International Event Held at the House of Blues® in Anaheim, California

For Immediate Release

Rebecca Genel
Global PR/Media Relations Manager
Roland Corporation
(323) 890-3718
Rebecca.Genel@roland.com

Los Angeles, CA, February 24, 2011 — Held at the House of Blues® in Anaheim, California, BOSS hosted the final showdown of its first-ever Loop Station World Championship. The event coincided with the 2011 Winter NAMM Show and attracted an enthusiastic crowd of nearly 1,000. The audience was treated to a dazzling presentation of both technology and musicianship as the world's top six loop artists used BOSS Loop Station pedals to perform fun, inventive, and mesmerizing original compositions.

Throughout the latter half of 2010, BOSS embarked on a worldwide talent search for the world's best loop artists by holding competitions in 12 different countries. From thousands of video submissions, these countries chose six performers to compete at the final events, with the winners of each earning a spot at the World Championship in Anaheim, California. The 12 finalists competed in a semi-final round at the NAMM show on January 13th, where six top finalists were chosen to perform the next evening at the House of Blues.

Contestants at the semi-finals included The Duke of Loops (Peter Davidson) from Canada; Bebertos (Albert Ilyasov) from Russia; Fii (Michael Krappel) from Austria; Seu Zeba from Brazil; Dillian Fevry from Belgium; and Simone Vignola from Italy. The six that moved on to the finals were Shlomo (Simon Khan) from the UK; Naoryu (Naoko Otsuka) from Japan; Greg Bal from Hungary; Clara Lindsjö from Sweden; Philip Stendek from the United States; and Hyperpotamus (Jorge Gustavo Ramirez-Escudero Susaeta) from Spain.

On hand to judge the final championship event was Dave Navarro, guitarist for Jane's Addiction and The Red Hot Chili Peppers; Steve Stevens, a GRAMMY® winner and longtime guitarist with Billy Idol; April Malmsteen, president of Rising Force records and wife and manager of Yngwie Malmsteen; Paul Youngblood, director of BOSS Corporation; and Dub Fx, a world-renowned beatboxer and winner of the 2009 BOSS Loop Station Championship in the UK.

The six finalists performed original live compositions about five minutes in length using one or more BOSS RC-series Loop Station products, and could use whatever means they wished—voice, mics, musical instruments, etc.—to create sound.

Simon “Shlomo” Khan from the United Kingdom was the evening's big winner, executing an electrifying display of beatbox vocalizations and live loop manipulation using just a mic, his voice, and a BOSS RC-50. After the contest, BOSS artist and guitar legend Yngwie Malmsteen performed a spirited set with his band.

For a wrap up of the BOSS Loop Station World Championship, please visit:
http://www.bossus.com/boss_users_group/article.php?ArticleId=1217

For photos, please visit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roland_us/sets/72157625919066414/

For video, please visit:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BOSSchannel#grid/user/C22D22CABE0101AD

About BOSS
BOSS, a division of Roland Corporation, has achieved legendary status among guitarists by offering a diverse, world-leading product lineup that includes compact effects processors, multi-effects processors, digital recorders, rhythm machines, metronomes, tuners, and more. For more information, visit http://www.BossUS.com.