Boris is probably the best known name in the area of the experimental music in Japan. The band formed in 1992 in Tokyo and since 1996 released 17 albums and collaborated with dozens of artists on various projects. Last time they worked with Ian Astbury (from The Cult) on “BXI” last year. Merzbow is the stage name of Japanese Masami Akita inspired by the artwork entitled “Merzbau” by the German artist Kurt Schwitters, and Akita since 1979 is involved in all sorts of musical experiments and avant-garde projects of Noise and Dark Ambient music, he released more than 350 recordings since.
It’s no way that a collaboration between Boris and Merzbow not to work out at least interesting.
We’ve got 5 tracks, 3 “normals”, with duration of 3, 4 and 5 minutes, and 2 pieces of larger works, one of more than 12 minutes and the other over 15. “Klatter” have a kind of charming Krautrock touch, reminds me mostly of Faust, but not less, reminds me Pink Floyd from the golden period of “Ummagumma” (1969). It’s exciting and refreshing to listen those psychedelic flavors and experimental rock stuffs twisted into noisy rock phrases with primitive-primal riffs and solos, pumping drums and dirty noise inserts, sometimes resonating with good old Black Sabbath tones or even with some powerful Led Zeppelin aftertouch. “Klatter” is a very alive material with a good pulse, transitions, changes of atmosphere and sonorities are made with feeling, everything is natural, even the digital electronics, maybe due to the dirty analog sound of the recordings. “Klatter” is the sixth collaborative release between Merzbow and Boris, released on the Japanese label Daymare Recordings.
Boris – Official Site
Boris – On MySpace
Merzbow – Official Site
