Merzbow

Merzbow
Masami Akita at Moers Festival 2007
Background information
Birth name	Masami Akita
Born	(1956-12-19) December 19, 1956 (age 60) Tokyo, Japan
Genres	Noise dark ambient drone free improvisation sound collage
Occupation(s)	Musician, graphic artist, writer, animal rights activist
Instruments	Effects units junk metal contact mic laptop synthesizer tape guitar drums percussion
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Lowest Music & Arts ZSF Produkt Alchemy Alien8 Blossoming Noise Cold Spring Dirter Promotions Extreme Important Relapse RRRecords Soleilmoon Tzadik
Associated acts	Boris Bustmonster Flying Testicle Mats Gustafsson Keiji Haino Hijokaidan Kapotte Muziek Maldoror MAZK Kiyoshi Mizutani Nordvargr KK Null Jim O'Rourke Balázs Pándi Richard Pinhas Reiko.A Satanstornade
Website	merzbow.net

Masami Akita (秋田 昌美, Akita Masami^?, born December 19, 1956), better known by his stage name Merzbow (メルツバウ, Merutsubau^?), is a Japanese noise musician. He is best known for his style of harsh, confrontational noise exemplified on his 1996 release, Pulse Demon. Since 1980, he has released over 400 recordings.

The name Merzbow comes from the German dada artist Kurt Schwitters' artwork Merzbau (German pronunciation: [ˈmɛʁtsˌbaʊ̯]), in which Schwitters transformed the interior of his house using found objects. The name was chosen to reflect Akita's dada influence and junk art aesthetic. In addition to this, Akita has cited a wide range of musical influences from progressive rock, heavy metal, free jazz, and early electronic music to non-musical influences like dadaism, surrealism, and fetish culture. Since the early 2000s, he has been inspired by animal rights and environmentalism, and has become a vegan.