Amiga Music Preservation -

Interview

.

`n. .rP'

`qb ,dP'

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.

,NN' `b. · i n t e r v i e w · ___________

______dP _____________ \ /

\ ,N'\____ _____________. _____ \ \_____. ____\ /

\___P___/ .\--\__ __/__ |--\____)---\ _____/__ |--\_ \ _/

| | | \ | | \__| | _ \ / | \__| | /\ |

| _| | | _l_ | | \ / _l_ | ___|

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

\/

•

Handle:

•

Group:

•

Date of birth:

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

Let's just say that back in the 80's there was a boy who had two major
interests: girls and Nintendo gaming. The girl part is still there but
the gaming evolved to programming when a C-64 was introduced (by generous
parents.)
I can just say I was captured by all possibilities. I simply love
to create and that was exactly what the C-64 assisted me in.

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

As mentioned above my first machine was a C-64.
Later on (in the early 90's) I used several unmentionable machines
with 386-486 CPUs inside. I attempted to be an Intel assembly language
programmer but I failed miserably so to speak.....:))
When I started working with music professionally I soon discovered the
excellent Bars&PipesPro from Blue Ribbon (which was bought and canned
by the big bad MS just after I purchased it...*grrrr*.) But then I
really discovered the advantages of AmigaOS and today me and my Amiga
is still going strong.
The Amigas I have used since 1994 is:
A600 (68000) with 5MB RAM
A1200 (68020) with 8MB RAM
A1200 (Blizzard1260/68060) with 34MB RAM (built inside a A2000-case)
I also use a Draco sometimes but that one mostly resides in the studio.

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

The music has always been there...as long as I can remember actually.
I consumed a lot of jazz and soul when I was really young and that has left
its trace. I started out playing the drums at the age of 13 and later on the
organ and guitar followed. Who said I wasn't a coder anyway? Well, most of
the music created on the C64 was made using my own composing software.
Quite primitive but I really wanted to get in deep with the hardware.
Then I must add that the SID chip really seasoned me as a musician as
it is damn hard to make a score sound "deep" using only 3 channels.
It was a challenge and I gained arrangement skills fast. I learned to
express much on little space so to speak.

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

When it comes to modules I've used more software than I can remember.
The first tracker I was confronted with was Cryptoburner's ProTracker 3
(an early beta.)
Also in the past there was QuadraComposer, THX, FutureComposer, Mugician,
DSS and even DigiBooster.
To be honest I don't really like the tracker concept. I know the theory of
music and I prefer to use Piano rolls and notesheets.

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

"In Her Eyes" is the one I regard as my best moment of MODmaking.
I composed and tracked that one nigthtly and I guess you can hear that.
Among the chiptunes there is a little nasty one called "Blondes Do It Best"
which is in some ways a favourite too. There are many versions of that one and
the best is the C-64 version.
Another one to mention is my cover of "Rush N' Attack", an old NES piece.

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

Apart from "Eyes" there is this song that never should even exist...:)
It's called "Little Sandra" and what happened at the time of release was
quite unexpected. I'm use to get some feedback from my listeners and "fans"
but what happened here was a whole different story. In two weeks 212 E-Mails
hit my mailbox and still this very day some mails keep on comming.
All that fuss about a score that is actually a song meant for children.
Well....I sure won't forget about it though.....

Another part that has always given this Lion a good laugh (huhhhh...this is
a long answer, I know) is the fact that some MODs I've released simply as a
joke has been taken seriously by persons who should know better...:))...
this is the case when we talk about piexes like "Uffes Sexparty",
"Kanon Foder" (Swedish "translation" of the theme from CannonFodder),
"Go Beyond Gatecrashing" and especially...hehe..."Risbastu."

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

To capture a feeling...a mood. A good demo is expressing something.
And to enhance the expression the necessity of a good score is 100%.

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

Apart from working as a network consult I make a lot of music.
Some for fun but also some heavy stuff. Apart from that I'm the drummer/singer
in a fusion band.

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

MPeg is fantastic. I release some of my stuff as MP3-files sometimes.

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

"In the kitchen" By 4Mat(???) and pretty much anything by Nuke/Anarchy.
Also I have a crush on the songs from the NES Castlevania series.

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

There are in fact some CD's. But noone containing my MOD-music.
My fulllength studio album "Swirling Mist" (released in 1996) has sold very
well. I have a faithfull bunch of listeners that keeps loving my scores and
for them there will always be more.

12-What bands are you currently listenning to?

Mostly a german semifusion band called Passport
...and then there is always the top 10.

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

Joy, great friends and great memories.
There was a "pioneer" feeling that nowadays is totally gone.
I blame most of that on the (sub)culture that followed the PC.
Now the meetings and gatherings are more about network Quake and porno.
I really loved the scene that brought together the strong coders and the
cunning artists. Everyone did their best and the products were not mainstream
at all...it was pure artistry.

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

No. I feel there is no room for my style.
The demoscene is slowly dying (some will hate me for saying like this) and
all that is left now are all of these Rave/Goa/Trance-scores.
Every demo is all the same. No variation. Also most democreators are aiming
at showing there excellence rather than creating sn interesting demo.
Too bad! But that doesn't keep me from showing up "uninvited" at parties
when the time is right.

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

First some musical greetings to Tim Follin, Rob Hubbard and Hip Tanaka.
Noone will forget you. Then a little "Hi!" to all coders who made the magic
possible. Special thanx to Twin for being the best female coder out there.
I continue saluting my wonderful crew at BLP (Blonde Lion Productions.)
You are a bunch of hardworking, beerdrinking and totally wonderful persons.
Last but NEVER least I send the warmest depths of my heart to the people
listening to and loving/hating my music and to those still holding the
Amiga flag high. You know who you are and that I certainly never will
forget about you nor the feedback you have given...

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

Quick Search

Random link

Database Stats

Interview