Ultima: Merzbowconcert
Since he began in 1979, Masami Akita’s Merzbow project has occupied a central position in the international noise music genre. The sheer scale of Merzbow's production works against any attempt to summarise it. With over 500 releases behind him, including solo work and collaborations, his influence extends across avant-garde, industrial and extreme music.
Merzbow's music – a boiling ocean of merciless textures and grating sound that never stops churning – is about vision as well as volume. Once your ears attune to his unique frequencies, the dense walls of sound often reveal an unexpected beauty and clarity within the chaos.
As well as taking his name from dadaist Kurt Schwitters's Merzbau concept, Akita has cited a wide range of influences from progressive rock, free jazz, modern classical and musique concrète to BDSM and Japanese bondage. More recently he has been inspired by a dedication to animal rights and environmentalism, as evidenced on the album series 13 Japanese Birds.
This solo concert will be a rare chance to hear an artist whose life's work has defined the parameters of noise music for generations to come.
©Jenny Akita
