Acryd^farbrausch passed away
category: general [glöplog]
I'm shocked. Like okkie, hosting breakpoint was a challenge for me, and Ben was really supportive. I remember him, together with some other orgas, helping me with translation during the German only meetings, and making sure I was ok. Then, the talks about tech, learning from him about DMX and lighting consoles, network infrastructure, projectors... And the beers by the infodesk or the bonfire!
It's almost unfair to the rest of the orga team, as I have fond memories of breakpoint and feeling so much welcome, even though frustrated sometimes with the language barrier, but Ben and the gang made everything right.
It was awesome hugging him at Revision. Looking back, and because I had no idea it was the last time, we should have hugged more and longer. And maybe I should have said "thanks again".
My thoughts are with his family and close friends.
It's almost unfair to the rest of the orga team, as I have fond memories of breakpoint and feeling so much welcome, even though frustrated sometimes with the language barrier, but Ben and the gang made everything right.
It was awesome hugging him at Revision. Looking back, and because I had no idea it was the last time, we should have hugged more and longer. And maybe I should have said "thanks again".
My thoughts are with his family and close friends.
Terrible news. I have nothing to add to what others have already said.
I salute
I salute
I'm in shock. While I only knew Ben through party organizing, he was probably one of the kindest and most knowledgeable people I've ever known. Always professional and willing to share, whether it was knowledge or his last cigarette. Ben was the kind of person we should all strive to be.
RIP Ben, you will be missed.
RIP Ben, you will be missed.
Farewell, Dude!
One of my first Ideas of a Handle in the Demoscene was Acryd.
I bet we've met, or simply seen each other along over time and parties.
One of my first Ideas of a Handle in the Demoscene was Acryd.
I bet we've met, or simply seen each other along over time and parties.
May he rest in peace. My sincere condolences to his family and loved ones! :'(
I got to know Acryd through Revision organizing and quickly learned to appreciate his friendly, no-bullshit style. In the middle of Revision 2019 buildup he sat down with me in the tunnel to get the LED strips up and running, and I'm thankful I got to return the favor by spending the traditional all-nighter setting up the light show with him and Ebu this year.
Whatever you needed, Ben was always there for you with a solution or a pointer on who to ask. And it was a pleasure getting genuinely excited over things with him, or just hanging out and talking bullshit.
Ben, you've left us way too early. There was still so much life in you and I wish we could have enjoyed the ride together :( I will remember you fondly, my friend - may you rest in peace.
Whatever you needed, Ben was always there for you with a solution or a pointer on who to ask. And it was a pleasure getting genuinely excited over things with him, or just hanging out and talking bullshit.
Ben, you've left us way too early. There was still so much life in you and I wish we could have enjoyed the ride together :( I will remember you fondly, my friend - may you rest in peace.
Oh - story time! Every year when we had confetti at the Meteoriks (which was not every year even though it might seem that way!) we would have this tradition where I would go buy the confetti cartridges and Acryd would make sure we had the ramps to mount the cartridges in. And then Acryd would get to be grumpy because I reminded him of procuring the ramps too late and I would ask him what could have made him think that we didn't need the ramps that year :D
In the end he was always happy, nay gleeful to get to shoot confetti at people and not have to clean up afterwards :)
Except for that one year (I think it was 2017?) when we had everything set up and prepared but at the end of the show there was no confetti to be seen. What had happened? The all-nighter to set up the Revision light show had finally caught up with Ben and he'd fallen asleep at the lighting desk :) We found a suitable spot to fire the cannons later during the party ;)
In the end he was always happy, nay gleeful to get to shoot confetti at people and not have to clean up afterwards :)
Except for that one year (I think it was 2017?) when we had everything set up and prepared but at the end of the show there was no confetti to be seen. What had happened? The all-nighter to set up the Revision light show had finally caught up with Ben and he'd fallen asleep at the lighting desk :) We found a suitable spot to fire the cannons later during the party ;)
This really sucks :(
Didn't get to know him much outside of Revision org stuff but he was always very kind, knowledgeable and dedicated. RIP.
Didn't get to know him much outside of Revision org stuff but he was always very kind, knowledgeable and dedicated. RIP.
i'm really struck by these horrible news. apart from what has already been said about acryd being THE crucial party organiser/technician (you can see his impressive organiser credit list at demozoo, ranging from 1997 to this year), he was a really nice, friendly, reliable and sincere fellow scener. we chatted a lot on irc in the mid-2000s, and i remember he once gave me emergency cooking lessons (!) over irc when i expected female company and wanted to cook something impressive. i wonder if i still have our chatlogs somewhere... at this year's revision, i spotted him in the crowd, but failed to talk to him - which i now immensely regret.
my condolences to everyone who knew him and was close to him. such a terrible loss.
my condolences to everyone who knew him and was close to him. such a terrible loss.
shaken. I knew Ben from back then, such a nice guy. What on earth happened. :(
my deepest condolences to his family and friends.
my deepest condolences to his family and friends.
This is terrible. My deepest condolences.
Oh no, this is terrible news. :(
As all others already said, Ben was THE expert on everything event-tech, but at the same time always such a nice and helping guy.
In 2016 Ben basically saved Deadline party, when our tech-supplier from back than dropped away one week before the party - I reached out to Ben in panic and he was super calm and helped us find a new supplier from his network in Hamburg within days (!) and arranged a new deal 3 days before the party - we could get all stuff we needed and it saved the party.
I was happy to see him at this year's Revision again and wanted to talk to him, but he was always quite busy, so in the end we didn't talk. :/
As all others already said, Ben was THE expert on everything event-tech, but at the same time always such a nice and helping guy.
In 2016 Ben basically saved Deadline party, when our tech-supplier from back than dropped away one week before the party - I reached out to Ben in panic and he was super calm and helped us find a new supplier from his network in Hamburg within days (!) and arranged a new deal 3 days before the party - we could get all stuff we needed and it saved the party.
I was happy to see him at this year's Revision again and wanted to talk to him, but he was always quite busy, so in the end we didn't talk. :/
Terrible and unexpected news :(
My condolences.
My condolences.
Quote:
Except for that one year (I think it was 2017?) when we had everything set up and prepared but at the end of the show there was no confetti to be seen. What had happened? The all-nighter to set up the Revision light show had finally caught up with Ben and he'd fallen asleep at the lighting desk :) We found a suitable spot to fire the cannons later during the party ;)
2017 sounds plausible since confetti was fired at the start of the PC Demo Compo
(https://youtu.be/5GfIODR7lHc?t=133) and the confetti cannon clearly visible during the Meteoriks never fired (https://youtu.be/ot6CY3qmAew?t=4851).
Background: Firing confetti is always a bit of a faff as the triggers are 1-channel DMX devices, so if you're not careful and output too high a value on that DMX channel at some time during the show, you end up with a sudden, unplanned confetti release, and once fired, there's no going back. One safety measure we have is that we simply don't plug the confetti tubes into the triggers until we actually need them. The other is that Ben would always set up one of the Fader Executors to "clamp down" the DMX value of that particular channel, such that you cannot inadvertently fire the confetti from the lighting desk unless you previously pulled up that safety fader too.
I don't remember the exact details (forgot to actually patch the DMX channel, or forgot to write the trigger sequence), but I still remember Ben describing how he disappointedly pulled back down the safety fader after the confetti firing had failed, and us dismantling the confetti tubes with the words "Guess we can give these back to dojoe then".
How sad. RIP. I enjoyed SiliConvention back in 1997, and I still have the glow-in-the-dark t-shirt.
I got to know Acryd 20 years ago at the first Breakpoint as a fellow organizer. Knowing from his name that he was an important person during Mekka & Symposium I didn't really dare to approach and talk to him - me being a relative noob back then. He set up his Amiga for the compos and told me how to use everything for my duties as one of the Amiga organizers in 2003 and we nerded out about our favourite computer.
Fast forward to February 2010. I was in Hamburg for work and met him and some other sceners for drinks. Floating the idea of a new Easterparty, Acryd was among the first to say "if you can prove that you can do it, we'll be there". That evening and that amount of trust was what birthed Revision - and he, together with kb and bombe and myself, had the first unofficial orga meeting, unknowing what we will do together in the years to come.
The first time we visited the E Werk, he had a vision of how it should look like and what we can do with lights, audio and everything. He always was positive and inspiring, always thinking in terms of solutions instead of problems.
His incredible amount of expertise in so many areas has been as unmatched back then as it is today. As Charlie put it, he was probably the most invisible, most important part of any event that was lucky enough to have him as an organizer.
I will remember him for always being available to talk, even if we just bitched about life or work until four in the morning, talked through ideas for the next party, or coming up with shenanigans to annoy organizers of other events; the patience when he explained me for the nth time how things work and why we need a certain piece of equipment and his no-bullshit attitude.
Same as styx, I also often talked to him during buildup or the event to get a free therapy session and a calm reassurance that everything will be alright.
Without Acryd, there would not have been a first, and certainly not a thirteenth Revision. Always helpful, competent, hard working and incredibly reliable - never asking for credit.
Goodbye Ben, we'll keep the lights on for you.
Fast forward to February 2010. I was in Hamburg for work and met him and some other sceners for drinks. Floating the idea of a new Easterparty, Acryd was among the first to say "if you can prove that you can do it, we'll be there". That evening and that amount of trust was what birthed Revision - and he, together with kb and bombe and myself, had the first unofficial orga meeting, unknowing what we will do together in the years to come.
The first time we visited the E Werk, he had a vision of how it should look like and what we can do with lights, audio and everything. He always was positive and inspiring, always thinking in terms of solutions instead of problems.
His incredible amount of expertise in so many areas has been as unmatched back then as it is today. As Charlie put it, he was probably the most invisible, most important part of any event that was lucky enough to have him as an organizer.
I will remember him for always being available to talk, even if we just bitched about life or work until four in the morning, talked through ideas for the next party, or coming up with shenanigans to annoy organizers of other events; the patience when he explained me for the nth time how things work and why we need a certain piece of equipment and his no-bullshit attitude.
Same as styx, I also often talked to him during buildup or the event to get a free therapy session and a calm reassurance that everything will be alright.
Without Acryd, there would not have been a first, and certainly not a thirteenth Revision. Always helpful, competent, hard working and incredibly reliable - never asking for credit.
Goodbye Ben, we'll keep the lights on for you.
Respect to one of the doers, the kind of people that help think and shape our little world. You'll not be forgoten.
My deepest condolences to the family and friends
My deepest condolences to the family and friends
I probably met Acryd for the first time during the Breakpoint days as a co-organiser. But then distance between beam and compo team was literally and figuratively a lot bigger than it is now so I dont think we really interacted.
The Sobec went and I needed a place to crash before and after the memorial - and what a memorial at his place it was, looking back at it. 'You are a breakpoint organiser' was the only reference I needed so I could stay a few nights at his place, no questions asked.
Then the ball dropped that he was not one of those pc lamers but an actual amiga demoscener with affection for the platform and the stuff on it and automatically we seemed to have leveled up in each-others eyes.
Last revision he ordered some shizzle for his retro computers and he was surprised I actually didnt forget to bring the stuff. Invoice 23132 : a snes USB controller, 2 joystick extention cables and a c64 gamepad.
I'm having a difficult time giving all of this a proper place, so perhaps its just better that I dont and just see what happens.
The Sobec went and I needed a place to crash before and after the memorial - and what a memorial at his place it was, looking back at it. 'You are a breakpoint organiser' was the only reference I needed so I could stay a few nights at his place, no questions asked.
Then the ball dropped that he was not one of those pc lamers but an actual amiga demoscener with affection for the platform and the stuff on it and automatically we seemed to have leveled up in each-others eyes.
Last revision he ordered some shizzle for his retro computers and he was surprised I actually didnt forget to bring the stuff. Invoice 23132 : a snes USB controller, 2 joystick extention cables and a c64 gamepad.
I'm having a difficult time giving all of this a proper place, so perhaps its just better that I dont and just see what happens.
I've only known Acryd for a very limited time compared to most people here, but even in that very short time he's managed to become one of the people I don't think I'll ever forget.
This year's Revision was my first in-person party and also the first time helping as an orga, and Ben was an incredible mentor. Calm throughout everything that happened, no matter what was going wrong or wasn't working. Explaining all the things he was doing, letting me help out at the lighting desk for such a big event as well. I learned so much from him in such a short amount of time, and I'm incredibly thankful for that.
The all-nighter with him and dojoe to finish setup was for sure one of the nicest nights I've had with people I hadn't met in person before at all. The executor called "dojoe pipi" will probably never leave my mind again.
Rest in peace, Ben
This year's Revision was my first in-person party and also the first time helping as an orga, and Ben was an incredible mentor. Calm throughout everything that happened, no matter what was going wrong or wasn't working. Explaining all the things he was doing, letting me help out at the lighting desk for such a big event as well. I learned so much from him in such a short amount of time, and I'm incredibly thankful for that.
The all-nighter with him and dojoe to finish setup was for sure one of the nicest nights I've had with people I hadn't met in person before at all. The executor called "dojoe pipi" will probably never leave my mind again.
Rest in peace, Ben
I don't know what to say.
We both used to be mainorganizers of MekkaSymposium, with a few others, back in the days and even worked in the same company for some years.
Even though we have hardly seen each other in the last decades and did not always agree on various terms, this news is a shock, especially when you consider how old he was.
Rest in Peace Ben.
We both used to be mainorganizers of MekkaSymposium, with a few others, back in the days and even worked in the same company for some years.
Even though we have hardly seen each other in the last decades and did not always agree on various terms, this news is a shock, especially when you consider how old he was.
Rest in Peace Ben.
Ben—the funny truth is: I’m not exactly sure when I first met you. It must have been around ‘96. At a Scala meeting. Or during an orga-meeting for Mekka-Symposium’97? I frankly don’t remember; in the most positive way. Because you were one of the people with this humble ‘out there’-quality:
A professional enabler, who sets up the spotlight for others. Dedicated to keep the show running as for everybody else to enjoy. Within in the Demoscene as much as in his job (we worked together at VCC later). Commanding an aura of safety.
As far as I remember in this very moment, our moments were mostly of gratifying silence. In between getting stuff done. Nodding in agreement. I like to think we both wondered how crazy the Demoscene is. How we got here and why we are doing this. From our different perspectives.
And I frankly don’t even remember when you joined Farbrausch. Because you, your kind and generous creativity belonged. Your art didn’t live on the screen. But within and around the screen. In your religious vow for PROcesses.
I didn’t deem myself as part of your inner circle. As far as I’m concerned, due to having met you under the umbrella of nerdy awkwardness. Driven by a fear of asking something ‘stupid’. As well as my fear of not-knowing how to respond. At the same time, I’ve gotten these “I’ve got this”-vibes from you. No matter how much you sweat.
Ben, I don’t know if you knew how much we had in common. The uncanny strive for excellence against the odds of time in any situation. Encased in this sneaky, omnipresent, systemic stress of everything, everywhere, all at once.
It takes a lot of energy and courage to go the extra mile when facing being judged for perfectionism. And if you were like me, you also didn’t give yourself enough credit for it. Because your actions were your matter the course. Coming from that place of unsustainable injustice named ‘just’.
I wish I was able to let you know. How much I appreciated the warm and fuzzy feeling of knowing you’re out there. How much you deserved to be in my and our conscious spotlights.
Realizing this in hindsight through writing is as painful as frightening.
And I wonder, if what we wish when we say “rest in peace” means:
Resonate in resonance with yourself and the odds. On (and to?) a higher state of consciousness.
I wish you do.
And
I wish I could share these thoughts with you.
I wish they would have made a difference for you.
I wish the wishing didn’t feel as ambitious as it does.
I wish that taking the time to feel the feels was ‘fun‘.
I wish there was a simple way to convey this.
I wish this would have made sense for you.
I wish you would have understood.
When I close my eyes,
I see us nodding in agreement.
‘Just’ the way we used to.
And a smile.
And a hug.
A professional enabler, who sets up the spotlight for others. Dedicated to keep the show running as for everybody else to enjoy. Within in the Demoscene as much as in his job (we worked together at VCC later). Commanding an aura of safety.
As far as I remember in this very moment, our moments were mostly of gratifying silence. In between getting stuff done. Nodding in agreement. I like to think we both wondered how crazy the Demoscene is. How we got here and why we are doing this. From our different perspectives.
And I frankly don’t even remember when you joined Farbrausch. Because you, your kind and generous creativity belonged. Your art didn’t live on the screen. But within and around the screen. In your religious vow for PROcesses.
I didn’t deem myself as part of your inner circle. As far as I’m concerned, due to having met you under the umbrella of nerdy awkwardness. Driven by a fear of asking something ‘stupid’. As well as my fear of not-knowing how to respond. At the same time, I’ve gotten these “I’ve got this”-vibes from you. No matter how much you sweat.
Ben, I don’t know if you knew how much we had in common. The uncanny strive for excellence against the odds of time in any situation. Encased in this sneaky, omnipresent, systemic stress of everything, everywhere, all at once.
It takes a lot of energy and courage to go the extra mile when facing being judged for perfectionism. And if you were like me, you also didn’t give yourself enough credit for it. Because your actions were your matter the course. Coming from that place of unsustainable injustice named ‘just’.
I wish I was able to let you know. How much I appreciated the warm and fuzzy feeling of knowing you’re out there. How much you deserved to be in my and our conscious spotlights.
Realizing this in hindsight through writing is as painful as frightening.
And I wonder, if what we wish when we say “rest in peace” means:
Resonate in resonance with yourself and the odds. On (and to?) a higher state of consciousness.
I wish you do.
And
I wish I could share these thoughts with you.
I wish they would have made a difference for you.
I wish the wishing didn’t feel as ambitious as it does.
I wish that taking the time to feel the feels was ‘fun‘.
I wish there was a simple way to convey this.
I wish this would have made sense for you.
I wish you would have understood.
When I close my eyes,
I see us nodding in agreement.
‘Just’ the way we used to.
And a smile.
And a hug.
The silent hand behind the curtain is rarely seen, but always felt. RIP.
What totally unexpected and heartbreaking news.
I first met him at one of the early Mekka&Symposiums in Fallingbostel. I think it was 1997, which was my very first demoscene party. Although I don't have a particularly remarkable story to tell, I can say that I always appreciated the conversations I had with him.
His welcoming nature and his way of dealing with challenges; always having an idea for a solution, are legendary and always will be.
He was a simply always there with advice and support.
It was nice to see him again at this year's revision, even though we didn't exchange more than a few sentences as we usually do.
My feeling of the demoscene will be missing a big piece without you being there.
Rest in peace, Ben.
I first met him at one of the early Mekka&Symposiums in Fallingbostel. I think it was 1997, which was my very first demoscene party. Although I don't have a particularly remarkable story to tell, I can say that I always appreciated the conversations I had with him.
His welcoming nature and his way of dealing with challenges; always having an idea for a solution, are legendary and always will be.
He was a simply always there with advice and support.
It was nice to see him again at this year's revision, even though we didn't exchange more than a few sentences as we usually do.
My feeling of the demoscene will be missing a big piece without you being there.
Rest in peace, Ben.
We weren't particularly close, might have exchanged a few words, but his expertise was always evident. I'm sure he will leave a big hole in party organizing. My condelences to his family, friends and everyone that was close to him.
I already miss his voice.
I want to call him and tell him that shit went down the drain this week and i need his shoulder to cry on.
Last week we talked about the radios i bought and the programming of them (i almost bought the wrong frequency band license that i really dont need, Ben could avoid that i do this mistake), we planned the registerring of the Full Metal Army Members for Wacken, we had a Party Concept in the making and he was ready checking my A1200 (included the advise to buy this and that as an addon).
Ben was a constant in my life for almost 3 decades, never ever i could have imagined that he´ll go first.
A few weeks ago, right before revision, i had kind of a meltdown and wrote him a wall of text about why i am pissed.
I instantly got a call from him, he calmed me down within seconds, solving my mistunderstandings that lead to that situation. He took care.
That was how he was...not afraid of conflicts, but focussed on solving them.
There are so many stories to share and i think it is important to do so.
I look forward to every demoscene gathering to share them and i share a few here, because writing about it helps me.
Imagine a small 3 room appartment in 1995/96, well designed interior and clean with his mother sitting an the Couch wishing us a nice day when we entered that appartment - and then enter Acryds room of chaos for the first time:
A small room. Several tower PCs, all up and running, huges piles of CDRoms, external drives and monitors and hell...a lotta cables. Within that "exploded serverroom" was a bed.
With more cables on it.
What he did? .mp3 became a thing in the mid 90s and he ripped like every music album he could get in hand to convert the tracks into .mp3. He converted thousands of files...just to share them with his friends.
He never did something just half.
If he did something, it was either all or nothing.
We for example went into e-darts, because his uncle owned several gambling halls with e-darts boards...and guess what: he had ofcourse a full professional set of darts, with perfectly balanced weights and stuff. Needless to say that I got a completely detailed purchase advice and then also had to buy a reasonably good set because i "should not play with that crapstuff that comes with such board".
What not many know is, that Ben was for many years in the 90s and early 2000s in a Vespa Club in our Hometown Flensburg. With a jeans-cut and patches and all that. And guess what...he was a good bike mechanic aswell and had ofcourse all the expensive tools needed to fix a Vespa onhis own. He had his main Vespa for years...i dont know if he finally sold it, but at least i know he was still into (bigger) motorcycles and bought a new one a few years ago.
Oh...and i remember Siliconvention 1997, a party that took place at the same time as Mekka^Symposium.
I went there with the guys from Oxyron/Arsenic, (Axis, Yazoo, TTS, Dante...) and as soon as we arrived the guys said "damn we need to leave, this is mostly atari. There is no real competition, if we enter our demo we may win instantly...lets leave and get our asses to fallingbostel to get our asses beaten by the other amiga guys"
I saw the disappointment in acryds eyes when we told him that we go to MS instead and we offered him to join us - but "all or nothing" acryd was like "What do you think? Iam organizer, i dont leave my ppl behind here...enjoy MS send greetings"
I think it was Decca, Rawstyle, Hellfire and Gandalf who got him then into the Mekka Symposium Organizing Team as Infrastructure/Network Organizer. Gandalf was so impressed by Acryds Work that he got him hired by the company he worked for "VCC Perfect Pictures AG" which was a leading postproduction Film Company in Hamburg.
Back to 2003...the first Breakpoint.
In 1999 i left Flensburg, moved to Stuttgart (where i met my wife) and later Frankfurt, so i had only contact via IRC and ICQ. I first saw him in person then again at BP03 organizing that legendary Party with all the other cool dudes.
I barely recognized him, because he seemed to be suddenly into sports because he just lost 30 kilos of weight during these few years...i was deeply impressed by that fact btw.
Anyway...After i missed BP05 he asked me why i wasnt there and what i think about joining as an Infoteam/Security Organizer...who was i to refuse that call?
He was it who teached me all the dos and donts as an orga and he introduced me to the team, which was really needed because i really have been not the nicest person back then...he always helped me reflecting myself, back then - until this week.
At the same time in 2005 I had a company together with some dudes, i exited and got a Job in Hamburg. My wife and son had to stay in Frankfurt due to my "appartment seeking" in Hamburg and so i moved into Bens Appartment (WG / flatshare).
Steeler had just left that room and i moved in for like 6 Months.
I can say that Ben was the best flatmate i could wish for.
We had so much fun, so many stories we still laughed about.
And he was it who brought me into that awesome Hamburg Friendshipcircle.
Funfact:
Ben was the most booked flatmate mate i know.
Its easier to tell who not lived in that appartment than who did.
(Steeler, 2b, Zolo, Shana, Faith...just to name a few)
A few years later, when my wife and i had a rough phase and split up for like 2 months, it was him who said "move immediately your ass up here. you stay here and we figure out how to handle with that shit".
He confiscated my phone when i arrived, so i wont text shit or do silly calls.
He took care about me and the situation. Saved me from myself if you will.
Long story short:
Without Ben i wouldnt be the person iam now and i wouldnt have the life that i live.
He was like a moral compass i could always rely on, a constant in my life.
He was family. Life is not the same anymore...
We had so many projects every year in "real life" besides revision...
Anyway...I had a long talk with Heiko, his best friend, yesterday.
They´ve been like an old couple and we Hamburgers made often fun of it, that they both may marry one day :-) I hope you will meet him someday at a revision, you will love him.
Maybe i can convince him and his girlfriend to come to revision next year, to join us in honouring the best ever demoparty organizer of all times.
Heiko is in touch with the bio-family and keeps us updated on anything that comes.
I want to call him and tell him that shit went down the drain this week and i need his shoulder to cry on.
Last week we talked about the radios i bought and the programming of them (i almost bought the wrong frequency band license that i really dont need, Ben could avoid that i do this mistake), we planned the registerring of the Full Metal Army Members for Wacken, we had a Party Concept in the making and he was ready checking my A1200 (included the advise to buy this and that as an addon).
Ben was a constant in my life for almost 3 decades, never ever i could have imagined that he´ll go first.
A few weeks ago, right before revision, i had kind of a meltdown and wrote him a wall of text about why i am pissed.
I instantly got a call from him, he calmed me down within seconds, solving my mistunderstandings that lead to that situation. He took care.
That was how he was...not afraid of conflicts, but focussed on solving them.
There are so many stories to share and i think it is important to do so.
I look forward to every demoscene gathering to share them and i share a few here, because writing about it helps me.
Imagine a small 3 room appartment in 1995/96, well designed interior and clean with his mother sitting an the Couch wishing us a nice day when we entered that appartment - and then enter Acryds room of chaos for the first time:
A small room. Several tower PCs, all up and running, huges piles of CDRoms, external drives and monitors and hell...a lotta cables. Within that "exploded serverroom" was a bed.
With more cables on it.
What he did? .mp3 became a thing in the mid 90s and he ripped like every music album he could get in hand to convert the tracks into .mp3. He converted thousands of files...just to share them with his friends.
He never did something just half.
If he did something, it was either all or nothing.
We for example went into e-darts, because his uncle owned several gambling halls with e-darts boards...and guess what: he had ofcourse a full professional set of darts, with perfectly balanced weights and stuff. Needless to say that I got a completely detailed purchase advice and then also had to buy a reasonably good set because i "should not play with that crapstuff that comes with such board".
What not many know is, that Ben was for many years in the 90s and early 2000s in a Vespa Club in our Hometown Flensburg. With a jeans-cut and patches and all that. And guess what...he was a good bike mechanic aswell and had ofcourse all the expensive tools needed to fix a Vespa onhis own. He had his main Vespa for years...i dont know if he finally sold it, but at least i know he was still into (bigger) motorcycles and bought a new one a few years ago.
Oh...and i remember Siliconvention 1997, a party that took place at the same time as Mekka^Symposium.
I went there with the guys from Oxyron/Arsenic, (Axis, Yazoo, TTS, Dante...) and as soon as we arrived the guys said "damn we need to leave, this is mostly atari. There is no real competition, if we enter our demo we may win instantly...lets leave and get our asses to fallingbostel to get our asses beaten by the other amiga guys"
I saw the disappointment in acryds eyes when we told him that we go to MS instead and we offered him to join us - but "all or nothing" acryd was like "What do you think? Iam organizer, i dont leave my ppl behind here...enjoy MS send greetings"
I think it was Decca, Rawstyle, Hellfire and Gandalf who got him then into the Mekka Symposium Organizing Team as Infrastructure/Network Organizer. Gandalf was so impressed by Acryds Work that he got him hired by the company he worked for "VCC Perfect Pictures AG" which was a leading postproduction Film Company in Hamburg.
Back to 2003...the first Breakpoint.
In 1999 i left Flensburg, moved to Stuttgart (where i met my wife) and later Frankfurt, so i had only contact via IRC and ICQ. I first saw him in person then again at BP03 organizing that legendary Party with all the other cool dudes.
I barely recognized him, because he seemed to be suddenly into sports because he just lost 30 kilos of weight during these few years...i was deeply impressed by that fact btw.
Anyway...After i missed BP05 he asked me why i wasnt there and what i think about joining as an Infoteam/Security Organizer...who was i to refuse that call?
He was it who teached me all the dos and donts as an orga and he introduced me to the team, which was really needed because i really have been not the nicest person back then...he always helped me reflecting myself, back then - until this week.
At the same time in 2005 I had a company together with some dudes, i exited and got a Job in Hamburg. My wife and son had to stay in Frankfurt due to my "appartment seeking" in Hamburg and so i moved into Bens Appartment (WG / flatshare).
Steeler had just left that room and i moved in for like 6 Months.
I can say that Ben was the best flatmate i could wish for.
We had so much fun, so many stories we still laughed about.
And he was it who brought me into that awesome Hamburg Friendshipcircle.
Funfact:
Ben was the most booked flatmate mate i know.
Its easier to tell who not lived in that appartment than who did.
(Steeler, 2b, Zolo, Shana, Faith...just to name a few)
A few years later, when my wife and i had a rough phase and split up for like 2 months, it was him who said "move immediately your ass up here. you stay here and we figure out how to handle with that shit".
He confiscated my phone when i arrived, so i wont text shit or do silly calls.
He took care about me and the situation. Saved me from myself if you will.
Long story short:
Without Ben i wouldnt be the person iam now and i wouldnt have the life that i live.
He was like a moral compass i could always rely on, a constant in my life.
He was family. Life is not the same anymore...
We had so many projects every year in "real life" besides revision...
Anyway...I had a long talk with Heiko, his best friend, yesterday.
They´ve been like an old couple and we Hamburgers made often fun of it, that they both may marry one day :-) I hope you will meet him someday at a revision, you will love him.
Maybe i can convince him and his girlfriend to come to revision next year, to join us in honouring the best ever demoparty organizer of all times.
Heiko is in touch with the bio-family and keeps us updated on anything that comes.
