                   s t a g e  n i n e  m u s i c d i s k

                          released January 10, 1998
                    
                              featured artists:

                              Scirocco
                              Purple Motion
                              Xerxes
                              Basehead
                              Hunz
                              Nemesis
                              Mick Rippon
                              Keith303
                              Octoque
                              Laxity
                              Radix
                              Tito
                              Mystical



I. Introduction

"Check, check.  Is this thing on?"

Welcome to Stage #9.  All of today's premier scene musicians are ready to
explode into a great collective music frenzy.  This show is possibly the
greatest sum talent ever displayed on the pc music scene.  

So gather your attention to Stage #9, the show is about to begin.


II. A Long Time in the Making

Around mid-December 1996, I had a thought.  "How come nobody makes huge
musicdisks like Epidemic anymore?".  So, I decided I should organize one by
myself.  I thought of all my favorite musicians, and started sending out
invitations.  To my surprise, I got several yes responses.

It has been just over a year in time.  Finally, the disk is ready to be
released.  Originally, this disk was going to have a full interface.  With
all the delays, I decided against it.  The music is the important thing.

It is at the end of this project, when I realize why musicdisks of this
caliber aren't released often.  Musicians like to procrastinate.  Sorry to
say it, but it is true.  This is a major reason why I consider this project
a major accomplishment in itself.


III. The Music, The People

Here I will run down the entire lineup and give my personal comments.  The
order given, is that of the stage #9 audio CD (check out cd.txt for info).

track one:  Scirocco
            Hold the Line (5:42)

The reason I picked this song to be first, is the nice intro it has.  The
quote is from the movie Time Bandits.  Originally, this was going to be
Scirocco's TP6 entry, but it was never entered.

Around the time he finished this song, I was out visiting Scirocco in
Montana.  He gave me the choice of a couple songs for the disk, and I
picked this one.  This track holds tons of energy.  Really explosive.  

Thank you Ian, for the great contribution.


track two:  Hunz
            Iron Curtain (2:39)

Hunz has a really nice voice, and he displays it on this track.  Nice heavy
tune, with a soft break in the middle.  It is easy to see why Hunz is one of
the top musicians in the scene.

Thank you Hans, great tune.


track three:  Keith303
              eer amak et amorv'e! (7:42)

Keith303 spent over 25 hours making this song, which speaks for itself.  This
is easily Keith303 at his BEST.  One of my favorite songs on the disk.  It
flows extremely well.  Brilliant song, that is all I can say.

Thank you Michael, for the outstanding contribution.


track four:  Tito
             Good Thing (2:36)

It was Tito's song The Great Zoo Riot that sparked me to ask him to do a tune
for the disk.  He has a style all his own.  He doesn't disappoint with this
song either.  Nice bassline helps start it, then he goes to work with the
flute, piano and brass section.  Really a catchy tune.

Thank you Johan, superb effort.


track five:  Purple Motion
             Seaside Hotel 2: Rooms (4:12)

"Wow, look!  It's Purple Motion!  That Future Crew guy." - random lamer

Seriously, Purple Motion is something of a legend in the music scene.  He
doesn't release anymore, as he is busy trying to make it big commercially.

I didn't expect him to want to contribute to this disk, but you never know
until you ask.  He had a couple unreleased tunes, and was nice enough to
share them.

This song has some nice sax samples.  Overall a very nice tune, quite
enjoyable to listen to.

Thank you Jonne, for contributing this nice song.


track six:  Radix
            Donovan's Moonbike (2:43)

Radix is quickly becoming a favorite in the scene.  He placed fourth in MC5
veteran.  Fairly simple song, but still very nice.  I can't wait to see
what he releases next.

Thank you Jakob, for your time and effort.


track seven:  Mystical
              Mountain of Fluff (2:33)

Mystical is one of those guys who has his own unique style.  Groovy
basslines, awesome leads, great percussion.  He has found the formula for
success.

Thank you Asbjoern, for the excellent tune.


track eight:  Hunz
              Joy in Africa (2:50)

A big departure from Iron Curtain, Joy in Africa is one of those "happy"
songs.  Bobby McFerrin in a can.  Nice mixing in of animal noises, for the
Africa theme.  Great lead and a great bassline make this track work nicely.

Thank you again Hans, really nice tune.


track nine:  Mickrip
             Working In Progress (3:30)

Mick Rippon is the king of the guitar.  Nice sampled riffs make this a
really enjoyable piece.  All the sounds compliment each other nicely.

Thank you Mick, outstanding.


track ten:  Nemesis
            Forsaken (4:45)

I became an instant Nemesis fan when I heard his 3rd place MC3 veteran song,
Drift.  This song is in much the same style as Drift.  Which is one reason
why I love it.  I thought the heavy bassline was a really nice touch.  The
lead is very good as well.  Great tune.

Thank you Andy, I appreciate the time.


track eleven:  Purple Motion
               The Probe (3:52)

Here he is, back for more.  This time it is a song from an unreleased Future
Crew demo.  Sounds like a perfect demo tune as well.  Classic Purple Motion.

Thanks again Jonne, for a wonderful tune.


track twelve:  Octoque
               la douleur (10:50)

Perhaps the least known artist on the disk, but not for long.  Octoque is
the master of ambient textures.  All of his songs are different, but very
much alike.  Calm, soothing.  Music you could fall asleep to.

Thank you Jani, for the great contribution.


track thirteen:  basehead
                 the glass facade (8:35)

Everyone knows Basehead.  He has been around a long time, and has released
over 100 songs.  He is very good at building the music up, then slowing it
down, and bringing it back up again.  Very nice melody in this song.  His
basslines are always great.  A very well rounded musician indeed.

Thank you Dan, for letting me use this great song.


track fourteen:  Xerxes
                 Karina (5:18)

Xerxes is a great guy, and an equally great musician.  This tune has all
the classic xerxes elements.  Great vocals, bassline, and melody.  This is
one of my favorite Xerxes tunes.  Very enjoyable. 

Thank you Klaus, for the magnificent work.


track fifteen:  Laxity
                Live at Stage 9 (4:55)

This song seemed like the perfect ending to the disk.  Easy to listen to and
follow.  The first Laxity tune I heard was It Will Never Stop.  After that,
I just had to get him for this disk.

Thank you Thomas, great job.


As a whole, the musicdisk is just under 73 minutes.


IV.  Closing and Thanks

That is about all I have to say.  I hope you all really enjoy the music on
this disk, I sure do.

I've already begun organizing a sequel to this disk, Return to Stage #9.  If
anyone out there wishes to contribute to it, get in touch with me.  With
luck, it won't be another year before that disk gets released.

I must thank WAVE (Jeroen Tel) for the title of the musicdisk, as he was the
one who suggested it.

I'd like to say hello to anyone I know who reads this.  You know who you are.
Thanks for all the support.

Take care, and until next time....

Stein / Chaos Theory / Night 55
aka Justin Reid

contact:  stein@night55.com
