Amiga Music Preservation -

Interview

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TLb. ,dMP' all rite, now you get the chance to read

TML.dMMP some facts about some of the major amiga

,nmm`XXMPX musicians. read about their history in

,#MP'~~XNXYNXTb. the scene and their plans in future.yes,

,d~' dNNP `YNTb. that's meant to be read while listening to

,~ ,NN' `YNb their modules. read 'em over and over and over..

dNP `Yb.

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Handle:

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Group:

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Date of birth:

1-How did your interest for computers start? Which year was that?

Wow ! Well, started playing space invader on a school friend (Caroline)'s
computer in 1983. It was a Vic 20 (archeologists are nowadays very
interested in those machines!). Then I discovered the Commodore 64 in 1986
at another friend's place, got hooked on and finally bought mine in January
1987. I mostly used the C64 for playing games (I even sometimes play them
nowadays again, on a C64 emulator, and some '64 games like Frantic Freddie
are still very entertaining today!). In march 1989, I upgrade to a 16 bit
machine : an Atari ST (The wrong machine, amiga freaks will say!). The
atari was also mainly used to play games (Dungeon Master, Out run,
Foundation's waste, Lotus turbo, Barbarian, Xenon...), but it's on this
machine I made my major computer discoveries : Degas elite and then Deluxe
Paint opened me to the world of computer graphics, several demos/intros got
myself interested in the demo scene...and one day in November 1991 (10
years already!) a friend of mine (Cyril) told me I should get the latest ST
Magazine because an incredible piece of software was included on their
coverdisk : Protracker ! The fact I am answering to this interview says it
all : This day changed my life. From now on, the road to the top of the
tops was open and nothing's gonna stop me now !

2-What machines did you previously have? What did you do with them?

1987 - 1990 : C64 : Gaming
1989 - 1994 : Atari ST : Gaming, graphics, music
1991 - 1993 : PC 386 Sx 20 : Gaming, graphics
1991 - 1997 : PC 486 Dx 33 : Gaming, graphics, music
1996 - 2000 : PC pentium 133 : Gaming, graphics, music
1997 - ???? : PC pentium 166 MMX : Graphics, music
2000 - ???? : PC pentium 800 MMX : Graphics, music

3-For what specific reason did you end up making music rather than gfx, coding?

Because the 1st group I joined had already a coder and a GFX man, but no
musician. But I nowadays make quite many 3D/Photoshop graphics (I studied
Directing, Editing and Digital Special effects in a film school in
Paris...this includes a graphician formation).

BTW, my tracker abilities were quite handy in the film school...it was also
the 1st time in my life I tracked for homework :-)

4-Which composing programs have you been using? Which one in particular?

1991 - 1994 : Protracker (Atari)
1994 - 1994 : Multitracker (PC)
1994 - 1997 : Scream tracker 3 (PC)
1997 - 1999 : Fast tracker 2 (PC)
1999 - 2001 : Inpulse tracker (PC)
2001 - 2001 : Modplug tracker (PC)
2001 - ???? : Madtracker 2 (PC)

5-With which module did you feel you had reached your goal?

"Wonders of the oceans" : Best soundscape I ever did (1997).
"Dreaming of Corinne's eyes" : Most personnal track (2000).
"Age of Energy" : Absolute best party track (2001).

"bplj.mt2" : The track that will become my 1st (and hopefully not last!)
commercially released single :-) (2001)

6-Is there a tune you would like not to remember? For What reason?

Almost everything before 1997, because they...suck !

7-In your opinion, what's the value of a music in a demo, game?

It is huge. Music is rythm. In demos, it is (should be) used to enhance the
visual part, in games it must put you in the appropriate state. It must be
like the music in a movie, a movie you are the hero. Just turn the music
off in your favorite demo and see by yourself...

8-At present, are you still composing? For professional or leisure purposes?

I am still composing :-) But for old grandpas like me (Hey, I'm 26!), the
choice is simple : Or you stop, or you go pro. That's why It's now for 2
years I send demos to several labels...with always the same negative
answer. Some labels (like Airplay Records in France) already told me my
music were great but too German sounding for them. I even considered trying
my luck in Germany. But in September 2001, everything changed when I was
contacted by a TV producer who has his own record company, after one of my
(joke)songs was played in his show. This single play on TV ended up in many
phone calls at their office so that he is quite sure my track will be a hit
!!! That's why I am now discussing the terms of the contract (that should
soon be signed). Let's just hope he will also listen to the other tracks I
did, and that he does not only see me as a "one hit wonder" (this will be
toughest part of the job!)

9-What do you think of today's pieces of music such as mpeg,wave,midi,etc...?

mpeg (mp3) : Great ! The only negative point to it is that you can't see
HOW it is done. Looking deep into the mods from the masters of the art of
tracking is how I learned to track in my early tracker years (1991-1996).
But when you consider you can transmit *EVERY* sound file, touched up
*Whatever how*, I can only encourage this, even if the scene spirit in the
mp3 scene is very different from the mod scene...
...and always remember : Some mp3s are in fact converted Mods : The mod
scene survives through the mp3 scene ! (Beathoven/Sonic Range and Tbo&Vega
for example are doing fine :-)

wave : To be encoded to mp3. There is no .wav scene.

midi : Great if you have $200000 of equipment. If not, stay on your tracker
!!! (and as I don't have $200000, so I keep on tracking :-)

10-Could you tell us some of your all times favourite tunes?

(tracked of course)

Elwood - Feats of Valor - absolute top best melody ever written !!!
Lizardking - Claustrophobia
Tip&Firefox - Enigma
Tip&Mantronix - Overload
Jogeir - Guitar Slinger
Prism - Can you feel it ? (absolute HIT!)
Jester - Elysium
Purple motion - When the heaven falls
Skaven - Catch that Goblin
Captain - Space Debris
Falcon - Sunflower (So dreamy and wonderful !)
maF - Tuturne land (A bomb of FUN!)
maF - Gasp-Y-Age
maF - Bao!Bao!

11-Are you planning to make an audio cd with some of your music remastered?

Yes ! And I am working on the deal to have it properly released. The only
weird thing is that my producers think my mod music's sound quality is good
enough not to need a remastering ! But of course, those mods are made with

16-bit stereo 44khz samples, they are not amiga compliant protracker works !

My latest - and best - amiga protracker compliant work is a goatrance track
called Goackery, made in may 1998 (tnk_goac.zip, 368Kb)

12-What bands are you currently listenning to?

Not many commercial bands as what is played commercially in France nowadays
(R&B / Funky house) is not really my cup of tea. However, I listen to
internet "bands" like Dynamo, Aura, Dj Chris, Ady Deejay, Karoly &
Monica,...mostly techno/trance and ambient music.
My personnal tastes are in fact very commercial, which makes me quite an
exception in the underground scene of mod-music. I am probably one of the
only sceners who publicly admits he likes Eurodance :-) (even if it is far
from being the only music I listen to!!! But for partying & Having fun,
it's so entertaining!). I personally think that many people listen to this
kind of music even if they don't admit it...OK, the spirit of this scene
sucks (or should I say $uck$!), but I think that besided this,
europop/dance can be produced "honestly", I mean with the 1st aim being to
please the audiance and not to make money by following a trend (which is
not a trend anymore nowadays BTW). It is very important to me to
differentiate popular ( = made for the audiance) and commercial ( = made
ONLY for the money) music, and even if Eurodance IS mostly commercial by
this definition, it doesn't always have to be.
I just hope not 2 get flamed after admiting this publicly...Tolerance is a
main virtue to me.

Besides this, my all times favorites are still Jean-Michel Jarre and
Vangelis. Enya is also an artist I like very much.

Lizardking's 1st CD (Physiology) is also still quite often in my CD player.

Besides this, the track I am currently listening to while I am answering
this is "Get Ready !" by Digital Mastermind.

13-What does/did the amiga/c64 scene give you?

Good time, thrill, fun, friends, emotions, hopes, expectations, and
Mallorca vacation cancellations for a trip to Finland
(Assseeeemmmmbbbbbblllllyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!)

14-Are you still active in the scene these days?

No (but if someone needs a tune for a demo, please drop me a line...).
However as nowadays demoparties also feature more and more wild compos, I
might once enter with a shortfilm I will have done (BTW, did you know that
a guy who entered the TP6 wild compo is now directing a movie in Hollywood ?)

15-Anyone to greet? Anything left to say? Feel free...

Greets : All my friends I had in the scene (I say "had" as most left now),
this of course includes My Realtech / Dzone / Caffein / ART mates :-)
Pollux / Olympus with whom I did an intro and a game.
People I met in various demo parties...
All people supporting me and who like my music and movies.

Those times I spend doing demo stuff was really great. Nowadays, I'm kinda
too old for this, but I would like to say to everyone who is interested in
doing demos & tracks to give themselves the chance to realize their dreams,
and even to go beyond. Personally, I went much farther than I expected to
be able to go...and it's only the beginning (let's hope so at least!)

Another thing I would like to add, which is quite uncommon in the demoscene
: The importance girls had on my work. I would for sure not be here
answering this interview if I hadn't known girls (especially one!) who gave
me the inspiration to try to get always better and better. OK, the demo
scene is largely male dominated, but for me some girls outside the scene
had a major impact on my works.

I am now about to make my first step outside the underground music world,
in the commercial world full of producers and record companies...I hope I
will be able to sustain a high-quality production, and will not be obliged
to do shit just to follow trends. Some will think I shouldn't do this, but
believe me, every artistic movement, after a few pioneer years, has to deal
with this terrible question : Or it goes commercial, or it disappears. And
I don't think the demo/mod scene must disappear. Therefore, there is not
much choice left...But one thing will always guide my production : It must
please me and please the audience.

The future belongs us, it's up to us to make it a nice place to be. After
all, the future is the place where we will spend the rest of our lives...

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please note: this interview is ©opyrighted in 2001 by crown of cryptoburners
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