In a fine display of Digital Darwinism, Chaos Control, a new 'zine-on-a-floppy, is evolving something many of its ancestors lack: decent writing. It's practically a real magazine, even though you can't fold it up and carry it into the bathroom. If there ever was a perfect pop application for a HyperCard stack, this 'zine about techno-industrial dance music is it, especially given that many industrial enthusiasts actually enjoy trancing out in front of a VDT.
Chaos Control is an electronic extension of the 'zine movement, in which the do-it-yourself ethic responsible for spurring so many of the great innovations in popular music reaches over into criticism. In this way, people who really care about music are able to wrench taste-making chores away from glossier, advertising-driven rags. These folks don't get paid, but free electronic publishing via the Internet is becoming increasingly common, nonetheless.
Chaos Control stands out among e-mags because about 80 percent of its articles are readable, thoughtful criticisms, written by people concerned about how each band they're critiquing affects them. Reading Chaos is a sort of parallel universe experience: The quality of writing, the overflowing well of articles (no ads yet!), even the look of that graphic or photo standing alongside the scrollable text, work to remind you of a stint with a paper 'zine. If you're into the subject matter, Chaos Control is worth reading, despite the electronic format. It's not revolutionary, but it's definitely a viable mutation.
- Thomas Hays
Retrieve (text only) from world.std.com; cd /obi/Zines/Chaos.Control via anonymous ftp. HyperCard version: US$5. Send to publisher Bob Gourley, 3 Greenville Drive, Barrington, RI 02806.
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