We’ve been in a pretty noisy mood lately. Last week we brought you a sprawling noise rock playlist and now you’re getting a 2.5-hour-long set of tracks from the master of harsh noise, Masami Akita (b.k.a. Merzbow). In a sense he is the perfect subject for one of these starter packs, as his career spans nearly 300 studio albums over the course of four decades and features a wider array of textures and recording techniques than just about any other harsh noise musician’s. However, some of his great works (for instance Rainbow Electronics) are comprised of one very long track, thereby not lending themselves to playlist listening. And many interesting releases, like much of his 80’s sound collage output and his masterpiece 1930, aren’t on Spotify. Nor are his collaborations with Boris (with the exception of the too-long Sun Baked Snow Cave), which is a potential disappointment for those looking forward to next year’s double-album Gensho.

With all that being said, hopefully you will find this set to be as varied and comprehensive as possible. We understand that harsh noise isn’t the easiest genre to get into and we can’t really help you “get it” if it’s not your thing, but if you’re looking for some insight into how this type of music can be enjoyable, check out Anthony’s talk with Mike Rugnetta about noise, among other styles of experimental music. Whatever y’all get out of it, enjoy!

Further listening – the lighter side of Merzbow: