SCANNER
Media & Technology
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Off the dancefloor, clubland is making an impact on the Internet. But is clubbing on the Net as good as the real "Lords Rory Weller
the coolest thing to haye on your club posters at the moment is a Web site address just a little extra ktltitts opening tip clubland‘s cyberspace annexe.
’l‘he big guns ('ream ihttp://www.cream.co.ukl and The Ministry of Sound thttp://www.ministry-oll soundcom/i ha\e their own slick sites which tell you as much as you could possibly need to know about them. including where to buy their merchandise.
\ot to be outdone. Scotland's Sub (‘lub ihttpz/r’ww\\.subclub.co.uki haye their own dedicated site. launched at the eiid of last summer. The club's Mike (irieye e\plains why they decided lti get Itt\til\etli 'Ytitl can't ignore new forms of. media like this. In the years' lime people w ill use the \ct iii the same way as other business tools are used today. It's important torus as a progressiye institution.‘
like the rest ol the Net. often tised by corporate institutions as an ;id\ertising platform. lite on the clubbing information superhighway only gets really interesting when the underground has a go. It you point your browser at techno or house. weird and wonderful sites emerge. \ihilistic millennial chemical beats from Japan feature beside Iiuropean minimal ambient e\cursions on obscure sites written by people in war /ones.
t ife on the clubbing niormation superhighway only gets really interesting when the underground has a go.
LAS-
When Detroit's seminal house master Larry Ileard became disillusioned with the music business. his new album was only ayailable on his Web site. Musicians on opposite sides of the world are collaborating through their computer terminals.
.\'ow dance artists can gain exposure instantly on an international leer just by setting up a Web site. The global dance music community. which once claimed to transcend any notion of nation state. can now make cross boundary contact liar more eI'I‘ectiyely than M'I‘V or any dance magazine claiming worldwide circulation.
(‘osmic (‘roI‘ter oI' Iidinburgh's club site Iil-IX thttp://www.ednet.co.uk/~ehxi has seen this new moyement working first hand. Launched last October. IZIIX I‘eatures information on some ol‘ the city‘s more underground cltrb nights. including Tribal Funktion. Pure and I.iI‘t. as well as the low down on a selection of techno producers working in Scotland.
‘You get artists like Neil Landstrum and Stevie Brown who live locally but are working on an international Ieyel making contact with people all round the world interested in their music.‘ he says. "l'he Internet differs from printed media in the way that it is always there as a two reference point wherever you might be. We can also take the kind of risks that the regular media can‘t. like putting out information about illegal eyents. halt decent I‘lat parties and pirate radio.”
II he secures sponsorship for his site. (‘osmic (‘rolter hopes to provide a platform for DJ mixes and liye club sets.
Whether you want to buy a Ministry of Sound rucksack or find out where to track down cutting edge beats around the globe. it is all there on the Net.
: SCANNER COVERS THE LATEST
Lowdown Games - Web Sites - CD ROMS
WEB SITE Good Cookin
(http://wwwgoodcoo ing.com)
if you don't want to get in shape for the summer, then this is the site to visit, although it Will tell you JUSI Irow unhealthy your eating habits are Good Cooking is a Culinary resource that covers everything from quality nutrition to cheese slices, and it probably has more recipes than your grandmother In case you get tired of staying in, there is also a global restaurant guide, as well as information for would-be and true prOfCSSIOnalS. Fancy something different? Simply head for the map of the world anci click on whatever area tickles your tastebuds.
SOFTWARE WebWhacker (PC £49.95)
Offline browsers are programmes that take the hard work out of the Web by collecting all the information you want and delivering it to your PC Without you needing to lift a finger You can work at the speed of your hard disk rather than your modem and reView the collected pages at yoor IeISere Without worrying so much about your phone bill WebW/racker is one of the best surf-and-grab titles around It has an interface that makes the process of setting up your grabs simplicity in itself, and it Will then organise and (atalogue them as you
desire
GAME
Adidas Power Soccer International 97
(P
aystation £39.99)
APSI 97 is a sequel With a long title, but one that disappomts by being short on new (ontent, Despite the fart that it has one of the best front- ends of any game around, the at tual football is dull The motion-capture graphics woold have looked good last year, but they are too iumpy anrl disiomted to have been promoted to this season's league Although there are some smart ideas, the gamepiay is hindered by constant replays that can’t be avoided, and the pace is occasionally reduced to something akin to American gridiron, AVOid any
bets on PS 97 for the Cup
» take a
punt on relegation
REVIEWER THIS ISSUE: John Henderson
DEVELOPMENTS IN MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY.
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