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Hans Ulrich
Obrist (HUO): My first question is about your name, Merzbow, referring
to Schwitters, Why did you chose this name for your music acticities.
Akita Masami
(AM): In my work, I use materials which I find everywhere and assemble.
It seems to me a process similar to Schwitters' work, so I just
took the name.
HUO: Do you
mean you assemble disparate things in your sound pieces or do you
also work with found objects or sculptural installations?
AM: No, I just
work with found sounds, not materials, just noise; I just make very
cheap cassette tapes.
HUO: When I
interviewed Eye Yamatuka recently in Osaka he was referring to your
work, to Pan Sonic, to Mika Vainio, to his own work as well - he
said this sort of noise music would have origins in Japan from the
tradition of Gagaku music. How far do you see your work related
to that , and could you talk about traditions of noise music in
Japan?
AM: I don't
think my music is related to any tradition of music in Japan like
Gagaku. It is much more related to western influences.
HUO: What are
your western influences?
AM: The seventies,
like Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, King Crimson.
HUO: Another
question concerns the Japanese context . I wonder from your own
position who are the people in Japan you are connected to, you are
in a dialogue with, what would be the sort of music context you
would work with?
AM: Nobody,
I think, but I work with people from the west like Masonna, Incapacitants
but everybody here is completely different.
HUO: From your
own work?
AM: Yes
HUO: How far
is Merzbow a group, because you somehow see Merzbow as your own
personal project but at the same time you perform with other people.
How would you define the boundaries of the group? Where does it
begin and end? Is it a one-person kind of enterprise?
AM: Basically
Merzbow is a solo project , I come together with people only in
live performances. I make my music completely alone.
HUO: Under another
name than Merzbow, or also under that name?
AM: Sometimes
using my single (solo) name.
HUO: When you
do performances, your name has to be Masami Hakita?
AM: No, it's
Merzbow. Sometimes I play alone, things that are a bit different
from my Merzbow work. In that case I use my own name.
HUO: And what
is the relation between recording and playing live? What is the
importance of live in your work?
AM: In my performances
I just find fun, pleasure in doing music in public. In the 1980's
I did only very few live shows.
HUO: When did
you start by the way?
AM: I started
around 1980. My original idea was to only record music in the studio.
I was against live performance, because I didn't like the charisma
of it. Therefore, I had no idea about live performance for a long
time. It is only when I did a long tour in America that I found
pleasure in live performance.
HUO: When was
the first time you went to the United States?
AM: In 1989-1990.
It is more physical pleasure, with my body and sound. After that,
I continued to make live performances more often. Basically, to
people with whom I work in live performance, I just give the task
of supporting my sound. I play with some people, but it is just
a part of my idea.
HUO: Is there
also a visual presence when you make live performances? Are there
visual elements? do you make videos from your performances?
AM: In the early
times, I used films a lot . Sometimes I have video but to me it
is not too important. I am more interested in strong, simple effects
like lighting installations, smoke, stroboscopic light, not images.
HUO: What about
your distribution? Who prints your records and CDs, who buys them?
AM: 4 or 5
records came out with Alchemy records, ca 2000 copies each. I made
over 200 records&CDs already.each copies are 20-5000.I don't know
how many copies each label sold.
HUO: Who buys
them? Is it very young people, people interested in electronic music
or in techno? Who is your audience?
AM: Yes, it
is young people, people interested in techno, and noise maniacs.
HUO: In a European
context, what would be your links? Mika Vainio told me he likes
what you are doing, so there is a dialogue. Are there other people
beside Pan Sonic in Europe with whom you have a dialogue, and could
you tell me about Pan Sonic? what do you think about Mika Vainio?
AM: I know Pan
Sonic through Russell Haswell who told me there were strange Finnish
guys who don't speak English and use very big electronics and make
simple sounds. I was very interested and when I listened to their
CD, it was great.
HUO: Do you
like any other European experimental music?
AM: I am interested
in any new extreme stuff,I think "mego people" is one of the most
extreme computer music being doing now.
Ute Meta Bauer
(UMB) : Is your audience different in Europe than here in Japan
or is it in both context people who share the same interests?
AM: There is
more opportunity to get different audiences in Europe because in
Europe there are many more different categories of art and music
which are linked, whereas in Japan, it is much more difficult to
get across in the same way. In Europe I can play with techno people,
more contemporary people. There aren't the same opportunities in
Japan...
UMB: How did
you get in touch with the people from Blast. Are you produced also
in England?
AM: When I played
in London, Blast was organized by Sho I knew Russell and they were
interested in my music and so they contacted me.
HUO: I want
to return to something we evoked earlier, concerning the record
labels. When we interviewed Eye Yamatuka , he is really in this
intermediary position: that on the one hand, he would do things
which are completely mainstream, he would be on a record with Ken
Ishi something like this, and on the other, he would do really experimental
stuff. Are you interested in this kind of double situation or are
you on the contrary taking the position that you do radical stuff
and push it to the limits? How do you see this sort of positioning
within a music context and the music industry. Is it on the fringes,
or are you interested in it getting a bigger diffusion?
AM: I hate
the Japanese music business, I would never do that.
HUO: So you
refuse to participate in that kind of thing?
AM: They have
no interest and I dont care about it. I am interested in new and
creative ideas, I dont care if its major or minor.
HUO: Beside
your records, Russell also told me about your books. what kind of
books are they?
AM: I have published
13 books. Some are about noise music and sound work and counterculture,
including SM bondage. I still work with some magazines
HUO: Which kind
of magazines are you involved in?
AM: I am writing
for some S-M magazines and, I am writing about modern architecture
in Tokyo. My main intereste is in Japanese architecture of the 1920
and 30s, especially unknown Nameless architecture.
HUO: Earlier
today we visited Kazuo Shinohara in his centennial hall and he showed
Us early modern buildings in Japan.
AM: You saw
much modern architecture in Tokyo today? In 1918, we had a huge
earthquake in Tokyo. After the earthquake, the city was completely
destroyed and it was necessary to rebuild. The city authority organized
the rebuilding of the city and especially the official area of Marunouchi
with official buildings. In the old downtown area which dated from
Edo period, they had no architects, so they redid the Western idea.
The buildings in that area are not by architects but just by ordinary
carpenters who interpreted western references. They introduced western
influences. But it is interesting because sometimes they used cheap
materials, not real stone although it looks like it.
HUO: Have you
published any books on this issue?
AM: I hope to
publish something
HUO: This will
be my last question. I have heard rumors which say that you are
doing a project of 40 or 50 CDs, could you tell me about this mega
CD project.
AM: Yes,it's
called 'Merzbox'.Releasing on Australian label called Extreme. 50
CDs which including almost all delated LPs and some very old & new
unreleased materials. Also,special package and lots of Merzbow goods
as T-shirts, Medallion, book, stecker, CD Rom etc.I hope it will
ready in September.~
TOKYO december
1998
translation:
Akiko Miyake
transcription:
Carrie Pilto
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