance during the Pulse Demon era - a unique document of how golden-period studio work translated to live contexts. The academic setting creates intriguing tension: extreme noise in an institution of learning, challenging assumptions about appropriate sound.
Akita's live performances during this period were legendary - intense, confrontational experiences testing audiences' physical and psychological limits. University perform…
小品集 (Selected Small Works) Vol.2
Volume 2. Unlike earlier Archive installments sourced from cassette masters, this series was remastered from original DAT tapes, ensuring superior audio quality. These volumes collect shorter pieces - concentrated bursts of Akita's most celebrated period. The decision to release "small works" separately reflects curatorial sensitivity; these pieces might otherwise be lost as bonus tracks.
They demonstrate that Merzbow's genius operates at any duration - brevity concentrates rather than diminishe…
小品集 (Selected Small Works) Vol.1
Unlike earlier Archive installments sourced from cassette masters, this series was remastered from original DAT tapes, ensuring superior audio quality. These volumes collect shorter pieces - concentrated bursts of Akita's most celebrated period. The decision to release "small works" separately reflects curatorial sensitivity; these pieces might otherwise be lost as bonus tracks.
They demonstrate that Merzbow's genius operates at any duration - brevity concentrates rather than diminishes impact. …
Untitled 1991 Vol. 3
Volume 3. The fifth chapter focuses intensively on 1991 - a transformative year for Merzbow. New sampling delay effects from Next and Digitech enabled more rhythmic, cut-up approaches, marking decisive evolution from previous decade's collage techniques. These sessions were originally produced by mixing multiple 4-channel cassettes, but for this release appear largely unedited - raw material preserved without typical layering and processing.
New mixes were created using a TASCAM MFP-01 to replac…
Untitled 1991 Vol. 2
Volume 2. The fifth chapter focuses intensively on 1991 - a transformative year for Merzbow. New sampling delay effects from Next and Digitech enabled more rhythmic, cut-up approaches, marking decisive evolution from previous decade's collage techniques. These sessions were originally produced by mixing multiple 4-channel cassettes, but for this release appear largely unedited - raw material preserved without typical layering and processing.
New mixes were created using a TASCAM MFP-01 to replac…
Untitled 1991 Vol. 1
The fifth chapter focuses intensively on 1991 - a transformative year for Merzbow. New sampling delay effects from Next and Digitech enabled more rhythmic, cut-up approaches, marking decisive evolution from previous decade's collage techniques. These sessions were originally produced by mixing multiple 4-channel cassettes, but for this release appear largely unedited - raw material preserved without typical layering and processing.
New mixes were created using a TASCAM MFP-01 to replace the unav…
