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Static Line 52
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cRu|________\ | | Issue #52
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March, 2004 || / \ \__/ / / /___// |
315 Subscribers World Wide | /___/ \ / / __/_ / |
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--=--=--
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Table Of Contents
--=--=------=--=------=--=----
Opening:
Message From the Editor
Features:
Party Report -- State Of The Art 2: st(ART)
Review -- Assembly '02 DVDs
Reviews:
Music:
In Tune -- "Music by Telephone Voices" by Bliss
On The Sideline -- "00" by Richie Warburton
The Lineup -- Monthly Music Listings
Demo:
Screen Lit Vertigo --
"FR-36", "Coma" and "Interceptor"
Opinion / Commentary:
Coplan's Eyes -- Tradition
Link List: Get Somewhere in the Scene
Closing: Staff and Contact Information
--=--=--
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Message From the Editor
--=--=------=--=------=--=----
Hello,
Welcome to another issue of Static Line. :) Apologies for the delay in
releasing this issue - my personal life got in the way of releasing Static
Line, and I needed to take a break.
On the plus side, though, it does mean that this issue is once again full
of the good stuff. :D We have a party report on State Of The Art 2 by
Seven (with accompanying reviews in Screen Lit Vertigo), a double-length
Lineup, and Coplan returns this month with his column, In Tune.
You may remember that last issue I reported that I had bought the Assembly
'02 DVDs, with the promise that I'd be reviewing them in another issue.
Well, this is that issue. :) If you're wondering why I chose the '02 DVDs
instead of something more recent... well, read the review. It explains
all. :)
Finally, Ben reviews "00" in the Sideline, and Coplan reflects on
tradition in Coplan's Eyes.
For those who aren't subscribed to the list, I sent out some news about a
week ago to the list, which I'll repeat here:
1) Firstly, Olivier Lapicque has released the source code for the ModPlug
Tracker's under the GPL. You can get it from
http://www.modplug.com/modplug/developer.php3 .
2) Secondly, there's now a Windows version of CheeseTracker, a popular
tracker that until now, only ran on Linux. It's in beta at the moment,
and I haven't tried it, but you can get it from
http://reduz.com.ar/~reduz/cheesetracker-0.9.6-win32-beta.zip .
Apologies to the list subscribers; this is the second time you'lll have
heard this information. :)
Anyway, enjoy the issue, and we'll see you next month. No, really, we
will. :)
--Ciaran
--=--=--
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Party Report
State Of The Art 2: st(ART)
By: Seven
--=--=------=--=------=--=----
-=- Friday 23 January -=-
19:39:
We've just arrived at the partyplace, after Djefke picked me up in Belgium
around 18 o'clock. It's nice to have a party almost on our doorstep,
relativily speaking :) We didn't have much trouble finding Le Fresnoy, the
French national studio of modern art. It's the same building in which the
party took place in December 2002, but this time it's not part of a bigger
exhibition on digital art. This trouble with sponsors was the reason that
the party was first cancelled, then un-cancelled and moved to a later
date, albeit under a different name due to trademark problems. But after
all the confusion and doubt, I'm still glad the spiritual successor of the
LTP parties is alive and kicking!
We're among the first visitors. At the moment the main hall looks almost
desolated - only 20 people have so far, while there is easily room for
400. There's still a boxing ring in the center like last year - very
useful for prize ceremonies and drinking binges - but now there is only
one bigscreen, and the scaffold with the comfy sofas on top has
disappeared too :-/
The bigscreen was showing Second Reality when we walked in, which is the
perfect soundtrack to start a party with. Setting up the hardware was a
snap, the thoughtful organizers have provided outlets, switches and UTP
cables for each place at the table, plus bottles of water just in case you
get thirsty when the bar is closed!
Wonder/Sunflower is shown next, and Broadband/T-rex, so they must be
playing the Mindcandy DVD. It's obviously a godsend for orgos trying to
build a scenish athmosphere at their party, without sacrificing too much
manpower from the multitude of other tasks.
While carrying our machines, beer and other stuff inside, we speculated on
why there aren't yet many visitors. After all, there were over 200 people
on the reservation list. But that number includes those that had reserved
before the party was cancelled, and maybe they couldn't come at the
current date. In addition, the orgos didn't email everyone when st(ART)
was cancelled, nor when the new date was known, so if you didn't read the
Orange Juice website or check the st(ART) website, you could think it was
still cancelled... The lack of a big sponsor also means the entrance price
is slightly higher (20 euros now), and that there's no free food like last
time, but of course any demoparty is a good one, so I'm not complaining
(no, am not! :) )
For all the hardware DJefke has brought (including a complete mixer panel
just for his headphones), he still doesn't have a frontside USB port, so I
get to use his handy USB light :) I should buy one myself, it's perfect
for typing party reports when the lights in the hall are out.
19:59:
Le Fresnoy has its own movie theater, and this year the orgos are allowed
to use it! The schedule for tonight includes the 3 Matrix movies, and
tomorrow there are presentations about special effects, plus a collection
of short animations from various festivals. I take a quick peek - at the
moment a professor is explaining a theory about virtual reality and the
deeper meaning of The Matrix, but as it is all in French I can hardly
understand it (and the web is filled with Matrix crackpot theories, should
I be interested in them).
Very slowly more people are arriving; a quick count nets a grand total of
30 computers. Not that everyone has brought a computer, but screens are
easier to count than sceners scurrying around. DJefke has appointed
himself as the spelling-checker of my notes for this report, I'm not sure
he's very brave or just pedantic.
20:58:
The first Matrix movie is about to start, but as I have it on DVD I'll
skip this one. In a small room between the bar and the theater, someone
from Le Fresnoy is giving a demonstration of some paint program on
impressive hardware: a Silicon Graphics Tezro workstation with a huge
(easily 25") widescreen CRT, a fiberchannel RAID box, a big tablet etc.
The Tezro is a rectangular purple box with rounded edges and a square
front with glowing SGI logo, it's about twice as wide as my PC so I wonder
what kind of hardware is in it, given that its diskspace is in a separate
box?
21:45
The bigscreen has been showing old amiga demos for some time (the usual
classics), but now it displays party info, although the music is still
soundtracks from demos. I preferred the system of last year, where the
party info was shown overlayed on the demos. We've finally got neighbours
at the table (we almost started to feel lonely), the guys & girl from
Syn[rj]. They're working on a demo and an intro, both look quite nice. I'd
estimate about 45 computer and 60 people are in the main hall now. It's
obvious this won't be quite as big as State Of The Art 2002, I hope the
orgos won't be discouraged to organize it again next year...
22:32:
It had to happen: another invasion from the Germans. Last year XXX/Haujobb
was the only German here, but this time he has brought some friends with
him, including Poty the Evoke organizer. They hand us at least 10 flyers
for the Evoke 2004, and we chat about that, the next Breakpoint, the
Digitale Kultur Verein, educating gamers at LANs, the Aldi shops, and the
quality of various brands of beer. Meanwhile the bigscreen shows old DOS
demos: 73 Million Seconds/Pulse, Genocyd/GMF, Zylog/Sunflower and other
goodness that bring back memories of our happy youth.
23:01
The second part of the Matrix should start in 20 minutes, I've seen it
only once so I'll check if the fanboys' theory is correct ("It HAS a great
story! You just need to watch it several times and meditate about it for a
few months before you can understand it!"). You can also order pizza &
beer at the entrance, if you're already hungry or thirsty.
-=- Saturday 24 January -=-
1:40:
Reloaded does indeed make more sense once you've seen Revolutions, but
it's not *that* much of an improvement. But what do I see? The bigscreen
shows adverts for PAiN and Buenzli! I figure Unlock and/or Fred from
Calodox must be here, as they're both on the reservation list. Alas,
they're nowhere to be found (turned out the adverts were send via email
:-/ ), but I run into the Dutch delegation: Shifter, Mnemonic and Avoozl,
who are working on an Xbox demo. Maybe Skrebbel wil arrive too tomorrow,
but that's uncertain.
4:06:
Matrix Revolution was more or less as I remember it, too many religious
undertones. I'm starting to get sleepy, so I follow Djefkes example,
unroll my sleeping bag in the dark hallway next to the tables, and doze
off.
9:12:
Awake, again. I actually woke because of the announcements that croissants
and coffee are available in the bar, and that you can take a shower for a
limited time. A nice change from last year is that all announcements are
now bilingual, although the heavy accent and noisy speakers make it non-
trivial to understand the English parts.
10:52:
I'm back from a minor shopping spree, buying some food etc from a local
supermarket. The Evoke partyvideo is playing, causing all Germans to
enthousiastically sing along with the famous Monkey Meeting song. Another
count around the room shows there are over 80 PCs now, or (random guess)
easily 120 people. While it's not nearly near the capacity of the hall, it
should be enough to warranty some decent competitions.
11:21:
It's French demo hour, with some good ones like Jumpy! or Just A Touch Of
Funk from Digital Murder. The conferences will start in 10 minutes, but I
think I'll learn more from NeHes OpenGL tutorials. Yes, I'm once again
trying to learn some decent 3D, and the lack of free time in real life
means my best chance to succeed is at demoparties...
11:36:
Now it's Doxygen tribute time: all demos from this famous French group are
played in chronological order. I recognize Contrast, I remember I really
didn't like Clawz music when I fist saw it, but now it has kinda grown on
me :)
13:17:
It's starting to get cold in here. The FTP to submit your productions is
finally open, and if you want you can test your production on the compo
machine. Of course, real coders prefer the thrill of a crash right during
the compo! (No, *I* am not releasing anything here :)) Another conference
is about to start, but I'm still struggling with OpenGL.
13:52:
Since the NeHe tutorials are rather basic, I bribe Avoozl with beer to
answer some OpenGL questions. He has lots of time to do so, as he cross-
compiles his code on a 266 Mhz laptop, which requires a zen-like patience.
He demonstrates his Xbox demo with and without blur, until an unhandled
exception results in the Xboxs startup LED blinking serenily (the
equivalent of a bluescreen). I guess I better leave him debugging :)
14:32:
Willbe and Chaosnet give another live concert this year, with Skal/Bomb as
guest artist. I recognize the Purple/Orion soundtrack, including vocals,
now played on a keyboard and 2 guitars.
17:42:
I'm back after getting more sleep, otherwise I wouldn't be able to stay
awake during the compos. Now the oldskool side of the Mindcandy DVD is
playing, it's nice to see the bigscreen in use for most of the time.
There's a party website that's fairly often updated, so it's not necessary
anymore to show the same info 75% of the time on the screen.
18:08:
The first compos are over: the fast GFX compo, in which you had to make a
texture for a 3D fish model. My favourite was one that made the fish look
like a cow. Next is the chiptune compo, it had only 4 short entries but
most are enjoyable. There's a problem with the voting system though, so
the orgos announce they'll disable it until they've found the problem.
19:46:
Since not everyone can survive a party on beer alone (hi Toby!), DJefke
and I went to a nearby pizza shop to order some healthy nourishment on the
go. Back at Le Fresnoy we noticed the pizzas weren't sliced, and neither
of us had a knife, but a pizza eaten messily tastes twice as good :)
The voting "problem" that caused valid votekeys to be rejected, has been
solved! Was it a bug? A hacker? Alien intervention? No, it turned out that
the font used to print the votekeys does not discern between a I (capital
i), l (small L) and 1(one). How simple can it be? :) So people with those
characters in their key have to try a few times, luckily a voting code is
only 8 chars long so that's doable.
20:18:
The theater is showing short animations made by students of various arts
schools. Most are OK, but some have just a single idea that's spun out too
long, or are too "artistic" for their own good. I'm surprized at the
amount of people in there, but then I remember local people can buy cheap
tickets for the movies without having to pay entrance for st(ART).
21:14:
The tracked music compo had only 4 entries, a bit disappointing but that's
what you get if you do 3 separate music compos (chiptunes, tracked and
freestyle). The quality was OK, I guess. Coming next: the wild demo compo.
21:51:
The wild demo compo consisted of 2 fake advertisements, made by the same
group, one for Coca Cola and a parody on Fight Club. "First The
Third"/Kaleido (the dutch Xbox demo) wasn't very good IMO (not my style of
music), but it was the only coded entry, so that counts for something
(Shifter is looking over my shoulder right now so I can't be TOO negative
:) ).
Skrebbel has arrived, against all expectations, so the risk of joke-
entries has suddenly increased. We try to distract him with beer, which
seems to work for now!
22:11:
The GFX compo had no less then 10 entries. I think the one from
Nytrik/Cocoon (Blind Routine) will be the winner. The bigscreen shows
random funny movies, now it's some amateur superhero fighting parody.
23:21:
There's a chillout room with bean bags, but as everyone there is asleep,
the bags are moved to the boxing ring, with copious amounts of beer.
Sitting/hanging there we listen to the freestyle music compo, wich has 9
entries. Oops no, 10 entries, we forgot one. Oops, 11 entries, we forgot
another! The orgos seem to have some trouble with this compo, but they
apologise and play the missing songs, so that's the best you can hope for.
In the meantime XXX is learning new useful Dutch phrases: besides "I am an
elephant, do you want to see my trunk?" or "Bicycle thief! Do you have a
fishing permit?", he can now also say "You have lewdly touched me!" He
happily demonstrates his new ability to every puzzled Dutchmen around him.
It must be someone's birthday, as the orgos sing "Happy Birthday" over the
announcement system. We didn't quite hear who it was, but sing along
anyway. Meanwhile Skrebbel and Djefke have started making a joke demo,
with less then 40 minutes to go. Undeterred by the fact they've no
sourcecode or compiler, they take the Groen! jokedemo from Evoke and start
editing the data files with MS Paint or something similarly primitive.
-=- Sunday 25 January -=-
00:36:
The last non-code compo is over: from the 4 raytraced pics, I liked "My
own little world" and "Robot sale" best. The first picture was hardly
visible, a white robot on a white background is not the best combination
to be displayed on abeamer...
The famous Greek scener Optimus is here as wel, he's quite drunk and his
dance attemps are almost as hilarious as Tobys dutch insults, but he sure
seems to enjoy the party.
1:21:
We're still waiting for the game compo, which brings back memories of last
years multi-hour delay. But in the meantime you can already download all
shown releases from the FTP, which will hopefully improve the quality of
the voting.
2:09:
The 100K game compo was not spectacular: on the boring side we had a
Tetris clone with zero new options, and a badly drawn joke game of
armwrestling. More interesting was the "throw a cap on a bottle" game,
very simple but the catch is that if you fail, you become drunk: double or
blurred vision, everything waves... The most elaborate was an Attax AI
game, it's a simple boardgame for two players but the author has included
an SDK to program your own computer-adversary.
The 4K compo had only 3 entries. The only remarkable one was from Calodox
for the ZX80. It ran on an emulator, and features multiple parts, which
had to be loaded in memory one by one because the ZX80 only has 1 KB of
memory, as the orgos explained. The textmode effects were OK, but the
starfield and the 3D cube were hard to see on the bigscreen (thin black
lines on a white background, projected with a fuzzy beamer = white
screen...)
3:09:
Everyone is waiting for the 64K intro compo. Skrebbel (who has managed to
finish *something* to submit, although I doubt anyone would call it a
demo) is passionately discussing with Pandur/Black Maiden and the polish
E-tag/Exodus what makes a good demo :)
Conspiracy blows away all competition in the 64K compo with a very
detailed and beautiful voyage through the universe. Not that there's *so*
much competition: SynRJ has a decent entry, Morph, but the other two are
either too short (the realtime raytraced one) or a joke-entry.
4:08:
And the democompo is over as well, I was afraid there wouldn't be much to
see as the other compos had a lack of entries, but this one goes to 11!
Coma/Cocoon was probably the best, a very computer-based demo (think space
invaders, print circuits and robot-voices) with more Danish design than
we're used from them. Red by Ketchup Killers was nice to, it was a bit
weird but we Belgians are like that :) Black Maiden had a grayscale 3D
demo called "Interceptor" featuring very detailed models of insects, and
robots looking like insects, a bit boring but the audience seemed to like
it.
10:28:
Yawn! I'm back among the living, and after eating some croissants I head
to the first floor were the showers are located.
11:24:
There was quite a queue for the showers, but during the long wait I was
entertained by the language explorations of Toby ("Je m'appele Natalie!")
and Etienne ("Il parle n'importe quoi!") Waiting for the prize ceremony, I
start fleshing out this report from the short notes.
13:08:
The bigscreen is once again playing oldies, some of which I haven't seen
in a long time: Heaven 7/Exceed, Squeezed and Moai by Nomad, and other DOS
demos.
People are being interviewed in the ring, with a professional camera and
lighting etc. I wonder if this is for an art project from Le Fresnoy, or
for a local TV station looking for footage for a hacker/gamer documentary
film. There is at least one other big camera filming, from the balcony.
I'm still peacefully typing when a dark form appears behind my shoulder,
and I hear Skrebbel scream in my ear: "Whoa! Party report!":
14:35:
yo~ folks, they're playing some sort of demomix right now, badly
mixed though (music is constantly ahead of the visuals, and well,
watching some discloned remix with fr-08 music just doesn't quite
pull it). great idea, however. the party is really atmospheric, but
-guess what- rather dull. for some oddish reason french people just
seem not to be able to manage to ever leave their computer once
they've got it up and running. communication is for wussies, i guess.
(kudos to jb and florent for being the exceptions that confirm the
rule, though). anyways, this is like the best partyplace ever (ehr.
after scene event, naturally), plus the organising is very very
smooth. you should all come next year. yes, also the germans.
End of the dutch delirium, back to me, Seven :)
Hmm, that "end of the delirium" might have been a tad premature. The
bigscreen finally plays Toypusher/Purple, which Shifter and Skrebbel have
been loudly requesting at various times during the party. They bounce
around the hall in an epileptic approximation of dancing, happy as
children on their birthday. I for one welcome anything that keeps them of
my back :)
16:01:
With a mere hour delay, the price ceremony will begin now! We all gather
on one side of the ring. The highlights: Cocoon wins the democompo, and
gets amongst other stuff, a week at Le Fresnoy to play with all kinds of
very expensive and professional graphic toys (Good thing a French group
won that prize, I guess :)). Since their main coder was on holiday, they
couldn't put quite as much stuff in it as they wanted, so the final may be
quite different. Unfortunately even the final will probably be ATI-only.
Black Maiden gets the second place, and they demonstrate the close
friendship between the french and the germans by reciting all the french
words that are also used in German: croissant, trottoir, enfant terrible
etc etc. Pipidemics invitation demo for the Synthesis 4 party reaches
third place, and all three winner are played on the bigscreen, from last
to first.
Conspiracy wins the 64K intro compo, no question there. The Kaleido guys
win the wild compo, much to their surprise, and Shifter takes the occasion
to plug Scene Event once more. The graphics compos had so few entries that
the winners were already obvious, and Med/Mandarine is the big music
winner, with 2nd places at the chip and freestyle categories, and 1st in
tracked.
So, how did st(ART) 2004 compare to SOTA 2002?
The good:
- No power outages anymore.
- Much better english announcements.
- The schedule was kept better.
- Our own movie theater.
And the bad:
- A bit more expensive, although the orgos did try to keep the cost for
food etc very low. This is rather caused by the fact that almost
everything was for free at SOTA :)
- Less visitors, which resulted in few entries for some compos :( This
is of course due to the cancellation inbetween the old and the new
date, a problem that should now be permanantly fixed.
Anyway, I definately enjoyed st(ART) and hope to be there again (and meet
more of you!) next year.
--Seven
--=--=--
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Review
Assembly '02 DVDs
By: Ciaran
--=--=------=--=------=--=----
Firstly, if you've been to a demoparty before, please bear with me. For
reasons that will be explained below, this review might be a little more
enthusiastic than your average review...
Let me start this review by telling you why I got this DVD, instead of
something a bit more recent. Late last year, I saw a news item on Orange
Juice advertising the upcoming release of the Assembly '03 DVDs, and I was
suddenly taken by the idea of finding out what the atmosphere at a
demoparty was, as I've never been to a demoparty. I've seen quite a few
demos that were originally released at parties, but - apart from some
short clips on the "Demographics" featurette on the MindCandy DVD - I've
never actually seen what it's like *at* a demoparty.
At the time, the '03 DVDs weren't out, and I decided that I didn't really
want to wait, so I ordered the '02 DVDs. At about the same time, I also
heard about NAIDorabilia, a CD containing demos, clips, etc. from the NAID
parties of 1995 and 1996. Since it looked pretty good, I went and ordered
that as well. (I'll be reviewing NAIDorabilia in another issue.)
For those unaware, Assembly is one of the most well-known demoparties.
It's held each year, around August, in Finland. The Assembly DVDs are a
set of two DVDs compiled after the event each year by Assembly Organizing
(the volunteer group who has the unenviable - but satisfying - task of
organising Assembly each year). Of course, it contains all the results of
the competitions, including all the demos, music, drawings, etc. However,
it also contains other cool stuff, such as photos from the party and clips
from AssemblyTV (a live broadcast from the party made available on the
Internet and the cable TV network in the Helsinki region). It was these
two things that I was most interested in personally; I wanted a feeling of
actually being at the party.
The first thing I noticed when I put the first DVD in the drive was the
interface; it's made up of HTML files, which was good because it meant
that I could use the interface on Linux as well (or indeed, any operating
system for which a Web browser is available).
The first DVD contains - among other things - information about the event,
a photo gallery, information on the sponsors, and of course the
competition results, including all the entries (even the ones which were
disqualified). Unlike most people - who would probably be more interested
in the demos themselves - I was most interested in the photo gallery on
this DVD.
And wow, there are some great photos. Even taking into account the fact
that I haven't seen many pictures of a demoparty (and am thus more likely
to be wowed at what I see), the photos are still pretty awesome; they do a
good job of conveying the size of the party. In my opinion, the best ones
are when the whole place is dark except for the countless computer
monitors and other assorted lights... (again, if you know the feeling from
experience, I apologise for rehashing what you know already. ;-))
After looking at the photos and reading more about the party, I decided I
would leave the rest of this DVD for later and check out the second one,
which mostly contains videos of all the seminars from Assembly '02, and
various clips from AssemblyTV, including the welcome and the two (yes,
two) prize ceremonies, as well as some interviews.
I spent quite some time with this disc. Even though all the clips on this
disc (and others) are available to download separately from the scene.org
FTP site, it's still nice to have them all in one place, and the prize
ceremonies in particular told me a lot about the atmosphere at these
parties. It's a shame that there weren't any clips on the DVD where they
just walked around and, say, interviewed random people about how it was,
or just filmed some of the stuff going on. But then, that would probably
be old hat to people other than me, and I guess that since this DVD is
probably meant for people who know more about parties than me, it makes
sense. Note that I haven't seen the 2003 DVDs, so I don't know whether
they've improved on that there.
Also on disc two are the "Kill ALL audio and lights!" animations from the
'01 and '02 parties. As far as I can gather, the animation is shown before
the prize ceremonies; the message being that you don't want any audio or
lights distracting you. The animations are rather cute (well, anything
featuring Tux is cute, even if one of the penguins *does* get crushed by a
stonking great block...), and pretty funny too.
After watching most of the second disc (not the seminars, though - maybe
I'll watch them later), I went back to the first disc and began to check
out some of the stuff there. As I said above, this disc contains the compo
entries.
Before now, I don't think I've ever quite understood the sheer breadth of
skills represented by these compos. There were all sorts of compos,
including some specialist compos hosted by Nokia and ASUS. To my surprise,
there were also some gaming compos - now, I don't know where I picked this
up from, but before I got the DVDs, I thought that Assembly was a no-
gaming party. I'm well aware of the tension between 'sceners' and
'gamers', and I was glad to see that Assembly catered to both. (In the
opening ceremony, Abyss gave a bit of a talk about it and how he didn't
want it to ruin the party. He even half-jokingly said that "I'm your
mother!" :))
Unfortunately, I couldn't watch a lot of the entries that were in video
format, as I didn't have the right codec - and the latest DivX codec on
the Internet looked a bit... I dunno. Iffy. It would have been nice if the
videos could have all been converted to one particular codec version
beforehand. However, I'm aware that there would have been problems with
the quality, due to it being compressed twice. I could probably have coped
with it, though.
One other small gripe I have: on the DVD case I saw a reference to
"Assembly '02 in One Minute". I had looked almost everywhere in the HTML
interface for this, and was about to give up and find it from the DVD
contents itself. However, I then I saw a link to it on the "Overview" page
on disc one, about halfway down the page. It's not a particularly obvious
place; I expected it to be on the left menu somewhere. However, gripes
aside, this video is again pretty good. It's a time-lapse video of the
entire event taken from a static camera, shortened down to just over one
minute. It's pretty interesting, and allows you to put into perspective
the time taken to prepare the party place against the duration of the
party itself. It's also really cool to watch the monitors flicker on and
off at that sort of speed. :D
In closing, I'd say that these DVDs are pretty cool. However, they could
probably do with a bit more to allow people like me to see what really
goes on at the party itself; it could make all the difference towards
encouraging more people to come. As for me, I now feel I need to go to
Assembly at least once. :D
One last word: As I've said above, I haven't seen the Assemby '03 DVDs.
It's likely that some of the points I mentioned won't apply to them. Just
to let you know.
You can order the DVDs at
http://asm03.assembly.org/Party_program/Merchandise/ASM02_DVD?cl=en .
--Ciaran
--=--=--
--=--=------=--=------=--=----
In Tune
"Music by Telephone Voices" by Bliss
By: Coplan
--=--=------=--=------=--=----
If I were a famous musician that was popular today, I'd be expected to
have some sort of playlist posted naming my current favorite tunes. It
seems to be the trend. Anyhow, with the advent of iTunes and its dynamic
playlists, I've been keeping such a "favorites playlist". It will pull my
top 25 songs based on two criteria: the rating I have set in iTunes, and
the frequency it has been played. Well, for the first time in a long
while, I actually looked at my playlist ranked by number of plays.
Sitting there in third place was a 'scene song by a guy known as Bliss.
And I havn't yet reviewed this song.
The song is called "Music by Telephone Voices", by Bliss.
It took me a while to figure out why I liked this song. It's definitely
not one of those songs you'll love the first time around. You won't hate
it, but it won't stand out in your mind. What it comes down to is the
dynamics of the song. Bliss has this wonderful talent for mixing several
different aspects of a medium together to make one large production.
Lets start with the basics. The percussion is nothing fancy. It's a
simple snare hit once per measure, a base drum altering between 1 hit and
2 hits after every snare hit. The high-hat is hitting on the quarter-
measure on a constant basis. Nothing exciting, but that's not the point.
Nor is it the focus. This isn't some wierd techno song or anything of the
sort. It's an alternative type song you might expect to come from the
minds of Radiohead or Wilco. So while the percussion is important, it
isn't there to intrude into the real music at hand.
The basis for the chord progression is a fairly standard guitar riff. The
lead instrument is obviously synthesized. It sounds almost as if someone
is playing a guitar with mallets; a stringed chime-like feel. And it
isn't a simple lead either. You will notice first the primary note which
is being played by this instrument. But there is a lot more of this
instrument going on in the background with a lesser volume. And at two
occasions, there is a break to a down-tempo, more dramatic string and
brass dominated part with some very serious snare percussions. But it
almost sounds as if its being played backwards. A very interesting
addition to the song. But the best part about these two parts are the
transitions in and out of these segments. It's a very solid cut on the
way in. And on the way out is a different story. The first time, the
guitar picks up right away as if nothing was happening...but it's such a
clean break that it's almost as if the song has started over. And the
second time, you hear a sample of a man speaking on a radio (I assume),
and then the trance-pads pull you gradually back to the main aspect of the
song. Brilliant.
But the true brilliance behind the song is all the other sample work that
has been carefully placed into this song and all the other subtle little
details. Some parts are very obvious, like the Steven Hawkings' voice at
the beginning saying "This is Bliss' computer, counting down from 3, 2, 1
and....". Other things aren't very apparent at all. You won't notice the
very subtle muted triangle at all unless you listen very closely for it.
And in those two breaks, I can't help but to think there is a very
distorted sample of someone shouting. And you constantly hear someone
talking throughout the song. Most notably is the part at the end with a
man coming home from work: "Honey, I'm Home..." And then he notices
something is wrong...lights are out, and so on. And then the percussion
stops just before you hear the man say "She's Gone" in disbelief. And you
can feel the emptiness the moment he says it.
That's the stuff I'm talking about! So many people add samples and clips
of people speaking to a song, and they say it adds to the song. That's
true. But does it help shape the song? Sometimes it does. But at the
hand of a master such as Bliss...you notice that the song shapes the
sample. It's a game of give-and-take. The spoken word gives a little
bit, and the song gives a little bit. What is being said? How do you
form your song around that? This is the type of thing that makes artists
such as Alan Wilder (Recoil, formerly of Depeche Mode) famous. You have
to notice these things and how they impact the song. And if you end up
with a song half as well mixed as Bliss' song, people will start to
realize that you payed attention to every little detail. Very subtle
work, indeed, and the majority of people won't notice. But someone will.
And that's who Bliss was working for.
So grab this tune, and study it well. It's definitely a keeper for your
collection and a reference for your own work. I'm sorry it took me so
long to bring it to you.
Enjoy.
Song Information:
Title: Music by Telephone Voices
Author: Bliss
Release date: Sept. 19, 2002
File Size: 6.4 MB
Source: http://www.fairlight.scene.org
--Coplan
"In Tune" is a regular column dedicated to the review of original and
singular works by fellow trackers. It is to be used as a tool to expand
your listening and writing horizons, but should not be used as a general
rating system. Coplan's opinions are not the opinions of the Static Line
Staff.
If you have heard a song you would like to recommend (either your own, or
another person's), We can be contacted through e-mail using the addresses
found in the closing notes. Please do not send files attached to e-mail
without first contacting us. Thank you!
--=--=--
--=--=------=--=------=--=----
On The Sideline
"00" by Richie Warburton
By: Ben
--=--=------=--=------=--=----
This month I am going to do something a little different: I am going to
review a track from a commercial release. The track is off a recent Em:t
records release "0003". The whole album is pleasant to listen to and very
definitely ambient music. It can be ordered from
http://www.ambientmusic.co.uk. I chose to review the song "00" by Richie
Warburton because its warmth and variety appealed to me. I couldn't find
an official web site for Riche Warburton, but there is some information at
http://www.seethru.co.uk/music/richie/index.htm.
The track list for "0003" follows:
1) "paralysis" by gregor samsa
2) "the loneliness of the long distance space traveller" by radium88
3) "red green blue" by high skies
4) "alabama" by beatsystem
5) "desert sunrise" by brannan lane
6) "fireworks" by international peoples gang
7) "the sutra" by chushen and cugin
8) "i can't hear you" by ande hughes
9) "00" by richie warburton
10) "savannah" by mia
The song "00" starts off with applause, then you hear the layered sounds
of a tennis match, the roll of echoing synths, a little girl talking, and
a jet passing overhead. There are a good deal of ambient noises, and the
effect is a relaxing summer-time mood. All-in-all it is a captivating
introduction, leaving me expecting that the rest of the song will be good.
Richie introduces a warm, moog-eque heartbeat of a bassline, and then a
light choir and hand-drums (djembe?) are added. If I hadn't thought so
already, now I find the resemblence to "The Orb's Adventures Beyond the
Ultraworld" too strong to ignore. All the while the tennis players keep
hammering that ball.
About 2.5 minutes into the song, there's a flanged snare and mid-pitched
pulsing whoop, and the girl says "You know what I think?" Here the song
makes a major transition. The drums get a little harder and acid style
synths are bandied about, as if this song might turn into some slow house.
But strong synths take the lead and dominate the song with a warm,
metallic melody. The loud beat, the synth's echo, and the leads
synchronize to strict 4/4 time, and the song is very upbeat and energetic.
I imagine that you might be able to dance to it.
After sustaining the intensity for a while, the synth leads fade out
leaving only the strong beat. There is some talking in the background,
and the echoed staccato synths roll around a bit more. We're brought back
to the tennis match, and the song ends with a downsampled gong cut off at
mid-gong.
This anthem is not so ground breaking as some other songs put out under
the Em:t label, but "00" is a well done piece following form like a pro.
This song and the whole album, as someone else put it, rewards the careful
listener and a quality home stereo. Life is good.
--Ben Collver
--=--=--
--=--=------=--=------=--=----
The Lineup
By: Novus
--=--=------=--=------=--=----
Welcome to The Lineup! Every month, I scour through the hundreds of new
releases on the scene's major archive sites to find the best new music,
saving you the trouble of having to download 20 instant-delete songs to
find 1 that's worth keeping.
Since Static Line took a month off, this edition of The Lineup will
actually cover two months: January and February. I'll select a Best of the
Best for each of those months, and then combine the lists from each month.
This month marks a milestone in The Lineup, with the first-ever inclusion
of MT2 files. I've taken this step because playing MT2 files is now easier
than ever! I've put together a custom-pack ZIP file which includes XMPlay
as well as plug-ins for playing MT2, SKM, MO3, and compressed tracks
archived as ZIP, RAR and LHA files. You can download it right here:
http://www.novusmusic.org/mic/xmplay.zip
Argh checked in this month after his tune "Flashback" was picked as my
Best Of The Best for November, writing, "Also, after a significant number
of emails since the release of Static Line this month, I have released a
16-bit hiss-free version of "Flashback." Thanks for making the tune so
popular! :)" Actually, Argh, thank you for writing such a great tune, and
keep up the great work!
I've added Modulez (http://www.modulez.org) to my list of archives to
screen every month, and of course I'm continuing to add personal and group
websites to my monthly screening list. If you want to make sure that I
check YOUR website for new releases every month, don't wait for me to find
you: e-mail the URL to me at vince_young@hotmail.com and I'll start
watching your site for new releases. It's that easy.
In the meantime, you may consider the following 70 tunes to be the best
tracks of January and February 2004:
-=- THE BEST OF THE BEST: January -=-
"Empty Again" - FleshDance - trance
http://www.modarchive.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi/F/fd_ea.it
-=- THE BEST OF THE BEST: February -=-
"The Next" - SmarTech - dance
http://pages.poly.edu/~smihay01/music/thenext.zip
-=- THE REST OF THE BEST -=-
"13th World" - Ceekayed - fantasy
http://lysis.audio-stream.net/funkybrains/modules/ck13th.zip
"2 Forget" - Project E - dance (MT2 file!)
http://espens.madtracker.net/2%20forget.MT2
"A Heartbroken Soul" - DreamSection - fantasy
http://www.modarchive.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi/D/ds_ahbs.xm
"Ambivalens" - Dr. Emok - pop
http://www.modarchive.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi/A/amb.xm
"Amiga Boy" - Funky Fish - demostyle
ftp://ftp.scenesp.org/pub/modulez/Crizz/Ff_amboy.zip
"Aquarius" - Funky Fish - fantasy
ftp://ftp.scenesp.org/pub/modulez/Crizz/Ff_aqua.zip
"Beastmaster's Tale: Better Quality Version" - Badliz - orchestral
http://www.novusmusic.org/songs/beasthiq.rar
"Blank" - Candybag - trance
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/music/artists/candybag/xm/cb_blank.zip
"Bow & Arrow" - Shinobi - pop
ftp://ftp.scenesp.org/pub/modulez/Shinobi/Bow&arrow.it
"Brand New White Coat" - Cadra - techno
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/music/groups/sublogic/sc-bnwc.zip
"Cognitive Dissonance" - Cadra - drum'n'bass
http://www.modarchive.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi/S/sc-kiss3.it
"Cosmic Evolution" - Ben-Jam - dance
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/music/artists/benjam/benjam_cosmicevolution.s3m.zip
"Cosmic Feelings" - Butch - light rock
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/music/artists/butch/b_cosmic.zip
"Cutey" - Cadra - techno
http://www.modarchive.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi/S/sc-kiss2.it
"Cynetic Pulse" - Neozound - dance
http://es.geocities.com/nexogames/files/Cyneticpulse.zip
"Deep Within" - Dr. Emok - dance
http://w1.461.telia.com/~u46123576/deepwith.zip
"Die To Know" - Cadra - trance
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/music/groups/sublogic/sc-die.zip
"Dodi" - Kim Grönholm - rock
http://www.lut.fi/~kgronhol/dodi.xm
"Dreameast" - Butch - trance
http://www.modarchive.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi/B/b_egipt2.it
"Drowning In Acid" - Hypnotic Melody - club
http://s87139486.onlinehome.us/mods/ACID-HM3.S3M
"Email 2 Elise" - Cyborg Jeff - pop
ftp://ftp.scenesp.org/pub/modulez/cyborgjeff/sku248b.it
"Enter Mandala" - Ivory - trance
http://www.modarchive.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi/M/mandala.it
"Eternal Desire" - Dr3amz - dance
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/dr3amz/dz-desire.zip
"Efter Regn" - Dr. Emok - pop
http://www.modarchive.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi/S/solsken.xm
"Escaping" - Candybag - dance
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/music/artists/candybag/xm/cb_e.zip
"Figure Out" - NullDogy - industrial
http://www.nulldogy.narod.ru/it_zip/figure_out.zip
"For A New Day" - DJ Kneh - trance
http://www.modarchive.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi/D/dk-fand.it
"Frozen Dreams" - Pro-Xex - fantasy
http://pro-xex.kenamick.com/tracks/frozen_dreams.zip
"Future Military Concuests" - Blue Ion - orchestral
http://www.modarchive.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi/I/ion_fmc.it
"Gitanjali" - Cadra - trance
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/music/groups/te/te-gitan.zip
"Halo" - Butch - fantasy
http://www.modarchive.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi/B/b_halo.it
"Hard Drive Battle" - Disturbed - pop
http://www.modshrine.com/compo/compo112/hd.xm
"Hey Stranger" - Argh & Ballistique - light rock
http://www.fq-music.net/music/fq-str-lofi.rar
"In Space No One Can Hear You Boogie" - Reed - funk
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/music/artists/reed/inspace.zip
"Irrespective of Age" - Dr. Emok - pop
http://www.modarchive.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi/I/irespect.xm
"Isn't It..." - SmarTech - pop
http://pages.poly.edu/~smihay01/music/isnt.zip
"Kissing The Devil 2" - Gravityfruit - pop
http://www.gavle.to/~aum.shanti/Kissing_The_Devil_2.zip
"Konfituere Extra" - Ben-Jam - dance
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/music/artists/benjam/benjam_konfituere.xm.zip
"Kundalini Dreams" - Wiseman - jungle
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/music/artists/djsean/sw-kund.zip
"Louder Than Signs" - Ben-Jam - light rock
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/music/artists/benjam/benjam_louderthansigns.s3m.zip
"Mars Canyon" - Candybag - trance
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/music/artists/candybag/xm/cb_mc.zip
"Moon: Apocalypse Machine" - Ben-Jam - fantasy
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/music/artists/benjam/benjam_moon.it.zip
"Neon Metropol" - Ilmarque - trance
http://koti.mbnet.fi/~tympanic/mods/2_ppessi/il_neonm.zip
"No Beast" - Marcuz - demostyle
http://www.gavle.to/~aum.shanti/Marcuz_no_beast.zip
"Once Upon A Time" - Nobody Here - fantasy
http://www.geocities.com/nobodyhere_music/once.zip
"Optical Gateway" - Ilmarque & Error 303 - electronica
http://koti.mbnet.fi/~tympanic/mods/7_error303/optic.zip
"Passengers Of Time" - Nobody Here - fantasy
http://users.rol.ro/rveina/Mars3.zip
"Return Of The King" - Stone - orchestral
http://www.geocities.com/hompefrompe/STONE_return_of_the_real_king.ZIP
"Seeking Meaning" - Cadra - trance
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/music/groups/sublogic/sc-mean.zip
"Shores Of The Infinity" - Ivory - trance
http://www.modarchive.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi/S/shores.it
"Sliders" - Jade - electronica
http://www.celebrityskins.eu.org/misc/sliders-it.rar
"Some Place Else" - Shytan - ambient
http://shytan.alchemicgroup.com/it/shy_spel.zip
"Spread The Virus" - The Deviant - techno
http://www.novusmusic.org/songs/dev_spread.zip
"Starkissed" - Aitrus - ambient
http://www.modplug.com/mods/nr_download.php3?session=&downnum=11342
"Stay" - Marcuz - pop
http://www.gavle.to/~aum.shanti/Marcuz_Stay.rar
"Strawberry Icecream: Musicpack" - Vibe & Technoiz
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/music/groups/cornercut/crc_si.zip
Includes 7 individual song files, all qualified for The Lineup:
- "Another Autumn Day" - Vibe - pop
- "Divine" - Technoiz - trance
- "Human Essence: Galactique Trance Remix" - Technoiz & Vibe - dance
- "Just Believe" - Vibe - pop
- "Positive Energy" - Vibe & Technoiz - dance
- "Sensual Bytes" - Technoiz - dance
- "Strawberry Icecream" - Vibe - pop
"Synchronised Movement" - Factor - trance (MT2 file!)
http://www.freewebs.com/factor013/synchronised%20movement.rar
"Take It On" - Cadra - dance
http://www.modarchive.com/cgi-bin/download.cgi/S/sc-take.it
"The Future Of God" - Grey Face - jungle
http://nick.dsaj.com/futureofgod.mod
"The Sky Trap" - Reduz - pop
http://www.modshrine.com/compo/compo114/skytrap.it
"The Ultimate Meeting" - Ben-Jam - techno
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/music/artists/benjam/benjam_tum99.xm.zip
"Trip To Home" - Vibe - pop
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/music/groups/cornercut/058crc.zip
Latez!
--Novus
--=--=--
--=--=------=--=------=--=----
Screen Lit Vertigo
"FR-36", "Coma" and "Interceptor"
By: Seven
--=--=------=--=------=--=----
-=- "Fr-36:Zeitmaschine" by Farbrausch -=-
(party-version)
Found at www.scene.org
1st place at the TUM 2003 demo compo
System requirements: 11 MB HD, Windows. No reqs listed :(
Test Machine: P4 3GHz 512MB DDR, C-Media AC97, Ati 9800 128MB, WinXP
The credits:
Code (for the tools): Chaos, Fiver2
Graphics: Cp, Paniq
Music: Paniq
The demo:
Farbrausch once again managed to grab a first place, this time with the
abstract 3D demo Zeitmaschine. It features a red/black spiderlike
spaceship (or maybe a time machine?) flying through a multitude of strange
environments. Most rooms have a cubical pattern on the floors and walls,
but some contain mathematical objects that remind me of Tron, while others
are more organical with pulsing trees or deformed human statues. Almost
all 3D objects are pitch black with bright colored lines gliding over
them, giving them an appearance between oil, glass and metal. Some trees
have a kind of inverse cartoon rendering, with thin white edges, but the
high contrast results in ugly aliasing. Luckily Farbrausch's trademark,
the glow-effect that lays over all scenes, mitigates this a bit.
The demo and it's music are very tightly coupled, which is no surprize as
they were developed in a kind of feedback loop (read the .txt file for
details). The music starts slow, crackling like an old LP, and after some
echoing beats and a German voice urging something, it grows in a nice
IDM/techno track with several layers of normal and irregular percussion,
and weird croacking leads. It keeps evolving during the whole demo,
changing the leads and the tempo, with perfectly synced visuals: objects
move faster when the music speeds up, the camera "nods" a bit on the
beats, etc etc. It's not my favourite style, I prefer more melody, but
there's enough variation to avoid any boredom.
Overall:
Fr-36 was made without coders, only a musician and graphician using the
Werkzeug (the latest incarnation of FR's demotool), and the good and weak
points follow from that: it looks great, has a pleasing colorscheme,
coherent design and a matching soundtrack. On the other hand I miss new
effects, besides a lone particle fire all effects are moving 3D objects,
sliding textures and 2D filters. But maybe I'm just worrying coders are
becoming obsolete :) So if you like flashy 3D demos with a techno track,
FR-36 is what you want!
-=- "Coma" by Cocoon -=-
(party-version)
Found at the st(ART) FTP server, but www.scene.org has it too.
1st place at the st(ART) 2004 demo compo
System requirements: 16.6 MB HD, Windows, DX9, ATI 9500 or higher,
(NVidia not supported! I heard it runs, but more like a slideshow)
Test Machine: P4 3GHz 512MB DDR, C-Media AC97, Ati 9800 128MB, WinXP
The credits:
Code: Guille
Graphics: Nytric, Tenshu, Sheena
Music: Willbe
The demo:
Cocoon did it again: Coma won the democompo just as convincingly as Raw
Confessions did at SOTA 2002. It's another 3D demo, but with a different
mood: it's not nearly as dark, showing mostly mechanical or computer-
inspired scenes: a spherical robot shining a light in a machine room, a
ball of light constrained by five metal pilars, or tunnels filled with
cables and lights. The only violent scene is a high-tech crucification on
a mountain of machines, at the very end. The quality of the 3D models is
very high, the chamber with the organical pods f.e. look really amazing,
but most are completely static. Objects cast shadows, albeit rather
coarse, and the glow-effect is used abundantly. One really good-looking
effect is the surface build from hexagonal pillars that jump up and down,
creating a ripple-effect, with light glowing from underneath.
There's no 2D to speak of, only Danish-design overlays, lines, numbers,
and text in mixed font sizes, often too small to read. Also, some orange
space invaders march over the screen, fitting perfectly with the vocoder
voice.
The music is a rocking dance track, it's really infectious and will get
your feet tapping in no time. The vocals are error messages like "Failure
to set up device" or "Program is not responding", in a similar synthesized
voice as Variform/Kewlers or World Domination/ODD. It's simple, but quite
effective as they fit the visuals very well.
Overall:
Coma has a few bugs, there are visible banding issues with the glow, and
the shadows look blocky (coincidently, both errors were masked by the
bright beamer at st(ART). But otherwise it's a demo I could keep looping
for a few hours :) Especially the music is great, but the pretty scenes
aren't to sneeze about either! Unfortunately, according to the latest
scene.org poll, only 31% of the sceners own an Radeon 9500 or higher,
which means the other 69% will have to wait for either a final version
with Geforce support (which is very unlikely, from what Cocoon said on the
prize ceremony), a driver update that adds whatever DX9 function it is
that's not accelerated currently, or until they can afford a new 3D card
:/ ...
-=- "Interceptor" by Black Maiden -=-
(party-version)
Found at the st(ART) FTP server, but www.scene.org has it too.
2nd place at the st(ART) 2004 demo compo
System requirements: 7.4 MB HD, Windows, Geforce 3 or higher
(GF4 Go doesn't count :(, and ATI not supported. But there are 2 Mpegs
on scene.org (30 & 60 MB))
Test Machine: P4 3GHz 512MB DDR, C-Media AC97, Ati 9800 128MB, WinXP
The credits:
Code: Shiva
Graphics: Pandur
Music: A-Move
The demo:
Interceptor is a bit of a one-trick pony: it has one 3D model that steals
the show, everything else is circumstancial. The interceptor is a 4-legged
bug-shaped robot, it's very smooth and detailed with spikes on the legs, a
complex air intake at the snout, and a secret weapon hidden beneath the
wings. It's already impressive to see it standing still, moving slowly
when breathing, with the camera zooming in on the details. But it is when
it's on the go that the arachnophobic sceners will look for the reset
button on their machine :) Besides the robot, there's a similar but
simpler model of an 6-legged bug at the start, with red design lines
appearing around the legs. The other design elements are lots of rotating
circles, like cogs, some of which form a fractal with more appearing when
you zoom in. There's a few more things, like the diagonal stripes that
clear the screen, but everything is low-key to not divert your precious
attention from the interceptor. The music is a cool electronic track that
starts very slowly, almost ambient, with a relaxed sweeping lead and
little croacking sounds like insect feets in the background. Later beats
complement the sweeps, but the tempo stays down. Little sound accents
accompagny the design touches on the screen, but the demo itself doesn't
have much effects to sync to the music.
Overall:
A must-see if you like complex 3D, but you'll find it boring if you expect
anything more. Plus, since Black Maiden used Kolor's 3D engine from
Relais, this one is for Geforces with shaders only. (I hate this 1-brand-
supported-only stuff, but at least it was evenly divided at st(ART).
Something to (dis)please everyone, I guess :) )
--Seven
--=--=--
--=--=------=--=------=--=----
Coplan's Eyes
Tradition
By: Coplan
--=--=------=--=------=--=----
As I take a sip of my beverage of choice, I can't help but to think of one
particular thing: tradition. Tradition is something that is not easily
lost. It is a belief, for lack of a better term, in something that exists
because it works. Tradition is something that drives many people, if not
most people. Tradition, if you really want to be analytic, is necessary.
So what of my beverage of choice? Why did that churn my thoughts into
this matter of...tradition? Since as long as I can remember, my family
has been set in their drink of choice: The Manhatten. A Manhatten is
basically two shots Whiskey, one shot Vermouth and a drop of bitters.
It's often stirred with ice and served in a martini glass. It's
considered and old drink...one that doesn't frequent the bars very often.
But every bartender knows how to mix it. It's relatively simple, and
every Manhatten drinker has his twist. I drink my with Canadian Club,
light on the vermouth and add the bitters. Some drink without the
bitters, some drink "Perfect Manhattens" in which the vermouth is split
evenly between dry and sweet. My point is that while tradition holds
true...there are always variations, and exceptions.
Tradition is what holds us to many different aspects of life. I use the
example of a beverage because that is something people don't really think
about. So what if he drinks a Manhatten, and she drinks a Bay Breeze. In
reality, people generally accept what people drink. But when it comes to
art...there is always a debate. I find that very interesting because art
is purely aesthetic. One would argue that a drink is aesthetic as
well...but that only supports my point.
My point is that art is a means to get people to debate.
I don't care if you're a graphic artist. I don't care if you specialize
in water colors or clay. I don't care if you communicate through canvas
or audio. You are creating your craft. You are sharing your craft with
the world. You put your work, whatever it is, out there so that someone
will comment. Your friends will offer you advice so that you can improve.
Your aquaintences will tell you that your work is wonderful. Those who
know you not will tell you your work is terrible. So what do you get out
of every situation here? Discussion. You do your "work" because you want
to instigate discussion. Deny it, if you wish, but the truth is: You
wouldn't share your work if it were just for you.
So I started out with tradition. That is a fact. Another fact is that
you started with your hobby because of tradition. There are very few
people that create a hobby. Hobbies existed before you even thought it
was interesting. But nevermind the fact that said hobby's pre-existence
interested you. Something in that hobby pulled you in. Somethign made
you want to be a part of this hobby. If you're reading this, my guess is
that someone clued you into the demoscene. Someone taught you what
benefits you can get from this demoscene. You were excited to
participate. You wanted to learn this art. You wanted to be noticed, and
you wanted to be recognized. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you...but
this "art" that you participate in? It's been done before. It is a
tradition of the demoscene. How many times have you heard someone talk
about music being so "demoscene-esque" or oat least being "typical of the
demoscene". The demoscene has been aroung for a long while. You're
really just following in someone's footsteps.
Right. So I'm supposed to be ins
pirational. This is the moment where I'm
going to tell you the one truth that you may or may not have discovered:
Tradition is only an example, meant to be broken. I'm going to turn back
to that Manhatten issue as I discussed earlier. Truth be told, my family
doesn't use bitters. My father, my grandfather, my aunt and my uncle all
use whiskey and vermouth. Nothing else. I am the first person in my
family to use bitters in decades. Am I following tradition? Absolutely.
Am I breaking traditions? Absolutely?
Tradition requires a certain amount of variation. If it is regae
before...it's regae now. But if you bend enough rules, it's both regea
AND rock. My point is that you can never bend the rules too much.
Tradition is a template. But any template can be modified to fit your
needs. It only has to be considered.
I'm not going to tell you that you need to follow tradition. I'm not
going to tell you that everything you want to do has already been done.
That is the words of a person who has no future. That is the words of a
person who cannot grasp the future. You have a vision...you have a dream.
Grab it, hold it, and push it. If you don't, no one will. Rules are
meant to be broken and bent. Break and bend them enough...and you'll find
something new. And I hope to be alive to see that happen.
--Coplan
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Link List
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Portals:
SceneSpot (Home of Static Line).......http://www.scenespot.org
CFXweb.......................................http://cfxweb.net
Czech Scene................................http://www.scene.cz
Danish Scene..............................http://demo-scene.dk
Demoscene.org.........................http://www.demoscene.org
Demo.org...................................http://www.demo.org
Diskmag.de...................................http://diskmag.de
Greek Scene............................http://www.demoscene.gr
Hungarian Scene........................http://www.demoscene.hu
Italian Scene...........................http://run.to/la_scena
Kahvi.....................................http://www.kahvi.org
ModPlug Central Resources..........http://www.castlex.com/mods
Noerror.................................http://www.noerror.org
Norwegian Scene........................http://www.demoscene.no
Orange Juice.............................http://www.ojuice.net
Planet Zeus..........................http://www.planetzeus.net
Polish Scene...............................http://www.scene.pl
Pouet.net.................................http://www.pouet.net
Russian Scene..........................http://www.demoscene.ru
Scene.org.................................http://www.scene.org
Scenergy on-line (8bit)............http://www.scenergy.natm.ru
Scenet....................................http://www.scenet.de
Spanish Scene............................http://www.escena.org
Swiss Scene..............................http://www.chscene.ch
United Trackers.................http://www.united-trackers.org
Archives:
Acid2.....................................ftp://acid2.stack.nl
Amber.......................................ftp://amber.bti.pl
Aminet.....................http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/~aminet/
Cyberbox.....................................ftp://cyberbox.de
Hornet (1992-1996)........................ftp://ftp.hornet.org
MOD Archive..........................http://www.modarchive.com
Music Massage......................http://www.scene.cz/massage
Scene.org..................................ftp://ftp.scene.org
Scene.org Austra........................ftp://ftp.au.scene.org
Scene.org Netherlands...................ftp://ftp.nl.scene.org
Swiss Scene FTP...........................ftp://ftp.chscene.ch
Demo Groups:
3g Design..............................http://3gdesign.cjb.net
3State...................................http://threestate.com
7 Gods.........................................http://7gods.sk
Aardbei.....................................http://aardbei.com
Acid Rain..............................http://surf.to/acidrain
Addict..................................http://addict.scene.pl
Agravedict........................http://www.agravedict.art.pl
Alien Prophets.....................http://www.alienprophets.dk
Anakata..............................http://www.anakata.art.pl
ASD....................................http://asd.demoscene.gr
Astral..............................http://astral.scene-hu.com
Astroidea........................http://astroidea.scene-hu.com
BlaBla..............................http://blabla.planet-d.net
Blasphemy..............................http://www.blasphemy.dk
Bomb..................................http://bomb.planet-d.net
Broncs..................................http://broncs.scene.cz
Byterapers.....................http://www.byterapers.scene.org
Bypass.................................http://bypass.scene.org
Calodox.................................http://www.calodox.org
Cocoon..............................http://cocoon.planet-d.net
Confine.................................http://www.confine.org
Damage...................................http://come.to/damage
Dc5.........................................http://www.dc5.org
Delirium..............................http://delirium.scene.pl
Eclipse............................http://www.eclipse-game.com
Elitegroup..........................http://elitegroup.demo.org
Exceed...........................http://www.inf.bme.hu/~exceed
Fairlight.............................http://www.fairlight.com
Fobia Design...........................http://www.fd.scene.org
Freestyle............................http://www.freestylas.org
Fresh! Mindworks...................http://kac.poliod.hu/~fresh
Future Crew..........................http://www.futurecrew.org
Fuzzion.................................http://www.fuzzion.org
GODS...................................http://www.idf.net/gods
Halcyon...........................http://www.halcyon.scene.org
Haujobb..................................http://www.haujobb.de
Hellcore............................http://www.hellcore.art.pl
Infuse...................................http://www.infuse.org
Inquisition....................http://inquisition.demoscene.hu
Kilobite...............................http://kilobite.cjb.net
Kolor................................http://www.kaoz.org/kolor
Komplex.................................http://www.komplex.org
Kooma.....................................http://www.kooma.com
Mandula.........................http://www.inf.bme.hu/~mandula
Maturefurk...........................http://www.maturefurk.com
Monar................ftp://amber.bti.pl/pub/scene/distro/monar
MOVSD....................................http://movsd.scene.cz
Nextempire...........................http://www.nextempire.com
Noice.....................................http://www.noice.org
Orange.................................http://orange.scene.org
Orion................................http://orion.planet-d.net
Outbreak................................http://www.outbreak.nu
Popsy Team............................http://popsyteam.rtel.fr
Prone................................http://www.prone.ninja.dk
Purple....................................http://www.purple.dk
Rage........................................http://www.rage.nu
Replay.......................http://www.shine.scene.org/replay
Retro A.C...........................http://www.retroac.cjb.net
Sista Vip..........................http://www.sistavip.exit.de
Skytech team............................http://www.skytech.org
Skrju.....................................http://www.skrju.org
Spinning Kids......................http://www.spinningkids.org
Sunflower.......................http://sunflower.opengl.org.pl
Talent.............................http://talent.eurochart.org
The Black Lotus.............................http://www.tbl.org
The Digital Artists Wired Nation.http://digitalartists.cjb.net
The Lost Souls...............................http://www.tls.no
TPOLM.....................................http://www.tpolm.com
Trauma.................................http://sauna.net/trauma
T-Rex.....................................http://www.t-rex.org
Unik........................................http://www.unik.de
Universe..........................http://universe.planet-d.net
Vantage..................................http://www.vantage.ch
Wipe....................................http://www.wipe-fr.org
Music Labels, Music Sites:
Aisth.....................................http://www.aisth.com
Aural Planet........................http://www.auralplanet.com
Azure...................................http://azure-music.com
Blacktron Music Production...........http://www.d-zign.com/bmp
BrothomStates.............http://www.katastro.fi/brothomstates
Chill..........................http://www.chillproductions.com
Chippendales......................http://www.sunpoint.net/~cnd
Chiptune...............................http://www.chiptune.com
Da Jormas................................http://www.jormas.com
Fabtrax......http://www.cyberverse.com/~boris/fabtrax/home.htm
Fairlight Music.....................http://fairlight.scene.org
Five Musicians.........................http://www.fm.scene.org
Fusion Music Crew.................http://members.home.nl/cyrex
Goodstuff..........................http://artloop.de/goodstuff
Hellven.................................http://www.hellven.org
Ignorance.............................http://www.ignorance.org
Immortal Coil.............................http://www.ic.l7.net
Intense...........................http://intense.ignorance.org
Jecoute.................................http://jecoute.cjb.net
Kosmic Free Music Foundation.............http://www.kosmic.org
Lackluster.....................http://www.m3rck.net/lackluster
Level-D.................................http://www.level-d.com
Mah Music.............................http://come.to/mah.music
Maniacs of noise...............http://home.worldonline.nl/~mon
MAZ's sound homepage..................http://www.maz-sound.com
Med.......................................http://www.med.fr.fm
Miasmah.............................http://www.miasmah.cjb.net
Milk.......................................http://milk.sgic.fi
Mo'playaz..........................http://ssmedion.de/moplayaz
Mono211.................................http://www.mono211.com
Morbid Minds..............http://www.raveordie.com/morbidminds
Moods..............................http://www.moodymusic.de.vu
Mstation.....................http://mstation.org/software.html
Nectarine Demoscene Radio................http://scenemusic.net
Noise................................http://www.noisemusic.org
One Touch Records......................http://otr.planet-d.net
Park..................................http://park.planet-d.net
pHluid..................................http://phluid.acid.org
Radical Rhythms.....http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/merrelli/rr
RBi Music.............................http://www.rbi-music.com
Ruff Engine................http://members.xoom.com/ruff_engine
SHR8M......................................http://1st.to/shr8m
Sound Devotion................http://sugarbomb.x2o.net/soundev
Soundstate.........................http://listen.to/soundstate
Sunlikamelo-D.....................http://www.sunlikamelo-d.com
Suspect Records........................http://www.tande.com/sr
Tequila........................http://www.defacto2.net/tequila
Tempo................................http://tempomusic.cjb.net
Tetris....................................http://msg.sk/tetris
Theralite...........................http://theralite.avalon.hr
Tokyo Dawn Records........................http://tokyodawn.org
Triad's C64 music archive.............http://www.triad.c64.org
UltraBeat.........................http://www.innerverse.com/ub
Vibrants................................http://www.vibrants.dk
Zen of Tracking.........................http://surf.to/the-imm
Programming:
3D engines..........http://cg.cs.tu-berlin.de/~ki/engines.html
3D programming portal.................http://www.3dgamedev.com
Documents...............http://www.neutralzone.org/home/faqsys
File format collection...................http://www.wotsit.org
Game programming portal...............http://www.gamasutra.com
LCC (free C compiler).........http://www.remcomp.com/lcc-win32
NASM (free Assembly compiler)......http://nasm.sourceforge.net
Programming portal......................http://www.gamedev.net
Programming portal.....................http://www.flipcode.com
Programming portal......................http://www.exaflop.org
Programming portal............http://www.programmersheaven.com
Programming portal.....................http://www.freecode.com
PTC video engine.........................http://www.gaffer.org
Magazines:
Amber (in pop-up window).............http://amber.planet-d.net
Amnesia...............http://amnesia-dist.future.easyspace.com
Demojournal....................http://demojournal.planet-d.net
Eurochart.............................http://www.eurochart.org
Hugi........................................http://www.hugi.de
Jurassic Pack.......................http://www.jurassicpack.de
PAiN.....................................http://pain.scene.org
Shine (in pop-up window)................http://shine.scene.org
Static Line....................http://staticline.scenespot.org
Sunray..............................http://sunray.planet-d.net
TUHB.......................................http://www.tuhb.org
WildMag..................................http://www.wildmag.de
Parties:
Assembly (Finland).....................http://www.assembly.org
Ambience (The Netherlands)..............http://www.ambience.nl
Breakpoint (Germany)..........http://breakpoint.untergrund.net
Buenzli (Switzerland)......................http://www.buenz.li
Dreamhack (Sweden)....................http://www.dreamhack.org
Gravity (Poland)............http://www.demoscena.cp.pl/gravity
Mekka-Symposium (Germany)...................http://ms.demo.org
Pilgrimage (Utah, US)..............http://pilgrimage.scene.org
ReAct (Greece).............................http://www.react.gr
Takeover (The Netherlands).............,http://www.takeover.nl
The Party (Denmark).....................http://www.theparty.dk
Others:
CoolBPM.....................................http://coolbpm.com
Demo secret parts....http://www.inf.bme.hu/~mandula/secret.txt
Textmode Demo Archive.................http://tmda.planet-d.net
Arf!Studios..........................http://www.arfstudios.org
#coders..................................http://coderz.cjb.net
Csound-tekno e-mail list......................................
............http://plot.bek.no/mailman/listinfo/csoundtekno
Demonews Express.........http://www.teeselink.demon.nl/express
Demo fanclub........................http://jerware.org/fanclub
Digital Undergrounds.....................http://dug.iscool.net
Everything tracking..http://zolaweb.com/Zola/trax/tracking.htm
Freax.....................................http://www.freax.hu/
GFXZone.................................http://www.gfxzone.org
Mod-Radio.....................http://www.back2roots.org/Radio/
PC-demos explained.....http://www.oldskool.org/demos/explained
Pixel...................................http://pixel.scene.org
#trax e-mail list.............................................
.............http://www.scenespot.org/mailman/listinfo/trax
Underground Mine.............http://www.spinningkids.org/umine
IRC Channels:
Graphics.........................................ircnet #pixel
Graphics (French)..............................ircnet #pixelfr
Music......................................irc.scene.org #trax
Music.............................................ircnet #trax
Programming.....................................ircnet #coders
Programming....................................efnet #flipcode
Programming (French)............................ircnet #codefr
Programming (German)........................ircnet #coders.ger
Programming (Hungarian)......................ircnet #coders.hu
Scene.........................................ircnet #thescene
Scene (French)..................................ircnet #demofr
Scene (Hungarian)............................ircnet #demoscene
Zx-spectrum scene..................................ircnet #z80
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----=--=------=--=------=--=------=--=------=--=------=--=------=--=------
-=- Staff -=-
Editor: Ciaran / Ciaran Hamilton / staticline@theblob.org
Staff Writers: Ben / Ben Collver / collver1@comcast.net
Coplan / D. Travis North / coplan@scenespot.org
Dilvie / Eric Hamilton / dilvie@dilvie.com
Novus / Vince Young / vince_young@hotmail.com
Psitron / Tim Soderstrom / tigerhawk@stic.net
Setec / Jesper Pederson / jesped@post.tele.dk
Seven / Stefaan VanNieuwenhuyze / seven7@pandora.be
Tryhuk / Tryhuk Vojtech / vojtech.tryhuk@worldonline.cz
Vill / Brian Frank / darkvill@yahoo.com
The Watcher / Paul-Jan Pauptit / sprout@zonnet.nl
The current issue of Static Line can always be found on the Web at:
http://staticline.scenespot.org/issues/current_issue
Static Line Subscription Management:
http://www.scenespot.org/mailman/listinfo/static_line
If you would like to contribute an article to Static Line, be aware that
we will format your article to 76 columns with two columns at the
beginning of each line. Please avoid foul language and high ASCII
characters. Contributions (Plain Text) should be e-mailed to
(static_line-owner@scenespot.org) by the last Friday of each month. New
issues are released on a monthly basis.
See you next month!
-eof---=------=--=------=--=--
