Merzbow - Merzbient - 18LP Box Set on Red Vinyl Signed + Numbered /44 pelican

$

425

MERZBOW - Merzbient red vinyl - 18XLP BOX

Condition: New (these do not come sealed, but the boxes are in large plastic sleeves and I've separated all of the records from their individual sleeves to prevent seam splits during shipping)

* Limited edition of 222 total copies of which the first 44 are on red vinyl with black marble/swirl markings. It contains an insert that is hand numbered and signed by Masami Akita - this copy is #29.

* Recorded at ZSF Produkt Studio from 1987 to 1990.

* Albums 1 to 15 were digitally remastered from original cassette tapes and first released on CD in 2010. They were re-edited for release for LP in 2011. Albums 16 to 18 were digitally remastered from original cassette tapes in 2012 and are exclusive to this edition.

* The packaging here is unbelievable, check out the pictures I've posted in this listing - this is two separate large boxes that foldout and contain 9 individual record sleeves in each. There is different artwork/photos on the front and back of each box, each LP sleeve, and each label on the records. There are 3 inserts - one containing the general information about the release with the signature, etc. and the other 2 inserts give the details about the music contained in each box.

* Merzbient is a collection of Merzbow's previously unreleased ambient recordings. The music was recorded in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, at a time when Masami Akita (Merzbow) was becoming famous for his live performances. The records he released at the time mirrored the harsh electronic wall-of-sound style that characterized his peformances, and helped establish his reputation as the prime mover in the Japanese noise scene. Out of necessity he toured with gear that was small, simple and portable. The electronics he used for his recordings were the same ones he used for live shows. But at the same time he was also recording quieter, more atmospheric music at home, and using a wide variety of acoustic instruments including an impractical monstrosity he describes as a "big handmade junk instrument made from a metal box with piano wires", which he played with a violin bow. He made hours and hours of recordings, but kept them private and never released them, until eventually they were set aside and forgotten. After rediscovering them years later he remastered the music and named the collection Merzbient. The music on these albums represent a side of Merzbow never before heard. The music bears many of the signature styles expected from Merzbow - think of the theme of long-form drones pierced by random bursts of sound, for example - but it's enticingly different from what we've heard before, with spacious sounds evoking prehistoric misty landscapes, desolate abandoned industrial sites, and  sci-fi/horror film soundtracks. If the familiar and traditional Merzbow is like a jet plane taking off at full-throttle then Merzbient is the hanger where the plane was built. Not a violent assault on the ears, but something more interior, more personal, and more gentle.