The Movers Collection Pt. 4

After a break, we can present you another instalment of the vast New Balance Bochum / The Movers collection. This time it’s not just letters, but also party invitations, stickers, and other artefacts from the European 1980s C64 / Amiga cracking scene. There are highly interesting materials among these papers, such as shopping lists for originals in London; a contemporary memberlist of Elite (which was kept secret at the time); an early circular letter from Fairlight; Venlo party tickets; and much more… You can find detailed information on many of the documents, including details provided by Skylab, in the metadata sheets.

• Letter from Digital Marketing to betatesters of COP SHOCKER, 30 Jan 1989 [scan/metadata]
• Address sticker by Executor/Damage Inc., ~1987 [scan/metadata]
• Circular letter from Fairlight to all Amiga contacts, 1988 [scan/metadata]
• Letter (draft) from General Zoff/Elite (Germany) to Thor & Zeus/Teesside Cracking Service (UK), 1989 [scan/metadata]
• Holly/FAME disk cover, 1980s [scan/metadata]
• Letter from Laffen/Raw Deal Inc. (Norway) to Skylab/The Movers (Germany), 1987 [scan/metadata]
• List of London software shops, compiled by Skylab, ~1986 [scan/metadata]
• The Movers and the Stormtrooper Atari sticker sheet, 1987 [scan/metadata]
• Newsroom disk, 1980s [scan/metadata]
• Scouse Cracking Group disk protection cardboard, 1980s [scan/metadata]
• The Organized Crime Copyparty 1987 invitation [scan/metadata]
• The Orgasmatron Crew sticker sheet, 1987 [scan/metadata]
• Triad & Fairlight Copyparty 1987 invitation [scan/metadata]
• Venlo Party April 1989 ticket [scan/metadata]
• Venlo Party December 1991 ticket [scan/metadata]
• Letter from Zeke Wolf/Triad (Sweden) to Skylab/The Movers (Germany), 1987 [scan/metadata]

Stickers from XXX

Many active demosceners know XXX as a tireless organiser, being a driving force behind the Haujobb demogroup and the Evoke demoparty, and a well-known party animal. Far less known, however, are his roots in the late 1980s and early 1990s Amiga scene as a member of the group Agnostic Front. A while ago, XXX provided us with some scene stickers from the time period, which we are finally able to put online. Of particular interest is the “Business Rules… and Friendship sucks” sticker from 1993. This sticker, a poignant commentary on the elitist thinking and commercialization of the early 1990s Amiga scene, was produced by the “Friendship Movement”, an alliance of Amiga groups initiated by the group Spreadpoint. The background of this initiative can be read in an article in the Amiga diskmag Stolen Data from 1990.

• three Agnostic Front stickers, early 1990s [scan&metadata 1] [scan&metadata 2] [scan&metadata 3]
• Animators sticker, early 1990s [scan&metadata]
• “Commodore Amiga 500 – Computer des Jahres 1990” sticker, 1990 [scan&metadata]
• Friendship Movement sticker, 1993 [scan&metadata]

Honey/1001 Collection Pt. 3

Finally, here is part 3 from the vast collection of letters kindly given to us by Honey of 1001 Crew. They stem from 1986-1988, the heyday of C64 the cracking scene, and among the authors you can find prominent figures such as Weetibix/Scouse Cracking Group and Ixion/Triad. The letters allow a glimpse into the inner workings of the international C64 cracking circuit, full of high passion about greeting lists, flame wars, stolen trade secrets, and, last not least, friendship across borders. Enjoy, and expect more very soon!

• Dirk/D.S. Compware (Germany) to Honey, ~1986-1987 [scan&metadata]
• Ixion/Triad (Sweden) to Honey, March 1987 [scan&metadata]
• Ixion/Triad (Sweden) to Honey, 1987 [scan&metadata]
• Jaws/Boys Without Brains (Netherlands) to Honey, October 1986 [scan&metadata]
• Jaws/Boys Without Brains (Netherlands) to Honey, 1986 [scan&metadata]
• Player =1=/Bencor Bros. (USA) to all contacts, 1986 [scan&metadata]
• Player =1=/Bencor Bros. (USA) to Honey, 1986 [scan&metadata]
• Player =1=/Bencor Bros. (USA) to Honey, 10 September 1987 [scan&metadata]
• Player =1=/Bencor Bros. (USA) to Honey, 1987 [scan&metadata]
• Raphael/D.S. Compware (Germany) to Honey, ~1986-1987 [scan&metadata]
• Weetibix/Scouse Cracking Group (UK) to Honey, 27 April 1987 [scan&metadata]
• Weetibix/Scouse Cracking Group (UK) to Honey, 1987 [scan&metadata]
• Weetibix/Scouse Cracking Group (UK) to Honey, 1988 [scan&metadata]

Computer Subcultures Conference + Film

It has been quite around this project in the past weeks – for a particular reason. Together with Julia Erdogan and Markku Reunanen, I’m organising an international scholarly conference on the history of digital subcultures and their place in society in the age of early home computing.

The conference will take place on March 24-25, 2017, at the University of Zurich in the Collegium Helveticum. We’ll have a diverse programme with speakers from Finland, Germany, the US, the Czech Republic, Poland, Greece and Switzerland. You can check out the two-day programme here. Attendance is free for all, yet you should pre-register due to limited seats.

On the evening of March 24, at 7pm, there will be a film screening. We’re happy to host the premiere of Konstantin Stürz’s new documentary on the early days of the cracking and demo scene – featuring interviews with Bacchus, Irata, E$G, Ziphoid and other well-known C64 & Amiga scene veterans. The director will be present to discuss the documentary with the audience. The screening will take place in the main university building, lecture theatre KOL-F-118, and is free for all to attend – the more show up, the better!

And when all this is over, there will be more scans posted here again…