| Project Name: |
Merzbow |
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| Album: |
Rainbow Electronics 2 |
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| Record Company: |
Dexter's Cigar / Drag City
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| Catalog Number: |
dex 6 |
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| Year: |
1996 |
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| Categories: |
tapes, analog, harsh, metals, pulse |
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| Line-up: |
Masami Akita |
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| Collaborators: |
Reiko A - Bowed Instruments on live source material |
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| Track List: |
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| Related Albums: |
Rainbow Electronics, Oersted |
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| Comments: |
All Decomposed by Masami Akita A lot of information there. Some context: in 1991, Alchemy Records put out a cd by Merzbow in their Good Alchemy series called Rainbow Electronics. It was a tape collage of materials recorded between 1987 and 1990, and it received a fair amount of critical acclaim. It also stood out as unique in Merzbow's discography, in part simply because of the huge amount of the source material that went into the single release. Rainbow Electronics 2 is the reissue that isn't. It's a different performance drawn from the same source material, apparently recorded in 1990 around the same time as the original; those familiar with one will instantly recognize dozens of memorable sounds when listening to the other. As for myself, I bought the original Rainbow Electronics as an import in 1995 or so, and then Rainbow Electronics 2 used some years later. It is only because I have sadly misplaced my cd of the original that this sequel makes it into the IMZDB first. My guess is it's hiding out with my Akasha Gulva and Noisembryo cds and one day I'll stumble across the three of them together and be really excited to listen to them in glorious uncompressed audio. Till then I have to settle for the mp3 archive I made a few years ago. But I digress... As for which version of Rainbow Electronics is better, definitely the original. There is something about this alternate mix that doesn't quite achieve the same quality of flow or power that the original did. Not that Rainbow Electronics 2 is a bad release, it's enjoyable, but it's just not as accomplished as the original masterpiece. If, as the liner notes say, this was recorded around the same time as the original, it's no surprise that Masami chose to prioritize the release of the other mix. I wonder though, if it is just natural bias on my part to enjoy the original more, as I have owned it far longer and listened to it a great many times? |
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