Masami Akita
Individual
Roles
Artist, MusicianBiography
Masami Akita's work is deeply connected to dada and surrealism and the ever-shifting fascination with found objects. Taking inspiration from junk art and, among others, animal rights and environmentalism, Akita, aka Merzbow is considered one of the most important artists in the noise genre, although, on some of his more recent releases—including the mesmerising Merzbuddha or the improvised sound art spaces of Merzbient—have considerably expanded that term's borders. His latest album project Cuts, a collaboration with Hungarian drummer Balazs Pandi and Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, is no exception to this philosophy. An orgy of atonality and the unexpected, issuing label RareNoise has described this project as the 'sound of shock and awe' and a 'sonic assault of epic proportions.' But it also constitutes a self-confident and entirely convincing move into free jazz territory. Quite clearly, even after 350 recordings and 17 books, there are still plenty of new sounds and approaches to discover for Akita."Fifteen" Questions, 2024