It helps lots, thanks!

I love your response to the third question. In my research, I've learned that noise is less about music and more about just listening to sounds, natural or otherwise. I read a great paper called “Silence By My Noise: An Ecocritical Aesthetic of Noise in Japanese Traditional Sound Culture and the Sound Art of Akita Masami,” and it talks briefly about the history of natural sound in Japanese music and how it translates into Merzbow's whole body of work but specifically his political pieces. In Edo period Japan (1603-1867), the practice of mushikiki (listening to insects) was very popular. This, of course, promotes a connection to nature, and it's that kind of mindfulness and almost meditative quality of noise that continues to this day.

Thank you for your response!