From: Dmitry Bender \ Internet: (db@mark-itt.ru)

To: BROUSE \ PRODIGY: (GWYY58A)

Subject: Hello from Russia

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is Dmitri Bender, myself and some other guys run one of the many music programs on local radio station, the branch of Europe wide "Europa Plus" Radio, the name for local one is "Europe plus Izhevsk". Our program is called "Rhodesia Plus" and dedicated mostly to indy music - whatever the term "indy" means. The program has being broadcasted once a week on Thursday evening and includes music according our tastes only - and we have been looking for new music constantly. I decided contact you and ask if you might want to supply us with information and other materials to represent your music to Russian audience. We'll be just happy to airplay the stuff and get back after awhile and report how each particular act could be for Russians. Moreover, we are interested to air not only your upcoming releases but instead try to give our audience sort of restrictive view and represent better acts from the label history, I mean not bestsellers but real talents that never have been on a label. It is our habit to dedicate entire program or at least main part of it to certain labels once we have enough of its' stuff, and as it turned out the audience do appreciate such an approach. It has own appeal for Russian public to get familiar with previously unknown label's music in its widest form.Our purpose is to provide the city of Izhevsk and nearby with music other than mainstream rock, mainstream alternative rock, classic rock, mainstream pop, country, rap, and hip-hop which permeates the airwaves; people got tired of that damned eMpTyV - and music different from given above description is hard to find here, as well as any independent music press. Formats of our program include: gothic, ambient, new age, 4AD Records style, industrial, intelligent techno, indy, old "new wave," jazz, some hardcore and all we can count as sudden gems. CDs/vinyls for regular airplay, cassette releases/demos for not-so-distant future programs - just now we have no technical ability to play tapes."Europe Plus Izhevsk" is the only radio station in Udmurtia except one AM powerful station which belongs to State Radio and TV Company "Udmurtia." This "Udmurtia" station carries only one hour per week music program, so "Europe plus Izhevsk" does not have to fight against to in a field of music programs.I am an assosiated member of Creative Musicians Coalition, you can see interview with Rhodesia Plus staff in nearest - December or January - issue of CMC magazine "AfterTouch". Another probable source of printed word about our station is College Music Journal, their regular columnist Cliff Furnald did an interview with me over e-mail and has promised it would have appeared in August or September issue. Also an article dedicated to Russian radio was printed in November issue of Radio World and Europe Plus was represented there among others.

Here is the list of record labels who sent us their stuff already:
Fax, Mute, Nettwerk, Silent, Cleopatra, Caroline, Kudos, Edge, Rabbit, Roadrunner, Irdial Discs, The Record Company, Neverland, Electronic Music, Ark Angel, Monkeyland, Rarefaction, Atomic Novelties, Murder from Canada, Pop Narcotic, Casa De Toad, Arts Industria, Flesh, Magnetic, Dewdrops, Spill, PF, Trout, I Wanna, March, Heal of the Hand, Gamma Ray Records, Ringing Ear, Ein Produkt, Fibre, Farrago, LandPhil, Shock, New Albion, Comatonse, Rainy Day Distribution, Orbitrecords, Tinty Music, Breakfast, Transmission Communications, Quacking Dog, X-Com, Bigg Truck, Extraterrestrial, Infinity Love, Energy.

Bands:......
Terre Thaemlitz, Ajax, The Rugburns, Steve Holtzman, Negativland, Troy Killer, Jim Santo, Trout Fishing in America, The Gargoyles, Arcana, Amongst, Reality Scare, Violet Arcana, Brassahol, Thine Eyes, Indian Rope Burn, MISS, Sinkhole, D.A.C. Crowell, D.D.T, Shrapnel, Acoustic Blue, Collective Soul, Anne Sullivan, Essen, The Gluetones, Trash Hermits, Sloan, Eric's Trip, Artemis Rise, Rooster Head, Cheese Wiz, The Watchmen, Warheads, Honeyboy and Crying Heart, Jamie Rio & Newmatic Slam, Martensville, Thin White Line, Craw, Lunatic Fringe, Jugglers and Thieves, Seven Kings, The Bleeding Stone, Mephisto Waltz, Unseen, Troubles with Larry,David Snow, Previously Untitled, Zia, Sri Lanka, John Berry, WhistlePigs, Nevrland, Paul Henry, Richard Mortimer,Boom, Jim Cser, Whipped, Phreeworld, Steve Campbell, Institute of Technology, Evolution Control Committee, Robert Carty, Smothered Hope, Loblolly, Ed Osborne, Willard E. Love, Nada, Neurosis, Super 31, Chris Koenigsberg, Troy Killer, Jim Santo, Trout Fishing in America, David Vesel, Pounce, Hot D.A.M., Naked Lunch, Blaise Pascal, OBE/KOF, Mitchel Barnes, Hungry Ghost, V, Alva Nelson, Fire Roster, Flicker, Andy Wing. The names given above are neither my most nor less favorite ones -- it's just set of participants. We hope it might be of interest for you, too.

One of Rhodesia Plus contributors works as sound engineer at independent TV company here in the city of Izhevsk. This "New Region" TV company is young but is growing faster and faster, recently it was suggested that we host a music program there, and again a deal will be of a very free form for us, we would play any music genre and particular artists we want, and as they're experiencing a period of establishing of their own set of programs against that State TV company, so it was offered to make as long program as we could afford, no time limit will confine us. We have certain experience in making TV music programs, during a year a similar program named "45 minutes of useless information" had been run by our efforts on another local private TV cable company "Arsenal" and it gained approval among youth and support from sponsors. Thus we could represent your music not only on the radio but and also on TV waves - if you have anything to show out. I have to say that times of illegal copying of TV program long gone and nowadays all Russian TV and Radio companies must report to certain copyright organizations, so if in the past one could simply re-translate MTV videos, then today it is illegal and one should seek for legal promotional materials. Betacam SP format is preferable one, but Super VHS is also valid though certain lost of quality will take place of course.

e - mail

Respectfully,

Dmitri Bender
Music Director of Rhodesia Plus Program