Noise.
 

I'm not going to try and start a discussion about whether noise is music or whatnot, as (from experience) it's pretty much a useless discussion.

So yeah, anyone like noise "music"? I am indeed a big fan of it, mainly Japanese acts like Incapacitants, Merzbow, Masonna, etc etc. I am also keen on power electronics and various other styles of noise/industrial music, but my true love is indeed the harsh noise peddled mostly by Japanese bands/artists. I used to be totally unable to listen to that stuff, but nowadays I find it pretty wonderful.

Still can't listen to radio static or vacuum cleaners without getting bored though. But I haven't tried mixing both and adding some variation to proceedings yet.

So, anyway -- any other fans of this genre of "music" (or, rather, "sound")?

I have absolutely never heard of this, yet it interests me.

So is this seriously just like different noises put together as "music"? If it is, I wouldn't mind trying some of it out.

Well, for instance, Masonna is mostly just vocals put through mounds and mounds of effects. Merzbow is similar, except more hardware (earlier stuff was more analog, nowadays more laptop/computer/digital-based).

If you're looking for noises mixed together to form "music" then I might suggest The New Blockaders.

I could do a YSI of some Merzbow and Masonna tracks for you (or anyone else interested)..

Sure, but I probably couldn't download them until tomorrow. This is intriguing me, so I really want to hear some of it.

Yeah, I'm kind of confused on what this is exactly. I've heard of it before, but I've never heard any "noise" songs. What are they typically like? Are effects like static used a lot? What's the appeal here?

Noise is typically, well.. noise. Lots of feedback, distortion, the like. Static (as in radio static and such) isn't actually used as often as some would presume. It is usually there, but more often as as sort of byproduct of the noise.

The appeal? I don't know -- I'm one of those types that always tries to seek out "extreme" stuff to try and listen to (I am most adventurous when it comes to music/aural stuff) and see whether I like it or not. And, yes, as might be evidenced, I like noise. Very much.

I tend to favor more chill music, and from the description you just gave, this sounds like the exact opposite of what I'd want to hear.

I find noise to be pretty chill, honestly. If I had an iPod (or any sort of portable music player) I would probably put my entire noise collection on it and walk around with a huge grin on my face.

Man, I know I've said this before, but could you upload some noise stuff? This time I promise I'll download ;___;

All the stuff I have is already downloadable at various places -- I'll gather the links together and post them in the Exposure thread.

EDIT: a start

I listened to that song you PM'ed me, and I found it to be pretty cool. I don't know if I could listen to that type of music for long periods of time, but it's a good way to kind of wind down (though I wouldn't quite say relax) for about an hour or so. Now I gotta get some more!

I started listening to noise a while back. A friend recommended some after he knew I liked The Melvins. If your into noise, and don't mind a bit of metal, I'd highly recommend them.

Holy moly, that download you put up is awesome.

MELT BANANA.

click.

Melt-Banana = AWESOME.

And Yasuko is hot. Not the "noise" I was thinking of, but still quite noisy and also very good.

I've listened to them, liked them very much but haven't really been able to find anything of theirs.

Holy moly, I didn't expect anyone to say that.

Its like super-ambiance.

I listen to a lot of noise music now after getting introduced to the genre by a friend some time ago. I prefer the more rock-oriented artists more others such as Merzbow or Masonna.

Some of my favorites include:

Sonic Youth - My absolute favorite band. They've been around the longest and helped to create the genre. "Confusion Is Sex" is a noise masterpiece. They've since become less experimental and more structured but are still great nonetheless.

Melt-Banana - My first noise rock band, and still one of my favorites. The stuff Agata is able to conjure with his guitar never ceases to amaze me. And Rika's basslines can put most funk bands to shame with their complexity. "Cell-Scape" is my favorite album.

Boris - A Japanese noise trio. Their older albums are less song-oriented and can be hard to listen to. I recommend starting with "Pink" if you want to get into them. They're heavily influenced by the Melvins.

Lightning Bolt - An American duo. They only consist of a bassist and a drummer/vocalist. Considering it's only the two of them, their sound is massive. Their work tends to be extremely varied so some songs are dreadful, and others are masterpieces. I also take issue with how repetitive some songs get, but the good definitely outweighs the bad. My favorite album is "Wonderful Rainbow", and tracks are "2 Towers" and "Dead Cowboy."

Boredoms - Words fail me here. Some of the most insane and hilarious music I've yet to hear. I like "Pop Tatari" the best.

Anything by Glenn Branca, Steve Albini, DNA, Ruins, The Jesus & Mary Chain, and Sunn O))) is gold as well.

I'll post some albums to the Music Exposure thread when I get the chance.

Boredoms and Lightning Bolt are = <3. I much prefer early Boredoms material over their newer stuff though.

If you like Lightning Bolt I might suggest checking out the Ruins I posted in the Exposure Thread. Drum and bass too, but I like them better than Lightning Bolt.

SUNN O)))! Acid Mothers Temple as well. AMT reminds me of Boredoms, but not as crazy I suppose.

Prurient - One man with a theme of anti-technology using ordinary household objects and anything from pennies to frying pans.

Damnit where is my Melt Banana CD? :(

AMT is awesome... but the ear-killing (and pretty damn long) note on the first and last tracks of "Wild Gals A Go-Go" kills me.

Boris is also awesome.

Incapacitants are really, really awesome... if their "Asset Without Liability" album is anything to go by. It kills. I still like Masonna the most though. Yamazaki's noise is killer... and if I could only go to one live show in my entire life I'd probably go to a Masonna one.

Noise Pop, Noise Core, etc. But whats the deal about Grindcore with Noise anyway? This is the question that I want answer since 5 years ago? By the way Schad, do you have Damage Digital with Irman Hilmi as their programmer?

Noise is a part of music for sure. Like fingers sliding on a guitar string. That makes an effect noise sound and sounds damn fine in some acoustic guitar pieces. It's not music per se, but belongs in music played with real instruments.

As to what comes to recorded noise, I'm not completely sure. I visited the music contamination thread this board had up and randomly downloaded an album by The Gerogerigegege. I liked it. Reminded me a bit of the Silent Hill Original Soundtracks, which I am completely in love with.

I'm not that thrilled in hearing more noise artists but nowadays I recognize it, as music that is. Revisiting Mike Patton's solo albums and Fantômas's weirder productions, I realize that I've always somehow liked noise as an element in music - more than a genre on its own, anyway.

Patton is tha "Man". You rock dude for putting Patton in this thread :D:megaman:

I wish I did..

Double Post:
Flying Testicle - "Space Desia" is so fucking awesome! Not overloaded on the high end, lots of mid/low-range sounds (for lack of a better word) and sometimes drums are just fun. The distortion is really crunchy, too. Lots of sampling/cut-ups too... fuck, it is wonderful.

Merzbow and Masonna were both involved, so I guess part of why it's so awesome is because of the personnel involved.

Flying Testicle is:
Masami Akita - Electronix, Samples, Drums, Guitar, Bass, Beats
Maso Yamazaki - Screams, Guitars, Violin, Casio, Percussion
Zev Asher - Voices, Sing, Bass, Tapes, Toy

<3

Anyone here familiar with Nurse With Wound? I recently bought an album of theirs and it easily fits the noise genre. Alot of ambience with some good variations mixed in. Pretty neat stuff.

K.K. Null is also a good noise artist for pure noise, some of his work is almost unlistenable. But alot of it is interesting.