I was literally ill after I first heard Akasha Gulva. I'm absolutely serious. I was ready to throw up. I had to learn to embrace the noise. I had to train my brain. And when I was fully ready, it was fucking glorious.

Wise decision! Have this at the ready if they have any questions:

Lawrence English’s
Rough Guide to Merzbow

Soooooo......what’s the oddest sounding “music/noise” you would leave on when your parents ventured down to your end of the house?

Probably Autechre at their most 'we're just making bleeps with no rhyme or reason' moments. At least then it still seems like it's coming out of a working speaker system.

Has anyone been listening to Merzcast?
Greh Holger is the host and will have members of different bands as a co-host.
In the first episode the host proclaimed Nine Inch Nails were their gateway to Merzbow???


Episode 1. Tauromachine 40:00
Episode 2. Green Wheels 47:48
Episode 3. Hybrid Noisebloom 26:37
Episode 4. Storage 30:41
Episode 5. Venereology 44:00
Episode 6. Cloud Clock OO Grand 32:44

The guy from Hive Mind got into Merzbow through Nine Inch Nails?!?!?

Thanks for posting will check out the podcast

They are now making tapes of the Merzcast

For Those Who Can Speak Espanol

I’ve really enjoyed the Venereology discussion!

Merzbow live, Crash Worship, MerzbowTumblr and the collection of noise show flyers, the THANK YOU / Greetings list that led many to RRRecords.

Yeah this podcast is great, I'm looking forward to seeing who else guests in the future. The recent episode with Russell Haswell was very interesting.

There's another Merzbow podcast!

Two people go through the merzbox, one disc per episode

https://immerzbox.libsyn.com

Fuck, yes.

i still adore my Merzbox.

Now I have a podcast to listen to!!

Last night, I was listening to the Australian-based podcast, The Antidote, and they mentioned that the Merzcast had gone on hiatus.

Why?

Merzcast started a patreon account for those who wanted to support the endeavor......because podcast cost money???

They explained Masami Akita became aware of the podcast and stated, “everyone is trying to make money off me.” They also said Akita’s wife has become “religious” and is trying to distance Masami from his earlier PORN related releases.

After the short hiatus, Merzcast is now: Noiseextra......where they discuss noise in general.

I listened to the first Episode of Noisextra: MASONNA - Sonic Devil. In the broadcast, they explain that
Merzcast was Season One and Noisextra is the begging of Season Two. The goal of Noisextra is to document the history of noise.

I’m most excited to give Episode Two: Richard Ramirez’ - Memorial a listen. Richard Ramirez is the founding member of, Black Leather Jesus. Originally based in Houston, Richard and his partner now reside in Pittsburgh.

Immerzbox is available on iTunes.

There was a Merzcast episode with GX Jupiter Larson, he brought up some anecdotes about how obsessed with porn Merzbow was back in the day, and stuff related to that. Merzbow found out and had a hissy fit and there was internet beef for a few days between Merzbow and the podcast. They recorded a special episode about the beef but it got taken down before i heard it, apparently the guys were quite upset. The GX episode got taken down too, i probably have it saved somewhere if anyone would like to hear it...

weird that someone will get upset about that. It's not like pornography and power electronics, especially in the early days, weren't basically hand-in-hand as part of the general aesthetic.

yeah but that’s implying that merzbow is a part of power electronics which is a little reductive, always thought that merz/the japanese axis of noise is about elevating the subaltern/transgressive rather than employing its iconography for some transgression point scoring. Akita’s definitely misguided in going off like this but I think this^ is probably his perspective, he was employing imagery as a reflection of his sound rather than an accessory? so not fetishistic/performative in the way that PE is, much more genuine/personal. also just a cultural thing I suppose, he probably interpreted it as a public shaming. and even if they claim they’re not, through using a legitimate platform they’re positioning themselves as *the* narrative on his work and that naturally is going to freak out any artist, having someone else establish the terms on which others will engage with your work.

Have you heard the episode in question? GXJL was just recounting anecdotes about the old days, there was no framing of narratives going on. Apparently Merzbow hadn't heard the episode either he just flipped out when told about it and said he was cancelling reissues of Merzbow and Haters stuff.

Evidently there were two Jupitter Larsen Episodes. Number 13 under Merzcast has been deleted.

“Wind Licked Dirt,” posted Wednesday, is the latest Episode (8) of Noisextra featuring GXJL.

The final Merzcast: Episode 14 Merzbow - Disapproved

I can’t get the audio to play......but I haven’t downloaded the castbox app???

yeah that reaction is totally odd but still the podcast itself is narrative framing by default, especially for a guy who can’t speak English and therefore can’t get his point across directly to western audiences to begin with. doesn’t excuse akita chucking a hissy though, much less in this way. but I’ve got deeper problems with the podcast itself which maybe gives me a bias.

This Episode is over two hours long. I’m not even an hour in and it’s chalked full information......Jupitter-Larsen tells how Kim Cascone of Silent Records wanted The Haters to release their next album on his new label. Jupitter explains that Cascone changed the history of, Silent, but added that story would be told at another time.

Does anyone have any insight or knowledge about this?

I remember someone mentioning there was a rhyme and reason to: Poison Gas Research vs. PGR......but I can’t recall?

Regarding Masami‘s girlfriend......she possibly convinced him if meat = murder, then porn/bondage = degradation of women.

I was somewhat disappointed that the Richard Ramirez Episode failed to mention RR and Black Leather Jesus’s use of porn/bondage in many of their releases.

At my last BLJ show, Richard had homemade leather bondage devices at the merch table......and a good bit of hard core gay porn, too. Now Richard has his own dress line.

 

u

Please do share!

A potential problem avoided by no longer focusing on Merzbow releases......how long until the reviews started sounding the same?

This being said, I found it fascinating that the numbers that make up the track titles on -Collapse 12 Floors- are the barometric pressure readings during a hurricane that collapsed an historic building.

This weeks episode: John Duncan - Dark Market Broadcast.

I find Mike Connelly a bit of a sycophant, he brown noses the guests like crazy, and any record or thing that gets mentioned he'll butt in and say it's the best thing ever. And the episodes without guests are a littlevtedious.

I stumbled across these intense Merzbow variations created by James Whitehead aka jliat......well worth a listen.

Making Noise tracks using Roland Modular effects all pieces based on two Merzbow recordings, 1930 and Pulse Demon. (Variations). Recording various synths presets, (Voreinstellungen).

 

The latest Noisextra: Aube - Spindrift

Yesterday, September 25th was the six year anniversary of the death of, Akifumi Nakajima. For those who financially support Noisextra, there is a special podcast focusing on an Aube 7” series: Quadrotation

 

Lastly, I stumbled upon this......and it’s FREE

While chatting about music on a Discord server I'm on, we accidentally got my girlfriend to listen to Merzbow.

She said she liked the noises, but she was starting to get a headache, so she turned it off.

Was she listening at loud or extreme volumes, or just regular volume?

I enjoy some Merzbow releases at lower volume, others I like to turn it up.

I never gave it much thought before, but just this week I was listening to the I Hate Music podcast: Daniel Menche where Daniel tells of going to Japan for a tour and staying with Masami Akita in his apartment. Menche explains how all the apartments are tiny and Masami Akita had a very average tape player with crappy speakers and this is how he listened to noise......and was very happy doing so. Menche noted Masami‘s tape player was in his kitchen and they would sit at the table and listen to Japanese noise tapes. Daniel contrasted that to how in America and other parts of the world so much emphasis is placed on expensive audio equipment, and what kind of speakers you have.

Do you recall which Merzbow your girlfriend was listening to?

Noisextra Episode 28: In Conversation With Smell & Quim

Is that podcast anything to do with the I Hate Music message board?

Great question???

I just discovered the podcast and wasn’t aware of the message board, I’ll check it out later and see what I can discover.

After 30 minutes or so, I find the -I Hate Music- message board odd to navigate. However, this might have something to do with me not being a member? So far I’ve found no rhyme or reason connecting the podcast to the message board.

I’ve downloaded the first episode from November 2017 to see if the message board his mentioned, but it’s with some ska guy I’m not sure how much of that I can stomach???

BLJ are hitting the road in 2020

March 4 Dayton, Ohio
March 5 Pittsburgh, PA
March 6 Ithaca, NY
March 7 NYC, NY
March 8 New Brunswick, NJ
March 9 Richard, VA

I received two tapes from Richard last week, I’ll post those later.
Meanwhile......earlier this month, RR - Textures Of The Male Form

Last but not least, the Harsh Truths Podcast returned in October after a years hiatus.

Episode 11: Richard Ramirez......it’s a three hour interview that covers the very beginnings of Black Leather Jesus.

The above Noisextra Episode was recorded earlier this month. The show notes mentioned Simon Morris was missing.

The sad news BREAKING this morning: Body Pulled From River Wyre Was Simon Morris





Smell & Quim and Richard Ramirez pics from last month

Why I’m Scared Of Ceramic Hobs......The Simon Harris Interview

Guy Brushes Teeth At Merzbow Show