On the Floor – Merzbow at Red Bull Music Festival Chicago

Recorded at the industrial-style venue Saffron Rails, as part of the Drone Activity night at the Red Bull Music Festival in Chicago, here is the sound of Merzbow, the long-running project of pioneering Japanese noise artist Masami Akita. Growing up in Tokyo, Akita was influenced by the confrontational blues-rock guitar sounds of Lou Reed, Robert Fripp and Jimi Hendrix. Drawing inspiration from free jazz, electroacoustic music and his time in progressive rock bands, he founded the Merzbow project in 1979. Widely considered one of the last active veterans of the Japanese noise scene, his discography spans over 709 releases and his performances continue to take on the aesthetics of free jazz, experimental music and performance art.