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?

I can't give you a specific year. For as long as I can remember I've always
been interested in computers. I mean, my childhood hero's were guys like
Strider/Fairlight. So I was certified as insane by my family right from the
start.

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

I didn't get my first computer until I was 10 or 11. Before that I had to go
to my friends to mess around with computers. But, when I was 10 my dad let me
spend my savings on a C64 that I bought from a friend. I mainly played games
on it. I was only 10, so I didn't do much "good" with it.

After about 2 years I got a Amiga 500. Used it for games and watched a few
demos and diskmags. A couple of years later I got a Amiga 1200 and this was
when I started making music, in 1994.

Then I got my first PC (P166 MMX) in '97 and I've had 3 PC's since then.

I still have my Amiga 1200, and I also bought a C64 and C128 a few years ago
for nostalgic reasons. I don't use them much since I don't have a working
floppydrive for the time being.

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

Music and computers have always been two of my main interests. I've always
loved to sing, play and perform so I guess music came as a natural thing to
use my computer for when I grew tired of playing games.

Besides that, I suck at GFX and never took the time to learn to code.

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

Amiga - Pro Tracker, I tried OctaMed as well but didn't like it.

PC - FastTracker, I tried a few other tracking software's but nothing was as
nice to use as FT. I also messed around with CubaseVST in school, but
never got any good at it.

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

I don't know. I don't think I ever had a goal. Every songs is a different
thing and I have different "goals" for them. As you develop your skill the
goals for each song become higher and higher. There's almost always something
to improve. I don't think I ever did a song I was perfectly happy with. But if
I have to name one I think a song I did in '98 called "Action-man Wolk" would
be the first song I felt very pleased with. It's not perfect, but by then I
felt I could do good songs which could "compete" with others.

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

I think every song has given me experience and made me learn things. Of course
there are some pretty old songs which wouldn't make a good first impression
of me as a musician if it was the first of my songs you heard. I never spread
anything that I regret. There are of course some old songs that are crap, but
only one or two of my friends have them. And I can live with that. My first
experiments with vocals are a bit embarrassing, but I don't think any of them
are spread. So no harm done :)

We all learn and develop, and most of my songs made me better at what I do, so
I can't say I'd like to have this or that song undone.

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

It sets the mood. The music makes you feel. Music is a powerful tool in demos,
games and movies. A horror movie without music isn't very horrifying. For
example, what would the movie "Jaws" be without John Williams classical "Jaws
Theme". Dun-Dun Dun-Dun. Without the music the audience won't know what you're
trying to make them feel.

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

I'm still composing. Only for leisure. I love the feeling of having done
something really great! To say that I make music only for the fun of it would
be wrong. Of course I think it's fun to make music, but I also like to
impress/entertain people with what I do.

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

I really hated the idea of MP3's in demos. Firstly because I think tracking is
more than music, it's an art of its own. A module should be both good to
listen to and nice to look at.

Today, I don't really care anymore. It's not how the music is done, it's how
it sound and makes you feel. Of course there are some value in how a song is
done (brilliantly performed live, made with limited resources etc.) but in the
end it's the listening enjoyment that counts.

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

It's hard to nail it down to just a few songs. I can name some of my all time
favourit groups/bands if you like? :)

AC/DC, Pantera, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Apoptygma Berzerk, VNV Nation,
Covenant, Kovenant, Kraftwek, Rammstein...and a few more. :)

I listen to pretty much everything. Favourite scene musicians would be
Lizardking, Betrayer, Wave, KB, Jester (of Sanity), Smash, Ballistique,
Andromeda, Steffo...just to name a few. There's a lot of good scenemusic and
it's hard to remember everyone :)

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

I have a CD in production. It's a combination of C64-game remixes and songs
that I've written myself. So I'd have to say, yes :) Though it's not remastered
oldies, but brand new material. Check my homepage and www.c64audio.com for
more details.

12-What bands are you currently listenning to?

My favourit at the moment is Apoptygma Berzerk's album "Harmonizer". Swedish
hardcore band LOK's new album is really good as well.

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

The scene was a mysterious thing, with mysterious people who created wonderful
things and I wanted to be a part of that. It gave me inspiration and
motivation. I wasn't active on C64, I only watched the pretty colours of the
crack-intros and one or two demos. The Amiga was "the big scene break" for me.
Probably because I was older and more interested in what I could do with my
computer part from playing games. I never would've started making music with
my computer if it wasn't for the Amiga scene.

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

I guess I am. Not as active as I was a couple of years ago. When my army
service started there wasn't that much time and then I never really got back in
the game as I used to. Right now I study pretty much, so time is a problem. The
days are too short, and they seem to get shorter the older you get :)

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

Greeting everyone would take too much time. I've made a lot of friends in the
scene over the years, and though I've lost contact with some of them I hope
they're alive and healthy. I hope some of them read this and send me an email.
Would be nice to catch up a bit :)

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please note: this interview is ©opyrighted in 2002 by crown of cryptoburners
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