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..

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l___/=l___|====l____/===\______|==l______|\ /l___/===\______l____/

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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?

Got an Spectravideo 738 X'Press (MSX) for christmas. I think it was 1986.

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

I've had the Spectravideo, a C128, and the Amiga 500 (boosted up a bit)
that I used for the music. For the Spectravideo I had one game and a
friend of mine, who also had a 738, had one game. One of the games had
penguins in it, and then we swapped the games. I might have written a
program that calculated the average value of numbers you would input.

The C128 I used for playing games and for programming in Basic. An other
friend and I were making a game called Huoneet (Rooms in English), in
which you could move around in different houses by pressing (a) to go to
the living room, (b) to go to the basement, (c) to get out of the house
and so on. It wouldn't fit on one single floppy disk, and was never
finished.

The A500 I used for making the music, for watching demos, for learning C
programming, and for calling BBS's (and the Internet later on).

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

I've never been good at drawing, and I didn't have the patience you need
in coding. Music has been my natural choice, even before I started making
music using computers.

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

Protracker, umm, was it 2.2a. And before it was released, some
Noisetracker. I've never liked anything else than the four-channeled
Tracker-family.

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

It has to be the one that was used in the demo Hindun Tie Kehdosta
Hautaan. I wasn't very productive; I've finished only few modules. I had
the problem of turning ideas into actual products. You know, it's easy to
get the idea but then you have to build all the rest around your idea. I
couldn't do that. HTKH is one I finished, one I actually worked on, and
one that feels 'bigger' when comparing to the others. The chip tunes
reached their goal in that they're simple and fun and I liked them.

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

All the ones I started and never finished. I would have wanted to turn the
ideas into music, but it just didn't work out. Well, since those days I've
learned that short and plain expression suits me better than long
expression - like aphorisms compared to books. I you want to make music,
you need to wrap your idea in a large package, otherwise you would get
ten-second-songs. Besides, having only the plain idea to listen to is
boring. It takes both skill and patience to fill out the rest, and I
respect people who can do it.

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

Music has great value. Just try watching a horror movie that really gives
you the creeps without the music and you'll see what I mean. Music is very
effective in creating atmospheres. Demos and games without music are dull,
and good music makes a bad demo a whole lot better. Music is important.

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

No. Just practising the piano.

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

I don't know anything about it. Haven't seen any demos, haven't heard any
tunes. I hope it actually is good and doesn't just sound good.

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

My favourite composers were Heatbeat, Strobo, Tip & Mantronix, Dr. Awesome
(I didn't like 12th Warrior, which many people seem to have liked) and
a bunch of other guys whose names I can't remember any more. I did have
many favourite tunes, if that's of any help... *grin*

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

No way! I'm not that much of a composer. But one of my dreams is to play
the piano in a jazz/salsa band some day.

12-What bands are you currently listenning to?

Whatever that has a fine piano player and plays jazz, blues or latin jazz.
Plus many Finnish ones: The JP's; Freud, Marx, Engels & Jung; Samuli
Edelmann, Ultra Bra; Niko Ahvonen; Remu; Kaartamo, Kuustonen, Kettunen;
Sami Saari; Lapinlahden linnut; Kari Peitsamo; Nypykät; Aki Sirkesalo;
The Kummeli Guys (including Silvennoinen and Hela solo); Pekka Ruuska;
Timo Turpeinen; Värttinä; Leevi and the Leavings; Salsamania (just check
their album Ritmo Polar!); Pedro's Heavy Gentlemen; Ufo Mustonen; J.
Karjalainen.

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

It did give me something interesting to do, it taught me some more about
computers, it got me to do a more music than I probably otherwise would
have done and it got me into Limbo, which was fun.

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

No. I lost all my interest in computers some years ago. (My interest in
the scene probably diminished along with the problems in making the
music.) I've got some back now, but it's different.

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

Greets to what's left of Limbo: Elvis and Greippi! To Muffler and some
other guys I was swapping with in the late times (maybe 1994-95) but
disappeared then mysteriously: Sorry. I meant to write back and explain
what's going on, but just couldn't get it done. I had had enough computers
and was tired of some other stuff also, I think. Nothing personal
intended.

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