Party Review for Amega Party
found in | Type | Author | Year |
Diskmagazine interviews | Infinity Digit - Mark Coleman - Maso - ... | a7/91 |
THE AMEGA PARTY IN PORSGRUNN, JUNE 27-30, 1991. PAGE #074 CRYPTOBURNERS, DEXION, VIOLENCE AND FAIRLIGHT INVITED EVERYBODY TO WHAT WAS TO BE THE LARGEST COMPUTER PARTY EVER HELD. AND IT WAS - I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT NUMBER OF VISITORS, BUT THE LAST I HEARD WAS 700 PEOPLE, LATE FRIDAY NIGHT. THEN SOME MORE FREAKS ARRIVED ON SATURDAY, JUST IN TIME FOR THE COMPETITIONS SO I SUPPOSE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITORS WAS ABOUT 800. OUT OF THESE, I ESTIMATE THE NUMBER OF NORWEGIANS TO ABOUT 600 AND SOME 200 FOREIGNERS INCLUDING PEOPLE FROM SWEDEN, DENMARK, FINLAND, GERMANY, SWITZERLAND, HOLLAND, FRANCE AND POLAND (!) THE VENUE WAS A SCHOOL INCLUDING A SPORTS-HALL USED AS A BEDROOM FOR HUNDREDS OF FREAKS. WE GOT THERE EARLY FRIDAY NIGHT, AND WE WERE QUITE DISAPPOINTED THAT NO SPACE HAD BEEN SET ASIDE FOR US, SO WE SPENT MOST OF FRIDAY LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO SET UP OUR EQUIPMENT. WE ENDED UP IN THE CORRIDOR WHICH WAS OK REALLY. (THANKS TO BUGBEAR/CRB - NICE CHAP.) WHAT SURPRISED US WAS THAT THE ORGANIZERS OF THE PARTY DIDN'T HAVE A BIG SCREEN OR A STEREO OR ANYTHING - NOTHING TO SHOW THE DEMOS ON. LUCKILY, VEGARD SKJEFSTAD (SHADY/DEADLINE/AUDIO VISUAL MAGIC) BROUGHT HIS OWN BRACO PROJECTOR AND A BIG SCREEN, WHICH HE WAS ALLOWED TO SET UP IN THE BASEMENT (!). NATURALLY, HE ASKED IF HE COULD SET IT UP IN THE MAIN HALL, BUT FOR SOME REASON THE ORGANIZERS WOULDN'T LET HIM. HE USED THE PROJECTOR THROUGHOUT THE PARTY TO SHOW ANIMATIONS DEMOS, MOVIES, ADVERTISEMENTS ETC. THE ORGANIZERS HAD PROMISED THAT AT LEAST 15 DIFFERENT COMPETITIONS WERE TO TAKE PLACE AT THE PARTY, INCLUDING THE USUAL DEMO/GRAPHICS/ MUSIC COMPETITIONS, AND ALSO A LOT OF FUNNY STUFF LIKE EATING COMPETITION, BEER DRINKING COMP., VIDEO WATCHING COMP., SOCCER TOURNAMENT, ARM WRESTLING COMP. AND MANY OTHER. THEY ALSO SAID THAT 'IN ADDITION TO THESE THERE WILL BE SOME SURPRISE COMPETITIONS'. WELL, HARDLY ANY OF THESE EVER SHOWED UP. THERE WAS AN ARM WRESTLING COMPETITION, BUT IT WAS BADLY RUN AND I DON'T THINK ANYBODY KNOWS WHO WON IT. ALL THE OTHER COMPETITIONS WERE CANCELLED, OR AT LEAST NOBODY WAS INFORMED ABOUT THEM. THIS WAS PROBABLY THE WEAKEST POINT OF THE ARRANGEMENT - NEVER ONCE WAS A MESSAGE GIVEN THROUGH THE SPEAKER SYSTEM TO INFORM THE VISITORS ABOUT ANYTHING. SO IF THEY ACTUALLY HELD ANY OF THE ABOVE COMPETITIONS, NO-ONE EVER KNEW ABOUT IT. THE MAIN COMPETITIONS THOUGH, WERE HELD RIGHT ON TIME, WHICH WAS SURPRISING BECAUSE THEY ARE USUALLY POSTPONED AND POSTPONED AND POSTPONED... THE VISITORS WEREN'T ALLOWED TO VOTE FOR THE DEMOS BUT THEN AGAIN, NOBODY HAD SEEN THEM BECAUSE THE ORGANIZERS DIDN'T HAVE A BIG SCREEN. SO WHAT THEY DID WAS TO SET UP A 'JURY' OF A FEW PROGRAMMERS, MUSICIANS AND GRAPHICS ARTISTS TO EVALUATE THE PRODUCTS. WHICH IS FAIR ENOUGH REALLY. HOWEVER, THE WAY THE MUSIC COMPEITION WAS RUN WAS KIND OF UNFAIR - THEY TOOK TWO SONGS AT A TIME AND COMPARED THEM, THEN THE BEST ONE WENT ON TO THE NEXT 'ROUND'. CUP SYSTEM. I CAN'T SEE WHY THEY DIDN'T JUST PLAY THEM AND LET THE JURY VOTE. ALSO, I HEARD FROM SOMEONE THAT THEY ONLY LISTENED TO THE FIRST COUPLE OF PATTERNS. HOWEVER, THIS WAS JUST A RUMOUR - MAYBE SPREAD OUT BY SOME DISAPPOINTED MUSICIAN WHO DIDN'T MAKE IT TO THE TOP...? (JUST FOR THE RECORD - I MYSELF DIDN'T TAKE PART IN ANY OF THE COMPETITIONS, AND I'M NOT A MEMBER OF ANY GROUP, SO I'M NEUTRAL.) I CAN'T REMEMBER ALL THE RESULTS FROM THE COMPETITIONS RIGHT NOW, BUT HERE ARE THE ONES I CAN REMEMBER: (IF ANY OF YOU SYSOPS HAVE THE REST OF THE RESULTS, PLEASE FILL IT OUT FOR ME.) DEMO: 1 - THOMAS LANDSBURG (TOMSOFT), 2 - PURE METAL CODERS, 3 - THE SILENTS 4 - ANDROMEDA. MUSIC: 1 - SHORTY/NETWORK (..OR WAS IT NO LIMITS..?), 2 - HEATBEAT/REBELS 3 - SOMEONE FROM FRANTIC GRAPHICS: 1 - SOMEONE FROM NO LIMITS (I THINK...) 1ST PRIZE IN THE DEMO COMPETITION IS 10.000 NOK, WHICH I MUST SAY IS VERY GOOD! 1ST PRIZE IN THE MUSIC- AND GRAPHICS COMPETITIONS WAS 2.000 NOK. AFTER THE COMPETITIONS, THERE WAS NO SPECIAL PLACE TO GET COPIES OF THE COMPETITION ENTRIES, SOMETHING WHICH RESULTED IN A LOT OF PEOPLE LEAVING THE PARTY WITHOUT EVEN HAVING SEEN ANY OF THE ENTRIES. THE ORGANIZERS TRIED TO SELL THE DEMOS FOR NOK 10 PER DISK BUT I DON'T THINK THEY SOLD A LOT. WHY THEY DIDN'T SET UP A PLACE WHERE EVERYBODY COULD GET A COPY, NO-ONE KNOWS... ALL IN ALL, THE PARTY WAS VERY POORLY ARRANGED - WHEN YOU PAY 100 NOK TO GET IN YOU EXPECT AT LEAST TO GET A PLACE TO SET UP YOUR EQUIPMENT. THERE WAS NO INFORMATION FROM THE ORGANIZERS TO THE VISITORS WHATSOEVER, ALMOST ALL OF THE PROMISED COMPETITIONS WERE CANCELLED, THE TOILETS GAVE A NEW MEANING TO THE WORD 'DISGUSTING', THE SHOWERS ONLY HAD COLD WATER, THE COMPETITION JUDGING SYSTEM WAS UNSATISFACTORY, THE ORGANIZERS DIDN'T HAVE ANY GOOD EQUIPMENT TO SHOW OFF OR USE FOR PUBLIC DEMONSTRATIONS, AND LASTLY - DISTRIBUTION OF THE COMPETITION MATERIAL WAS NON-EXISTING. NEVERTHELESS, THERE WAS A NICE FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE ALL OVER THE PLACE, A LOT OF GUYS WERE TALKING AND HAVING FUN, NOT JUST SITTING LIKE NAILED TO THEIR AMIGAS. WE SPOKE TO PEOPLE FROM AT LEAST 8 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, MET OLD FRIENDS AND MADE SOME NEW FRIENDS. HERE ARE SOME OF THE MORE WELL-KNOWN PEOPLE WHO WERE AT THE PARTY: BRAINSTORM-MEMBERS (ZINE STAFF) ADDONIC-MEMBERS (DISC-STAFF) DTECT-MEMBERS (HACK-MAG STAFF) ANARCHY (UK AND SWEDEN) PHENOMENA MIRAGE SILENTS REBELS CULT DK THOMAS LANDSBURG EX. KEFRENS MEMBERS (AT LEAST ICRONITE) AND OF COURSE - ALL THE MAJOR NORWEGIAN GROUPS WERE THERE - RAZOR,CRYPTOBURNERS CRUSADERS, NETWORK, NO LIMITS, PMC ETC. ETC. ALL IN ALL, WE HAD A GREAT WEEKEND THANKS TO THE VISITORS, NOT TO THE ORGANIZERS. FINALLY, A LITTLE SPECIAL HELLO TO THE FOLLOWING VERY FRIENDLY FREAKS WHO I HAD THE PLEASURE OF HANGING OUT WITH AND CHATTING WITH, MAKING THIS PARTY WORTHWHILE (THANKS!): YANKEE/ADDONIC, CHESTER/BRS, MANTRONIX/RAZOR, MIRAGE HOLLAND, ALL PMC'ERS, ALL MEMBERS OF DEADLINE, TIP/PHENOMENA, JOKER/NETWORK, ALL MEMBERS OF CRUSADERS, EOC 1999, CULT DK, ANARCHY AND MANY OTHERS! HOPEFULLY I'LL SEE YOU GUYS ON THE NEXT OCCASION! fraud: well the above party report was on some board, it did not say the authors name, so if you wrote the party report than please contact us!!