MJG, will check 'em out, and if I like 'em, I would thankfully take you up on your offer. I used to have all of the early Mothers vinyls. Now, the only thing in my collection is We're in it Only for the Money (CD).
Don't be put off by what they say about ol' Merzbow. The guy is definitely a creative genius. It may be noise-based, but I think of it more as electronically generated sounds (which is what he does...he is not, I repeat not micing a Hoover Vacuum cleaner or motorcycle engine). The sounds have textures, some of them unpleasant, some of them powerful, terrifying or even soothing and uplifting. They are certainly not random. He clearly uses patterns and rhythms, and there are themes, movements just like in classical music. Each piece is different, and may evoke different feelings from the listener.
My intro to this vast sea of new sound, began with the soundtrack to Mutations Architecture Exhibit and came with the outrageous book of the same title by Rem Koolhaas and his gang of extremists. The book is an unreadable piece of shit; Architects should stick to Architecture and not try to be writers..but the pictures are great, and the included CD..entitled Sonic City had Merzbow on it. There were also about a dozen other artists with similar bent on it, and it opened new doors for me.
I've corresponded with Justin Bennett, who does environmental recordings and is based in Holland. He told me bits about his choice of gear and subject matter. Has a great Email list, and sends me stuff on his shows. He was on Sonic City as well.
Check this out . Great downloads, but you can't burn them. Also, the CD's which you can only order from the site sell out rather quickly. See what you think.
Gene
