Jamie Saft + Merzbow = "Merzdub"

(Caminante, 2006)

As Merzbow, Masami Akita has already done "tribute" projects to prog rock (Aqua Necromancer) and jazz drummers (Doors Open at 8 AM), rendering the source material all but unrecognizable. Then, there's Merzbuddha, supposedly inspired by listening to dub artists like Dennis Bovell and Keith Hudson. But Merzdub is something altogether different, even for a Merzbow collaboration album. Here, Masami Akita handed his material over to Jamie Saft, who then overdubbed multiple instruments creating pieces that veer back and forth between noise-drenched dub tunes and noisy soundscapes. Instruments, beats, and voices drift in and out of Akita's murk while the murk itself drifts in and out of the tunes. Much of the time, it's Saft's contributions that are in the forefront, but he does give the focus to Akita at many points throughout. In fact, "Kantacky Fried Dub" and "Dangermix" are almost entirely Merzbow. "Updub" is just plain loopy and "Slow Down Furry Dub" is darn near mellow and very nice...really!! They might not even clear the room if played at a party, and that's saying a lot when it comes to Merzbow. Of course, it would be quite a stretch to call any Merzbow album fun. And while Merzdub only almost qualifies based on sheer perversity, there is clearly an element of humor on display ("Skinning J-Lo" anyone?) and it's as close as you're likely to ever get with a Merzbow release. This could be the most gentle introduction to the world of Merzbow yet.

Sean Westergaard (Allmusic)

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