ELECTRICITY CRISIS TOUGH ON TECHNO ARTISTS

ELECTRICITY CRISIS TOUGH ON TECHNO ARTISTS

ENCINO, Calif. (Wireless Flash) -- The California electricity crisis is striking a bum note with techno musicians in the Golden State. That's the word from Brad Pressman, who runs the Los Angeles-based electronica music label Water Music Records. He says the sky-high electricity prices and rolling blackouts are making life a nightmare for many of his California-based artists. The reason? About 98 percent of the equipment used by techno musicians is powered by electricity -- everything from energy-sucking keyboards and drum machines to the computers that mix the music. Although Pressman doubts the energy crisis will ruin anyone's career, he admits the constant computer crashes caused by blackouts and brownouts could hold back production of albums.