Merzbow (?) (!)

[ouroboros]

I just listened to Merzbow for the first time.

I'm not sure how I feel.

I will probably always be a rock/pop-er, but I like to hear other things/thoughts, so I thought I'd give it a go after recommendations and the "homogenization" thread.

Visually (and with lit.), I tend to like modern art, very abstract stuff that plays with rules. With lit., I suppose because I understand the rules more precisely, the allusions, etc., it is easier to appreciate.

This noise stuff is very new to me and tough to get around: I like some of the sounds; the aliasing, the strange effects the white noise creates, but I'm not sure what the aim of it is? (Is that the point?)

Is it to analyze the feelings of disconnection from the music/ the thwarted expectations? Interesting stuff, and I'd love to hear more from folks into Merzbow (or others-i don't know the genre) what your understanding and appreciation of it is

[blue on blue]

in a nutshell, i personally like to take sounds and use them in ways they weren't really intended. it's a fascinating, ongoing journey to see how a sound can be manipulated beyond recognition.

i think you might be on to something with your thoughts of "the feeling of disconnection from the music/the thwarted expectations." also, and hopefully i'm not getting too far out there, i think one of the purposes of art is to imitate nature. and nature is often very perplexing. a peaceful stream in the woods is calming, despite the random nature (no pun intended, honestly) of the water gurgling over rocks and such.

anyway, if you're interested, check out http://www.soundclick.com/blueonblue and listen to the track "mein." it consists of about 15-20 drum/cymbal samples, no synths or other samples. just lots and lots of manipulation and effects.

(oh, and for the record, though i've read a few things about Merzbow, i've never actually heard anything by him.)

[Bunnyboy]

woo!

The noise stuff is a whole new world

some artists affect me on a very base level that the average song cannot

it is a very wide-ranging style/s as well.

I'm just getting into Jessica Rylan and Wolf Eyes atthe moment - both are amazing!!

[ouroboros]

thanks blue. I listened to your piece, "mein". It was fascinating, especially knowing that it was only cymbals!

To my unknowing ear though. it soudned somehow ambient: it had developing textures, a slow rhythm; washes of sound if you well (and delicate in places).

Merzbow was a sonic assault of uniterrupted noise: there was nothing really identifiable as music, only sound. I wonder though if understanding the intent of each piece, as I did knowing yours, is necessary?

@Bb: I quickly heard a J.R. piece at your mention: it seemed very different from Merzbow (P.D and 1930): as if I had left a canning machine on in front of a P.A.

What is the theorey behind thee pieces?
(I hope it's not purely Rorschach and I'm showing my need for control!)

[Bunnyboy]

God knows what the theory is behind merzbow, except his quest to save wildlife!!

Jessica Rylans stuff seems to be based on electronic fundamentals - she builds her own gear for specific purposes.

Yeah, she doesnt do the churning soundscapes of merzbow, but is still very much out there when it comes to music styles

[ouroboros]

Jessica Rylans...is still very much out there when it comes to music styles

definitely!

[Bunnyboy]

Jessica Rylans...is still very much out there when it comes to music styles

definitely!

and is very pretty

(i've met her, la la la)

[sonarman]

I’ve collaborated on a few arty sound projects. The biggest problem is separating your musical instincts from the piece – In other words, trying to avoid looking for a rhythm or a tune. One of the problems I have with modern electronic music in art is how clean and processed it all sounds. People are applying the same effects to ‘Art’ as they would to a dance track. I like good old fashioned white noise.

[fabi]

i can fall asleep to merzbow, just fine. i think in today's society there is so much information overload, that information tends to accumulate into noise. when i want to wash aways all the noise in my head, i listen to stuff like merzbow etc.

and when i've got too much of that, i listen to lots of cher....

and i am interested in the meaning of noise. my signature in some ways is nothing but a glitch - it is noise, and yet, there is a new meaning to it, that only reveals itself if you pay attention to the 'wrong' things.

[blue on blue]

ourboros, thanks for listening, and for the kind words. i suppose i do tend more towards the ambient end of the spectrum.

come to think of it, i've not really listened to much in the noise scene. i've heard some of sonic youth's forays into more experimental/noise territories, but the aural onslaught that apparently defines the Merzbow sound is still foreign to me...for some reason i pretty stopped buying CDs over the last few years (and no, not due to piracy or P2P networks. i suppose i just started spending that money on music gear so i can *try to* make my own music). anyway, thanks again for listening. i hope to have some new stuff up soon.

[foosnark]

I like noisy glitchy ambient things, where nonmusical textures and sound particles/blobs/chunks are turned into music. But I don't quite get Merzbow or other noise artists.

Maybe I was trying too hard to find the music in it when it's not musical at all? Hm.

[vurt]

merzbow is an artist that while always being a "noise" artist does actually cover a wide variety of noise as bunnyboy says theres a lot more to the genre
i have only recently found merzbow myself so will leave it to maybe dystonia to give a better runthrough of his carreer.
but noise for me starts and ends with throbbing gristle
whilst not being the noisiest of noise definitely a great starting point for anyone interested in venturing over to the dark side tracks to look for hamburger lady,his arm was her leg and of course very friendly

[tetraplan]

For me, personally, noise[1] is a cleansing by sound. Or maybe a "trial by music".
Making it can release stuff that wouldn't be released if the music would have been made by traditional, codefied means.
I think there's an element of transgression in it, too. Whitehouse's lyrics are a good example.

Groet, Erik

[1] The harsh, abrasive kind. For me, disjointed stuff like Hafler Trio, HNAS et al. qualifies as noise, too, just on a completely different level.

[vurt]

ooh yea why do i listen...
like tera says its a sound that rushes you and leaves you feeling cleansed afterwards.its the sound of true emotion i guess most of all its the sound that i feel in my gut that makes me feel.

[shamann]

Is it to analyze the feelings of disconnection from the music/ the thwarted expectations?

There are as many reasons to listen to it as there are listeners, really. Everyone will have a slightly different take on it.

The concept of analysis doesn't fit for me with noise, I come to it at a much more physical level. It reminds me that music is more than just an intellectual game, and that sound is as physical as any surface or scent.

It can also just be a pleasure to listen to. I tend to prefer the psychedelic noise, the stuff that just takes you away. With Merzbow, I've said it here once before, Pulse Demon is what I imagine heaven to sound like.

Listening to noise can also be fairly creatively invigorating, just lets your head go off on a tangent. A couple things to consider when approaching listening: 1) appreciation of noise runs contrary to most of what we learn from childhood to appreciate in sound, so it takes effort and a refinement of your sense of hearing, in the same way as finding pleasure in the smell of washed rind cheeses; and 2) don't listen to it too loud, some folk are animals with the volume, but taking care of your ears isn't such a bad thing, tinnitus and deafness are not so much fun.

If you're looking to try out some more noise stuff, may check out here: http://noisemp3.com/ . Bunch of great free stuff. I highly recommend both Knurl and the Haters.