. founded march 12, 1995 _| : _____ t r a x w e e k l y # 95 ______________ |___| _ _______/ /\___________________________ / ____________/ /\__\ _ _______/____/_____________________________ / / _________ \/__/ ______\ \_____________________________ / / / `_ . .~ \____\/ _ __ ___ / / / _____ . _ \ __ ___ _/__/\ / / / / /\ _ The Music Scene Newsletter __ __\__\/ _/__/ / ____/ /__\_________________________________ _____ ___ _ / /\/ /___ __________ _ ______ _ ___ \/ /\ / / /____/ \ \ / /\ / __/\ / /\ \ \ / \ /____/ / / \ / \/ /_ \___/___/ \ \_/___/ / \_/ / / \ ___\ / /_/ /______/\/ \ /______/\/ \ /_____/ // \ \ / / / \ / / \ \ \ \_\ \ \ \_\ \ //____/\____\/ / / / / / \______\/ \______\/ \_____\/ \ \ \ \ / / / / \____\/\____\ / / / / _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ / / / /__/ w /\___/ /\___/ e /\___/ /\__ / l /\___/ /\____/ / / __/____/____/____/____/____/____/____/____/____/____/____/________/ / __\ \____\ e \____\ \____\ k \ ___\ \____\ y \__________/ \____\/ \____\/ \____\/ \____\/ \____\/ \____\/WW ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | TraxWeekly Issue #95 | Release date: 17 Apr 1997 | Subscribers: 908 | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- /-[Introduction]------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Welcome to TraxWeekly #95. Well, I've cleared out all of the bounced subscribers again, which now brings us to a fairly accurate count: around 900 readers. Also, many of you have probably noticed that TraxWeekly has been appearing on a bi- weekly basis instead of weekly. Fear not, that isn't permanent. As a side effect of my university's quarter system, I'm hopping left and right to finish zillions of problems that surface here and there, and I'm sufficiently tied down that sometimes the newsletter isn't released. My apologies... Our feature article this week comes from Atlantic, one of our few remaining staff writers. His piece entitled "Synergy in the Music Scene" is directed at the concept of groups, understanding the cohesion of musical organizations, and some of the misconceptions about them. I am currently working on an overview of Nemesis of Cataclysm (formerly of Renaissance)'s music disk. Hopefully, after clearing out a math midterm this Friday, I'll be able to get it together for next week's issue. It's coming, nem! =) Gene Wie (Psibelius) TraxWeekly Publishing gwie@csusm.edu /-[Contents]---------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------/ ________ _________________________________________________________________ / ____/_/ __/ \ __/ / _____/ \ __/ __/ ___/_ < \____\ \ \\ \ \\____ __/ __/_\ \ \\____ \_____ \__ \ \ \ \\ \ \ww\ \\ \\ \ \ \ \ \_ _\________\________\\___\____\ \_____\\_______\\___\____\ \_____\_______\ Letters and Feedback 1. Letter from Evan Korzon General Articles 2. Synergy in the Music Scene....................Atlantic Group Columns 3. TMX Advertisements Key Legacy N.O.I.S.E. Closing Distribution Subscription/Contribution Information TraxWeekly Staff Sheet /-[Letters and Feedback]---------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------/ --[1. Letter from Evan Korzon]---------------------------------------------- A funny thing happened one day while chatting with the #trax'ers... I noticed the topic saying something about those demo music awards, so I went to their page (http://www.il.ft.hse.nl/~stefand/dma96fs.html) and took a look at the winner of the "Best Demo 1996" and "Best 1996," which were the same song..."Sweet Dreams" by Elwood. I'm sure you have heard it. Well, I hadn't heard it before, and when I played it I noticed that it sounded strangely familiar. I loaded up my trusty FT2 and started up the 5th place winner of ASM96 32ch called "Beyond The Stars" by ToalNkor and Scarfman (which had been on my hard drive for some time.) Sure enough the two songs went hand in hand. They are different in some ways, but not enough not to notice the many many similarities. I am not quite sure on the actual dates of when the songs were written..but my songs show "Sweet Dreams" saved on 4/21/96 and "Beyond The Stars" on 7/16/96. Since dates can be easily set and re-set on a computer, this may not be a valid argument. So, I invite you to make your own opinions as to the nature of their similarities. I have no explanation as to why the songs sound like they do. I'd like for you to have a look yourself. Here are their locations: ftp://ftp.fm.org/asm96/32ch/Beystars.zip - "Beyond The Stars" ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/demos/music/songs/1996/e/elw-swee.zip - "Sweet Dreams" I hope you can see what I am talking about. Thanks. EgLFalcn (SoundGod) - Evan Korzon eglflcn@goodnet.com PS: I think it's funny how ToalNkor and Scarfman greet Elwood in their songtext . ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- /-[General Articles]-------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------/ --[2. Synergy in the Music Scene]-------------------------------[Atlantic]-- "Synergy. n. The possibility that merging two individuals can produce a combined operation of greater ability and strength." The idea of the "group" in the music scene is well on the way to dissolving into the depths of complete meaninglessness. And there's a question that has been driving me crazy: Why? Why are there so many cheesy, useless, unheard of, sloppy music groups around? Why do we form music groups? Do we seek approval? Do we seek to control or to be controlled? Do we simply think, as a friend of mine recently said, "there's strength in numbers"? If we leave with nothing more than what we joined with, why do we bother? Is it all just for distribution? These issues are interconnected, but let's try to consider them seperately. I'll be the first to admit that I once only tracked because I wanted to be respected and admired by those who weren't as good as I was. It's that simple. Years ago that goal was easily attained. Ie. It's not difficult being in the top three when there are only two of you. But as time wore on, that changed. More people came. More talented people came. Somewhere along the line, somebody said "Hey, if I joined together with other people, I could be more important." What's more impressive: Billybob, or Billybob of Skull-Eater Productions? Well, that's a pretty hurting name, but you get the point. Thus the Imperialist groups were formed. And believe me, there were lots of them. It's hard for me to tell exactly how they behaved in other parts of the world, but I know here in Toronto it was war for a while. "Our group is better than yours," "You couldn't compose your way out of a wet-paper-bag," etc. No, that doesn't make sense, but that's the point. This amounted to survival of the fittest, and there was little or no co-operation or "synergy" involved. I could name boatloads of imperialist groups. They characteristically have a group "leader", the dictator figure, who is always gleefully announcing the latest member from Outer Mongolia. In their heads they equate "More Members" with "Popularity" and "Success". Most of the members probably know pretty much nothing about the others. These days, they are often spread all over the globe. The group has some unsaid goal like: "World Domination through the tracking of PC music". Nothing to be gained here, because there's no communication between people. Strike one. Maybe your group just exists because the "leader" has some keen desire to control others. Somebody thinks it's kewl to have "President" beside their name in some unread textfile. This sounds trite, but think about it. I know of at least 2 or 3 local groups that only exist because some overpowering Dooch got on the phone harping people about joining his 'leet clan. Give these guys a couple months, and WhAmp, they're a full-fledged Empire, seeking new lands to conquer. Strike Two. I guess the most basic function of a group is distribution, but that raises a whole seperate issue. Personally, I don't give a rats ass who hears my music anymore. I just released a disk which I had been working on for no less than 8 months, but I'm not going to cram it down anybody's throat. I'll let my friends know where it is, but besides that, I figure that the people who *want* to get it will seek it out. And if it's good enough, they will tell their friends, and everything will be happy and bright and shiny. But even if you do happen to care about distributing your music, how much of a difference does a group make? Am I more likely to pick up Billybob's latest release if it is a "Skull-Eater Productions" release? Probably not, because that is a brutally bad name. Now this is where people will likely jump up and say "But what if Billybob releases his song with the Five Musicians!" Yes, people will be more likely to pick it up then. But open your brain a little. Trackers like Necros, Basehead, Jak, etc, are not popular because they release their music with a "FM-" prefix. They are liked because they are talented freak'n trackers. Ask Basehead if he ever *needed* FM (or any other group) to refine his skills. Strike Three. And just recently, my eyes were opened to what is probably the real essence of the matter. I help to run the Toronto-based group Aim Higher, which was recreated recently. It was originally conceived to counter-balance all the sillyness which I'm trying to point out here. The focus in the group was to be almost entirely on process rather than finished product. The seniors of the group were to offer musical and technical support and feedback constantly. Ideally, we have just been aiming to mean something. The members interract to help each other improve their skills. But it wasn't going well at all. The problem was this: nobody was *taking the time*. Nobody was putting any extra effort in. Nobody wanted to help anybody else, and nobody really wanted to do the extra editing work that is crucial to the process of improving music. The seniors realized that the group was itself dissolving into the air. So we put our heads together and decided on a more strict policy. Whereas before the members had no obligation to do anything, they now have a responsibility to be an active participant in the process. They have to give some feedback, and they have to listen to the feedback of others. It's unfortunate, but unless we make it *necessary* for people to help each other, they won't bother. And they haven't been. In a word, it is laziness that we are fighting. People track largely as a hobby - a side interest - whilst they go about their daily affairs. This is fine and great. People can compose for what ever reason they want to, and get whatever they want out of it. People can compose on their touch tone phones for all I care. But in trying to explain why people would bother to glob together into music groups, I can't imagine any other explanation other than to *help one another*. This is an awesome thing when it works, but if you're not willing to make that *extra effort*, then there's no point in pretending. What I am getting at, and I'll forgive you if you missed it, is that you don't need a group to be good. You need to be good to be good. ___ atlantic, aka b.a.freeman (as566@torfree.net) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- /-[Group Columns]----------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------/ --[3. TMX - The Music Of A Generation]-------------------------------------- TMX is a music group dedicated to producing high quality dance music using tracker programs. Since formation in October 1996, we have grown to 18 members, who are: Admin: ------ KoCaine - kocaine@hotmail.com Morph - u09is@abdn.ac.uk RubZ - u05rjf@abdn.ac.uk Other Members: -------------- Awakened Claudio S.M. DJ Baze DJ Pioneer DJ pubert Ewok HenriX Invisible Kanna Kentris MC Dreamer Martian Mr Jackass Sidewinder sOuP We're always on the lookout for talented musicians/trackers, so if you want to join, or want more info on joining, either email one of the admin mentioned above, or see the group FAQ, presently at www.abdn.ac.uk/~u05rjf/tmx At present, we have several songs waiting in the sidelines, ready (or almost ready) to be released (watch this space) all at once into PD. We're also about to record a DAT to distribute round several record companies in the UK, US and Germany, with the aim of getting a CD (or stuff on vinyl) out before the end of this year. Again, watch this space. There are occasional rumblings on the group bulletin board and mailing list about getting together a demo, but so far nobody has had time to co-ordinate efforts on this front. If anybody out there in reader-land has experience of programming high quality demos and would like to join/collaborate with TMX, please get in touch. Hope to hear from you, and happy tracking, --- RuBz (u05rjf@abdn.ac.uk) - Admin/Musician of TMX http://www.abdn.ac.uk/~u05rjf ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- /-[Advertisements]---------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- KEY LEGACY - Online Magazine for the PC Music Scene "Your Key to the PC Music Scene" Note: The Magazine will be available ONLINE on the NET, and in a downloadable version. Greetings, Young Legacy (www.ipoline.com/~bswmui/yl) is putting together an Online Magazine for the PC Music Scene. We are hoping it will provide up to date information about the PC Music Scene. It will be designed for both the people in the scene and the ones who have no idea what the scene is. Each issue will contain articles about the scene, updates on groups, and notification of special events. Articles: - general topics about the scene (ex. .IT versus .XM) - interviews Updates on Groups: - Up to date information on who is doing what - what each group is planning on doing in the future Special Events: - notification of any special events happening in the scene (ex. compo, party) - general information about the event, who to contact, and a link to the event's homepage (if applicable). If you are interested in publishing an article, providing updates about groups, or want to notify people about a special event please email Ice Cool either on The Virtual Warehouse BBS if you are in the Toronto area, or at icecool@ipoline.com on the Internet. NOTE: if you are planning on publishing an article please submit your topic for approval. This is to avoid having more than one article for a topic. The first issue of Key Legacy is scheduled to be placed online at the end of April 1997. It is not determined yet whether the magazine will be bi-monthly or quarterly, it all depends on the response we receive for this first issue. However, updates about groups will be put online as soon as we receive them so that people can stay informed. As the magazine grows, we hope to eventually have Top 10 Charts, compo's, and any other things that we think people will like. NOTE: If you would like to get your name on our mailing list. Please send e-mail to icecool@ipoline.com. Young Legacy hopes that this magazine will help set the standard for any online magazines that come after it. - Young Legacy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- +========[ www.noisemusic.org ]=========+ | New Objectives In Sound Exploration | +--------------=[ NOISE ]=--------------+ |.......................................| |.....we are one of the best music......| |.....groups on the Internet today......| |.......................................| |..we maintain high musical standards...| |..while encouraging creative freedom...| |.......................................| |.we believe strongly in the community..| |...spirit that first gave rise to the..| |.........music and demo scenes.........| |.......................................| |.....we support the development of.....| |...new music software and the people...| |..............who write it.............| |.......................................| |.....check out our newest releases.....| |.......and sample collections at.......| |.......http://www.noisemusic.org.......| |.....::::::::::::::::::::::::::::......| |.....!new music disk released by!......| |.....!stereoman on April 25 1997!......| |.....::::::::::::::::::::::::::::......| +---------------------------------------+ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- /-[Closing]----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------/ TraxWeekly is available via FTP from: ftp.hornet.org /incoming/info (new issues) ftp.hornet.org /info/traxweek/1995/ (back issues) /info/traxweek/1996/ (back issues) /info/traxweek/1997/ (back issues) TraxWeekly W3 is under construction indefinitely. As this is a newsletter and not a web page, there will probably never be one. Don't even think about asking... To subscribe, send mail to: listserver@unseen.aztec.co.za and put in the message body: subscribe trax-weekly [name] (NOT address) To unsubscribe, mail same and: unsubscribe trax-weekly (in message body) Contributions for TraxWeekly must be formatted for *76* columns, must have a space preceding each line, and have some measure of journalistic value. Please try to avoid the use of high ascii characters, profanity, and above all: use your common sense. Contributions should be mailed as plain ascii text or filemailed to: gwie@csusm.edu before 11:00pm PST (North America) every Wednesday. TraxWeekly is usually released over the listserver and ftp.cdrom.com every Thursday or Friday at 10:00pm PST (North America). TraxWeekly does not discriminate based on age, gender, race, political or religious statures and standpoints. The staff can be reached at the following: Editor: Psibelius (Gene Wie)..............gwie@csusm.edu Staff: Atlantic (Barry Freeman)..........as566@torfree.net Mage (Glen Dwayne Warner).........gdwarner@rocochet.net Friend: Zinc (Justin Ray).................rays@direct.ca ascii graphic contributors: Cruel Creator, Stezotehic, Squidgalator2, White Wizard TraxWeekly is a HORNET affiliation. Copyright (c)1995,1996,1997 - TraxWeekly Publishing, All Rights Reserved. /-[END]--------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------/ :: ::: : . ..... ..............................:::.................:.... ::: : :::: : .::::. .:::::.:::. ..:::: :::: : :: :: ::: .:: :: :: WW:::: : ::. :: ::: .:: :: .:: :::: : :::.::. ::: .:: .:: .:::::... :: :::.. ... ..: ... ..:::::::::::::::: .:: .::::::: :::::::: ::::::.. ::: ::: ::: : until next week! =) .. ... .. ....... ............... .................:..... .. . :