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 There is no need to argue: Merzbow stands as the most important artist in noise music. The favorite moniker of Japan's Masami Akita appears on hundreds of albums. The name comes from German artist Kurt Schwitters' famous work Merzbau, which he also called The Cathedral of Erotic Misery. Akita's choice reflects his fondness for junk art (through Schwitters' collage method) and his fascination with ritualized eroticism, namely in the form of fetishism and bondage. He is also an outspoken environmentalist and animal rights activist. All these elements constitute the Merzbow persona. Akita began self-releasing his work in 1980, and was an integral part of the international cassette and mail-art underground. While early releases such as 1981's Remblandt Assemblage were made using tape manipulations, metal percussion, and found objects, he began producing harsh noise using live electronics at the end of the 1980s, when he began performing concerts. His work became influenced by death metal and grindcore, and releases on Release Entertainment (a sublabel of extreme metal label Relapse) -- including 1994's Venereology and 1996's Pulse Demon -- exposed his work to new audiences. Akita began using a laptop for recordings and performances starting in 1999. Soon after, he became a vegan and a PETA supporter, and releases such as 2001's Frog explicitly addressed themes related to animal rights. Merzbeat (2002) kicked off a series of more rhythmic Merzbow releases. By the end of the decade, he had resumed performing using junk metal and effects pedals rather than a laptop. Throughout his career, Akita has collaborated with countless musicians, including Sonic Youth, Boris, Keiji Haino, and Mike Patton.
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