Sound

Masami Akita

Born

1956-12-19 (69)

Place of birth

Tokyo

Known for

Sound

Credits

13 titles

Masami Akita, better known by his stage name Merzbow, 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, and has collaborated with various artists. (Wikipedia)

Known for

Lost Paradise: Riding Habit Harakiri poster
4.8

Directed by Masami Akita,who is also one of Japan's leading noise musicians under the name Merzbow. With a soundtrack by the director himself, this intense and ultra-gory seppuku film shows a young woman taking her own life by an act of ritual harakiri.

Lost Paradise: Riding Habit Harakiri

1990

Kingdom of Noise: Japanese Noise Selection poster
4.0

Various life performances by Japanese Noise acts: Aube - Low Spin Drift / Incapacitants - Live At 20000V / Dislocation - Writing And Masturbation / Masonna - Live At Bears And La Mama / Seed Mouth - Twilight City / Violent Onsen Geisha - Night Of Unlcean Water / Solmania - Live At Living Room / Merzbow - Piss For Yves Klein / C.C.C.C. - Loud Sounds Dopa / Hijokaidan - Live At La Mama.

Kingdom of Noise: Japanese Noise Selection

1993

Bandage Anatomy Woman poster
NR

A woman is covered in bandages before having her insides removed. This film is often confused to be a continuation of Romain Slocombe's "L'étudiante Blessée" due to the fact they were released in the same collection.

Bandage Anatomy Woman

1995

Oh! Moro Volume 5 poster
NR

Kansai New Art Video Magazine - Noise Collection. Rare noise compilation of some of Japan's top musicians in 1992. The first part includes an interview about the Japanese Noise scene by David Hopkins. Aube playing a parking garage installation using halogen lamps as sound source, Merzbow playing a small village in Korea as the townspeople look on bewildered, Incapacitants Live in the Mountains of Tajima, Japan.

Oh! Moro Volume 5

1992

Hell Bento: Uncovering the Japanese Underground poster
5.9

An exploration of underground Japanese counter-culture including the Yakuza, the nationalists, the gay and lesbian community, the bikers and the homeless.

Hell Bento: Uncovering the Japanese Underground

1995

Merzbow: Live at Middle East Cafe Boston 21 Sep 1990 poster
NR

Live concert recorded at the Middle East cafe in Boston, MA on September 21, 1990.

Merzbow: Live at Middle East Cafe Boston 21 Sep 1990

1993

Film credits

2000s · 3 titles

1990s · 8 titles

Kingdom of Noise: Japanese Noise Selection poster
4.0

Various life performances by Japanese Noise acts: Aube - Low Spin Drift / Incapacitants - Live At 20000V / Dislocation - Writing And Masturbation / Masonna - Live At Bears And La Mama / Seed Mouth - Twilight City / Violent Onsen Geisha - Night Of Unlcean Water / Solmania - Live At Living Room / Merzbow - Piss For Yves Klein / C.C.C.C. - Loud Sounds Dopa / Hijokaidan - Live At La Mama.

Kingdom of Noise: Japanese Noise Selection

1993

Oh! Moro Volume 5 poster
NR

Kansai New Art Video Magazine - Noise Collection. Rare noise compilation of some of Japan's top musicians in 1992. The first part includes an interview about the Japanese Noise scene by David Hopkins. Aube playing a parking garage installation using halogen lamps as sound source, Merzbow playing a small village in Korea as the townspeople look on bewildered, Incapacitants Live in the Mountains of Tajima, Japan.

Oh! Moro Volume 5

1992

Hell Bento: Uncovering the Japanese Underground poster
5.9

An exploration of underground Japanese counter-culture including the Yakuza, the nationalists, the gay and lesbian community, the bikers and the homeless.

Hell Bento: Uncovering the Japanese Underground

1995

Merzbow: Live at Middle East Cafe Boston 21 Sep 1990 poster
NR

Live concert recorded at the Middle East cafe in Boston, MA on September 21, 1990.

Merzbow: Live at Middle East Cafe Boston 21 Sep 1990

1993

Good Alchemy Video poster
NR

Performances by Japanese Noise acts: Masonna, Incapacitants, Merzbow, Solmania, Hijokaidan.

Good Alchemy Video

1995

Signal to Noise poster
NR

Short documentary on Japanese noise artist Merzbow by South African filmmaker Aryan Kaganof. Filmed on location at the Kamakura Temple, Japan, 1997.

Signal to Noise

1998

Beyond Ultra Violence: Uneasy Listening by Merzbow poster
6.4

Documentary about and with the Japanese electronic composer and artist Merzbow.

Beyond Ultra Violence: Uneasy Listening by Merzbow

1998

Merzbow: Live July 5th, 1995 poster
NR

Live concert recorded at Brückenkopf in Mainz, Germany on July 5, 1995.

Merzbow: Live July 5th, 1995

1996

Behind the camera