Frankfurt World

By Brett Ratner

Mon, 17 Apr 2000

FRANKFURT: Sawdust flew, cordless drills whined, and plywood groaned on Tuesday, April 11, as workers furiously pried crate lids open with hammers and began assembling displays.

A monitor, typically used to show product demonstration videos, eased the tension by airing the famous airport security scene from This is Spinal Tap.

A smoke machine drew snickers as it inadvertently discharged, filling the Marshall booth with fake fog.

All this happened during preparation for the 21st MusikMesse, Europe's massive music instrument retail trade show, which opened on April 11 and ran through Sunday, April 16, in Frankfurt, Germany.

In a word, this show is huge. The NAMM convention in Los Angeles is positively intimate by comparison. MusikMesse filled up a fair portion of Frankfurt's Feste Halle, a gargantuan complex of structures that covers two complete city blocks.

Inside this maze, manufacturers displayed a vast range of products, including DJ equipment, recording gear, sound reinforcement products, lights, music-dedicated software, band and orchestra instruments, and of course the requisite selection of guitars, amps, drums, basses, effects, and so on.

A steady stream of live performances on the main stages added to the festivities, along with in-booth product demonstrations by some truly outstanding players.

The cutting-edge vibe was underscored by a new section of the show that was dedicated to music and the Internet. At the same time, an entire room, big enough in itself to hold a convention center, was filled wall to wall with pianos and harpsichords.

The rich mix of attendees from Europe and Asia contributed a multicultural flavor that further illustrated the unique experience of MusikMesse.

To cover this massive event, Harmony Central dispatched a team of seven correspondents, each well versed in a variety of web-based media and in different aspects of the music instrument industry. The crew included:

Dave Mountain, from Palo Alto, California. Dave is Harmony Central's direct marketing manager as well as an accomplished singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He also writes zZounds' newsletter.

Maurice Oliver, from Evanston, Illinois. Maurice works for zZounds and provides video coverage MusikMesse as part of a three-person team. As our resident world music expert, he gives special attention to ethnic instruments at the show. Maurice is also one half of theRhythm Method, a band which combines traditional and electronic instruments and has toured extensively throughout Europe.

Tim Henke, from Chicago, Illinois. Tim, who also works at zZounds, is also part of our video coverage team. A technology expert, he provides insight into innovative technology-based music products.

Brett Ratner, from South Elgin, Illinois. Brett, who claims guitar and bass as his beat, is a full-time freelance writer and musician. In addition to Harmony Central, he writes for the Chicago Tribune, Motorcycle Online, and C. C. Motorcycle News. Brett was formally on staff as the Internet marketing writer for Gibson Musical Instruments.

David Korn, from Paris, France. David is a professional musician and journalist, with a broad expertise in technology-based products. He wrote the vintage synth column for the French Keyboards magazine.

Markkus Rovito, from San Francisco, California. You probably knew Markkus as an assistant editor at Keyboard magazine. Currently he's on staff as assistant editor at Harmony Central.

Stay tuned as we post reports of this show. There was plenty to cover, and you'll see it all here at Harmony Central.