Merzbient

Merzbient
Cover of the box set
Box set by Merzbow
Released	October 26, 2010
Recorded	1987 – 1990 at ZSF Produkt Studio[1]
Genre	Noise, Ambient
Length	610:20
Label	Soleilmoon
Producer	Masami Akita
Merzbow chronology
9888A (2010) Merzbient (2010) ZaRa (2011)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Foxy Digitalis	[3]
Musique Machine	[4]
PopMatters	[5]
The Quietus	(favorable)[6]

Merzbient is a boxset of 12 CDs by the Japanese noise musician Merzbow.

The tracks were originally made as raw material for other releases and were not intended for release themselves. While working on cassette reissue of E-Study for Blossoming Noise in 2009, Masami Akita rediscovered the original master tapes, and found that they could be considered "completed works of improvisation music" of their own.^[7]

When Merzbow started playing live internationally in the late '80s, it required the use of simple and portable gear, which then influenced his studio sound. But he also continued to use junk and acoustic instruments in the studio for a few more years, including a "big handmade junk instrument made from a metal box with piano wires" played with a violin bow.

Each disc comes in individual full-color sleeves with a photo on both sides, when arranged together they form larger images of Japanese gardens. Also included is a die-cast metal medallion with the words "動物解放" (dōbutsukaihō) meaning "Animal liberation". These are packed in a hardcover box with red foil block printing. The set is limited to 555 numbered copies.^[8]

"RBA" means "Right Brain Audile", used by Akita for his soundtracks to bondage films produced by Right Brain, the term appears on the Music for Bondage Performance albums. "Capsule Cologne" and "UD II-S 90" were types of cassettes made by Maxell. "AXIA" was a brand of cassettes made by Fujifilm, some of which are label "For CD". "Matehnas" was made as raw material for the collaboration with H.N.A.S. member Christoph Heemann.^[7]

Merzbient will be issued on 15 (or more) vinyl LPs with additional tracks.^[7]

Track listing

All music composed by Masami Akita.

CD 1
No.	Title	Year	Length
1.	"RBA 1A"	1989	45:45

CD 2
No.	Title	Year	Length
1.	"RBA 1B"	1989	44:36
2.	Untitled		12:41
Total length:			57:17

CD 3
No.	Title	Year	Length
1.	"RBA 2A"	1989	45:59

CD 4
No.	Title	Year	Length
1.	"RBA/Capsule Cologne Maxell"	1990	46:07

CD 5
No.	Title	Year	Length
1.	"RBA 8B"	1990	46:32

CD 6
No.	Title	Year	Length
1.	"RBA 8A"	1990	46:41

CD 7
No.	Title	Year	Length
1.	"RBA 7+2"	1990	31:29
2.	"RBA 7+1"	1990	23:04
Total length:			54:33

CD 8
No.	Title	Year	Length
1.	"RBA/Maxell UD II-S 90"	1990	30:07
2.	"Mixer/Scratch AXIA for CD"	1990	29:58
Total length:			60:05

CD 9
No.	Title	Year	Length
1.	"Metal4ch"	1987	43:10

CD 10
No.	Title	Year	Length
1.	"Matehnas"	1987	30:41
2.	"1988DECsolo"	1988	23:48
Total length:			54:29

CD 11
No.	Title	Year	Length
1.	"9011"	1990	31:17
2.	"Violinsolo89"	1989	15:39
Total length:			46:56

CD 12
No.	Title	Year	Length
1.	"Gasstove4-90"	1990	22:55
2.	"92288"	1988	39:51
Total length:			62:46

Notes

• CD 2 track 2 is not listed on the sleeve.
• Digitally remastered from original cassette tapes March 2010.

Personnel

• Masami Akita – various scrap metals, various metals/tin box with piano wires, various percussion by small objects, paper, stone, woods, kitchen objects etc., contact mics, audio mixer, motor, electric fan, gas stove, guitar, violin, thermin, various effects. etc. but no synthesizer. ^[7]
• Jenny Akita – photos

References

1. ^ Merzbient on Merzbow blog
2. ^ Anderson, Rick. Merzbow: Merzbient > Review at Allmusic. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
3. ^ Bird, Travis. "Review: Merzbient". Foxy Digitalis. http://www.foxydigitalis.com/foxyd/?p=15276. Retrieved August 1, 2011. 
4. ^ Batty, Roger. "Review: Merzbient". Musique Machine. http://musiquemachine.com/reviews/reviews_template.php?id=3057. Retrieved March 25, 2011. 
5. ^ Schiller, Mike. "Review: Merzbient". PopMatters. http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/137570-merzbow-merzbient/. Retrieved March 25, 2011. 
6. ^ Stubbs, David. "Review: Merzbient". The Quietus. http://thequietus.com/articles/05401-merzbow-merzbient-review. Retrieved March 25, 2011. 
7. ^ ^{a b c d} Batty, Roger. "Calm Before the Storm". Musique Machine. http://musiquemachine.com/articles/articles_template.php?id=229. Retrieved May 26, 2011. 
8. ^ label press release