Tetuzi Akiyama

Tetuzi Akiyama (born 1964 in Tokyo) is a guitarist and improviser whose work moves between free improvisation, minimalism, noise, blues and experimental rock. His practice spans acoustic and electric guitar, electronics and other sound-making devices.

Active since the late 1980s, Akiyama became a central figure in Tokyo’s experimental and improvised-music scene, collaborating widely in Japan and internationally. His playing can shift from sparse acoustic phrasing and fractured blues to dense electric textures, while retaining a strong concern for timbre, space and the physical character of sound.