During its six year run, Nightwaves made me realize just how green I was to the electronic arts scene (oh, and I was finally able to step away from Aphex Twin for a little while). What author Gary Flanagan has accomplished in that time is amazing. Aside from becoming a staple of the BP zine review section, Nightwaves quickly became the definitive altguide to the electronic underground culture. Interviews with personalities such as Robert Moog, Mark Mothersbaugh and Roger Linn allowed this modest zine to grow. But, like most indie zinesters, money is not something altogether familiar. So welcome to the first issue of the Nightwaves ezine. The first time I gave Nightwaves a read, I was surprised to find that there was no online equivalent. The site runs much the same as the print zine, but with far more loot to play with. Artist profiles, interviews and op-pieces remain to resurrect all those artists lost or forgotten in the electronic underground. Vast zine, dvd and cd reviews are also here to keep you up to date on anything new or docile to current ears. The tech review and oddities sections have come to satisfy the recently “professional” techie in me. Classic synths, digital multitrackers and every strange tech attempt from the ’80s is bound to appear here (Gary seems to have a fondness for strange noises, thankfully). It’s been said too many times before, but, again, to electro-geeks–avoiding this site is just plain stupid. And while it’s unfortunate any time a zine has to leave the days of print, Nightwaves’ days of analog are over. So lets all welcome Nightwaves to its digital, ezine days and eagerly await updates to the classic synth corner! (James King)
nightwaves.tripod.com