秋田昌美

Merzbow is a Japanese noise project started in 1979 by Masami Akita. Merzbow is best known for a style of harsh, confrontational noise. Since 1980, Akita has released over 400 recordings and has collaborated with various artists. The name Merzbow comes from the German dada artist Kurt Schwitters' artwork Merzbau, in which Schwitters transformed the interior of his house using found objects. The name was chosen to reflect Akita's dada influence and junk art aesthetic. In addition to this, Akita has cited a wide range of musical influences from progressive rock, heavy metal, free jazz, and early electronic music to non-musical influences like dadaism, surrealism, and fetish culture.

As well as being a prolific musician, he has been a writer and editor for several books and magazines in Japan, and has written several books of his own. He has written about a variety of subjects, mostly about music, modern art, and underground culture. His more renowned works were on the topics of BDSM and Japanese bondage.

Other art forms Akita has been interested in include painting, photography, filmmaking, and Butoh dance. In 2000, Extreme Records released a 50 CD box set named the Merzbox. Akita's work has been the subject of several remix albums and at least one tribute album. This, among other achievements, has helped Merzbow to be regarded by some as the "most important artist in noise".

動物のための反戦

Since the early 2000s, merzbow has been inspired by animal rights and environmentalism, and began to follow a vegan, straight edge lifestyle. And although his music doesn't have lyrics you can tell that it's a huge influence to him. Veganism: "A philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals."Veganism has greatly influenced my work and the direction of my work. Since I’ve become vegan I released lots of works on such thematic as: seal, bear, bird. I’m also in solidarity with such organizations for animal rights as PETA, Sea Shepherd and Wildwood Trust, protecting rare kinds of animals. In 2005 we released the book “Cruelty Free Life”, popularizing veganism and animal-rights activism. I was interested in animal-rights activism in 2003 and at the same time questioned human eating habits. And as a result – I became vegan. I thought that I would interfere with such industries as fishing, meat industry, leather industry, hunting - by the fact of accepting the idea of refusing the products of these activities.As for the food enlightenment - people living in big cities have a choice of what to eat - therefore I believe it would be ethically correct to refuse nutrition on the basis of the consumption of dead animals. Earth belongs not only to people. So I believe that we should stop human egoism and learn to coexist peacefully with other species."