Masami Akita the Godfather of Noise was born in 1956 in Tokyo, Japan. Akita formed the premier Japanese Noise group Merzbow in 1979. Merzbow have released over 250 recordings on tape, LP and CD to date. Akita has worked with many different media, both in the directorial and soundtrack role. He has also developed performance works and art installations involving butoh dance and other Japanese cultural forms. Merzbow has collaborated with many of today's most important recording artists and continues to be one of the most prolific musicians alive. Accessed 12.12.06 from http://coldspring.co.uk/artists/merzbow.php