MASONNA

Masonna (マゾンナ), started in 1987 in Osaka, Japan, is the noise music project of Yamazaki Maso. Sometimes rendered as an acronym M.A.S.O.N.N.A., standing for either Mademoiselle Anne Sanglante Ou Notre Nymphomanie Auréolé (French, meaning in English 'Miss Bloody Anne, Or Our Aureoled Nymphomania'; proper spelling is Auréolée. Spelt in kana; 血まみれのアンヌ嬢・若しくは・我等がニンフォマニアが・後光に包まれる) or more rarely Mystic Another Selection Of Nurses Naked Anthology. Maso has said before that the name is a pun on pop singer Madonna, though the name is also a composite of Maso (Japanese for 'Masochist') & Onna (Japanese for 'Woman') alluding again to the fetishistic "bloody Anne" reference in the French acronym. Along with Merzbow, Masonna is one of the best known Japanese noise projects.

The Masonna project has been the opening act for several well known artists on their Japanese concert dates, including Sonic Youth, Beck and Slipknot. Masonna also caught the attention of John Peel and was featured on his program, having even done a limited Masonna 'John Peel Sessions' CD.

Yamazaki Maso currently works at Alchemy Records in Osaka.

Masonna is most known for Yamazaki's wild live performances which usually consist of damaging his equipment and jumping around madly. He has given entire concerts which last only a few seconds. In 1996 Masonna toured the United States on the "American Mystique Tour" named after his only album to be released on two formats, Inner Mind Mystique.