Invitation to Euskal Encounter 4 (1996)
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Euskal Party IV Spain is the vacation dream of most youths; hot and cloudless weather, joyful fiestas and clean but crowded beaches make the perfect scenario for a 15 day vacation, away from the daily stress and boring normalities of school life. This same Spain will soon be the host of an interesting scene event, that will go into it's fourth withholding by the end of next July. A History The Euskal party does not enjoy the fame of the bigger scene events like Assembly, The Gathering or The Party, yet it's the only one that counts for the Spanish scene. Due to the fact that the organisers have, for one unknown reason or another, never advertised their party outside the borders of their own land, few, if any, have been those foreigners who heard about the existence of such a modern-time gem. The first edition of the Euskal Party was held in August 1994, in Urretxu, Gipuzkoa; a small Amiga meeting between 32 sceners, when the Spanish world of demos was still in it's early infancy. Still, this first event seemed to cause a positive movement in the young Spanish scene and only four months later, Euskal 2 became a reality; an alternative to The Party 1994, this time round, 220 sceners spent their Christmas days, scening in Spain. The party was still based in Gipuzkoa, but this time it moved further to the lovely town of Legazpi. One year after, the Spanish scene had grew so big that the Euskal 3 had to make space for the PC side too. Held in October 1995, this time, no less than 350 sceners showed up in Tolosa; a pure record for Spanish scene events, as some would say. The demo release from Batman Crew made a good impression on the European scene. So it's no wonder that organising groups Goblins (Amiga) and Iguana (PC) want to hold a fourth event, this time in the hot days of July. In fact, the party is scheduled to start at 16:00 on the 27th July and close down at 14:00 on the following Sunday, of the 28th. Even though Gipuzkoa has been once again selected as the hosting city, Euskal 4 will be held in the town of San Sebastian. The actual party building, "Fronton Carmelo Balda", is similar to a sports centre, with various floors. The actual address is; Fronton Carmelo Balda (next to Anoeta Stadium) San Sebastiacuten-Donostia Guipacutezcoa Spain The 27 year old Supercoco of Goblins, one of the responsible organisers, told ROM that all computers will be installed on the main floor, in an area of 56 by 25 meters square. Two big screens, sizing no less than 3 by 2 and 6 by 4 metres respectively, together with a video-wall sponsored by ETB, will be installed in this same hall too, ensuring maximum scene-performance when it comes to the competitions. A bar selling important fuel like tequila and beer is also available... inside the party hall itself! The main doors will stay open for the duration of the whole party, and Supercoco assures us that the organisers won't find any objection for those who prefer to sleep by their computers. Still, for the ones who want to relax better, a big and separate room will be used for sleeping matters. When asked about external accommodations, Supercoco told ROM that a local guide showing all hotels and youth hostels in the vicinity will be also made available! The organisers also bring to our attention that the nearby beach is very ideal for these same purposes! The place is equipped with 2 dressing rooms and enough hot showers for everyone. The entrance fee is a miserable USD 18 if paid in advance or USD 22 from the party place. Tickets for a single day cost USD 7, but what sane scener wants to go to Spain for 1 single day?! The usual table reservation system will match the best places to all the ones who pay in advance. From the various pre-registrations the organisers have made an estimation of 500 attendees, amongst them, the most important Spanish demo groups; that is when it comes to Spanish sceners only. "The party is open for everyone, and for the non-Spanish who intend to come, I can assure you some proper organisation similar to The Party or Assembly, but smaller and more cosy in attendance", says Supercoco. Internet No event worth respect can avoid the infamous party network these days, and Euskal is no exception at all. "Everyone with an ethernet card, will be able to connect to the Internet for free. This connection is being sponsored by Jet Internet. We'll also have a private TV station with 3 cameras and an FM channel, so anyone who comes with an own TV, will be able to follow everything more easily", assures us Supercoco. A party newspaper will be also available after the event is over. Competitions The ones who attend parties just for the competitions will surely not be disappointed by the Euskal offerings. The usual demo (maximum size of 4Mb), 64K and 4K intros, Protracker (maximum length of 880K), multi channel (maximum length of 1Mb), 2D graphics (640 by 512, in 256 colours. overscan can be used) and 3D Graphics (640 by 512 in 24 bit) contests will be withheld. The competition machine is an Amiga A1200 with a 68030 processor, 4Mb Fast and 2 Chip memory. The organisers told ROM that if more than 15 productions will be presented for any category, an independent jury will have to discard some. However the graphics and fast competitions are freed from this rule. One of the most bizarre contests that grabbed our attention is the dubbed Human Demo. We asked Supercoco for an explanation; "Simple! Contestants will have to try to imitate the normal effects of today's demos by using the plain audio-visual means of a human being" All contributions will have to be presented on VHS tape, and ROM can't wait to see electric tunnels and 18 bit rotators, this time done in REAL LIFE! Without doubts, the organisers can't be accused of not being original here! Prizes will be mostly made up of hardware, sponsored by AMIGATEK. An Amiga 1200 Magic Pack makes a good first prize for the main demo contest, whilst the group with the most votes in the intro competition will take home a 1438S monitor. A surf kit with a 14.4 modem (4K intro), Graffiti tablets (graphics and music) and Surfware packages (fast contests) are also promised. "When it comes to money prizes, we can only promise all the remaining cash we'll get from the tickets, after we pay all our expenses", says Supercoco. Apart from the obvious sponsorship by Amigatek, other third parties present will be Icon Multimedia, Digital World, Amiga Studio, Escuela De Cine Y Video, Radio Popular De Bilbao and Jet Internet; so no Microsoft bombardments a la Gathering here! Just like in good party tradition, Euskal will not be conference free. Speeches about Internet, Virtual Reality and the Scene's Future will be discussed by the local experts, and transmitted over the party radio and TV channels! Here We Come If you haven't yet planned your vacation, or if you are bored of all the other commercial summer scene events, then Euskal might look like the ideal excuse to start packing your essential needs, grab your friends and spend 3 fabulous weeks in Spain... and don't forget to send us a little postcard!