From: embeach@PDaXcess.techbook.com (Elana Mell Beach)
Subject: Information about Electronic Dreams 
Organization: Portland Public Access sponsored by TECHbooks Bookstore
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 02:50:42 GMT

Just for the record...  (and CD!  And cassette, too!  :-)
Here is information on our organization, Electronic Dreams, and our
international newsletter, DREAMS WORD.  In this letter we will
provide you with the purpose of our organization, a bit of our
history, what to expect from us, how we handle reviews, how to
write for the newsletter, and how to become a member of Electronic
Dreams (or "Dreamers", as we call ourselves.)
 
PURPOSE 
The purpose of Electronic Dreams is to act as a supportive action
organization for the world of E-music.  Supportive action by
definition includes networking, building a sense of community, and
working towards a united effort of others who love the music. 
Often, an e-music listener or artist is very isolated, with few
connections to others who share their interest, or where to look
for resources.  Together, we provide a focus for these efforts.
 
HISTORY
Electronic Dreams was founded May 17, 1986 in Portland, Oregon. 
The name of this organization was taken from an obscure Edgar
Froese solo album released in 1975.  In Dreams earliest years, all
we were was a small local group of friends who would meet at each
other's homes and at local pubs for beer, pizza, and to talk about
the music.  As we still are now, we then consisted of a wide
spectrum of listeners, collectors and musicians.  It was fun. 
Friendships were formed and many great moments and laughs were
shared by all.  The musicians in our small, informal group started
getting together for synthjams, and at least two bands formed at a
result.  We had no ambitions at the time of going international, or
no idea that we ever could.
 
That was soon to change.  In 1988, we started publishing DREAMS
WORD.  DW was at first, just a few photocopied pages with a yellow
cover just for the Portland core group.  DREAMS WORD started to
grow, and within a year and a half we got a surprise interview with
Steve Roach.  With that, we got more ambitious, changed our
newsletter to a more professional format, and started getting
interviews with other great artists as well.  THAT's when the world
started to discover us.  We had no idea that word of our small,
local project would ever spread beyond the city limits of Portland,
Oregon.  However, within three years, people from all over the
Earth had heard of this organization and became members.  Many of
our favorite e-music artists have enthusiastically joined as well. 
Our newsletter, at first just a two-page factsheet, is now a well-
respected semi-pro 'zine.  Who would have known?  Certainly not us
back in those early years!
 
WHAT TO EXPECT
The results have been interesting.  Imagine this situation as being
like a small, yet wonderful local cafe with great food.  At first,
business is easy.  Then it gets "discovered", and people everywhere
come there to eat.  The surprised cook and staff wonders how to
serve so many people from within that tiny kitchen!  The crowd
grows bigger yet, and if that cook and staff doesn't (a) coordinate
faster methods of cooking and (b) get a bigger kitchen, that cafe
will lose rather quickly.  But if they do adapt, there is no limit
to their future.
 
So now, we are experiencing all the joys and complications of
growing pains.  In the process, we are learning and growing by
leaps and bounds as an organization.  We are not just a small group
of friends anymore!  The core group's tradition of fun, informality
and friendship remains, but our way of handling things is now
changing to meet the future.  In the year 1991, we faced many
challenges that we are overcoming now in 1992.  With our new
computer, our late newsletter issues shall finally catch up with
the calendar.  To handle the immense incoming mail load, we created
a mail-management system among ourselves so that every letter will
get answered eventually.  There's not much money, yet we enjoy
sharing the work of this project as a labor of love in our spare
time from our day jobs.  There may be some bugs in the system for
a short while as we make our transition to a true organization. 
Fortunately, our creative changes and adaptations are happening
fast and the future of Electronic Dreams/DREAMS WORD is bright as
a result.
 
ALBUM REVIEWS
If you are a struggling artist, we can provide contacts, reviews
and possible exposure to get your music out of your basement studio
and into the world.  It begins when you send us your album for
review.  We receive an incredible amount of CDs and cassettes in
our PO Box.  To handle them all, we devised a pre-review process we
have jokingly named "The Torture Test".   After an album arrives,
we bring it to a Portland Dreams meeting and play it without
telling any of the other Dreamers who made it.  That way, everyone
gives their opinions uninfluenced by the cover art or the name of
the artist.  Rarely does an album get rejected, except where the
style of the music may be outside the scope of our newsletter.  We
then assign the album to one of our many volunteer reviewers.  We
make sure that the composition of the music matches the preference
of that reviewer.  There's no use sending a heavily percussive
album to a reviewer who loves quieter music, or vice versa.  Due to
a heavy backlog, please do not expect to see your album review in
print until at least one issue has been done.  After the album
review is published, it goes into the Portland E. Dreams music
library for all to enjoy.
 
We also have people who contribute reviews on their own from all
over the world.  Thus, not all reviews begin with the Portland core
group.
 
WRITING FOR DREAMS WORD
Our newsletter is a cooperative project, which means anyone can
contribute an article, review, letter-to-the-editor, etc.  All you
would need to do is to sit down, start writing, and send it to us. 
Letters-to-the-editor giving your feedback on something in a recent
issue are most appreciated.  Much of what members send in for DW
does get published eventually, or at least mentioned.  Please know
that we encourage different opinions an all subjects mentioned in
DREAMS WORD.  We ask that you respect the ethics of our Credo,
which, in part, asks for reason, fair argument and no "trashing". 
You will receive a copy of the Credo with your first paid
membership issue of DREAMS WORD.
 
If you have access to computer networks such as Internet, you can
avoid the regular mail system by sending your message to us at
embeach@pdaxcess.techbook.com.  
 
MEMBERSHIP IN ELECTRONIC DREAMS
A basic membership in Electronic Dreams costs $8 in the USA and $12
foreign.  Recently, some Dreamers complained to us that the fee was
too low.  So we published this question:  What's the most that you
can stand for the one-year, four-issue fee?  The response averaged
around $16 in the USA and $20 foreign.  Over the next few months,
we will raise the price to that amount, so be sure to subscribe NOW
while the fee is still very small!
 
We have four levels of membership.  Member, Contributing Member,
Lifetime Member and Dream Machine.  You become a basic Member when
you pay the basic price.  A Contributing Member is one whose
membership is being extended for as long as they keep contributing
their work to DW.   Lifetime membership can be attained 3 ways:  By
paying $100, by being an artist who has been interviewed in DREAMS
WORD, or, most importantly, by being a Contributing Member who
contributed so much work that you deserve this title of Earned
Lifetime Member.  If you STILL keep on contributing help to the
point of changing our progress in a very positive way, you may end
up on our executive board, known as the Dream Machine.  There are
currently 6 members on the Machine, and only four are in Portland. 
D.M. membership lasts for one year, and gets renewed or
discontinued annually depending on your continuing efforts.  You
cannot buy your way into the Machine for any amount of money.  It
must be completely earned through pure work and caring.
 
We hope this answers most questions about Electronic Dreams and
DREAMS WORD.  If you have any more questions, please write to us. 
 
Best regards from the Portland core group,
 
Elana Mell Beach,  Founder, Editor, Coordinator
Phil Anderson, Associate Coordinator
Mike Birtchet, Co-Coordinator
John Zimmer, Advising Coordinator
Mark Freidly, Coordinating Associate (DM member, not quite yet)
 
CONTACT:
 
Electronic Dreams
PO Box 42385
Portland, OR 97242 USA

*************************
With love.

B-)

ELANA

(please disregard any annoying tag message below... if you see it there, 
it ain't mine)

--
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