musicians interrogation room...
riskej/oca

when and why did you start to make spectrum music?

it's hard to say now. it was 2000 year, i've been finishing my studying in the music school. we have a group 'crazy codes', a club of associates, to be more exact, and there were all categories of creative people (i mean coders, artists, hardwarers), but there was no musician.

so happened, once i've been sitting at home, reading the new issue of born dead, pulsar (di at that time) called me by phone and began to bother me asking to make music. and i had a strange thought at that time, that everybody make music on basic. of course, i didn't want to involve myself into this, so i tried hard to reject until pulsar told me that i just have to load a program with a strange name - pro tracker.

so, right after this event in 2000 year i began to make music.

i suppose, the first technical experience you gained exploring someone's tunes for samples, ornaments and other tricks. who was that spectrum musician who influenced your music and whom you can call your teacher?

i can say without any doubts that my first 'teacher' was mast/ftl. his creations i explored for hours searched for interesting technical ideas and tricks, i had a notebook where i put them and learned while being at school lessons. by the way, this notebook is still alive i keep it as a memory about turning me into a musician.

also, i can note the influence of black grrove. the cic group had a very tight contacts with the perm guys, so they often exchanged with their works. in the same 2000 year j/cic brought a lot of bg's tracks, which i also listened and analized.

and mmcm affected me too.

what was the first music editor that you used?

pro tracker 3.4f

what was the first music editor that you used?

2000 - the very start - all compositions are very primitive, so it's a big shame to show them.

2001 - the year of my 'ressurection' in the music sphere. it was february. it was close to the birthday of j/cic and after 3 months of lazyness i sat down behind pro tracker and made a remix of 'milaya moja' song :) and then was a breakthru - my attendance to the ascii party and so on.

2002 - my acquaintance with nik-o. and after that during the next 1, 5 years (until may of 2003) he influenced me much. anyway, he put a lot of efforts to make me move and develop instead of staying at one place. he gave me as many advises as no one else did.

2003 - the year of my musical tastes' change. i was a popsy guy before, but till september i greatly changed. i like trance, ambient everything is so obscure. though i make pop, but mainly on pulsar's requests. i think, when the litpack of our litgroup 'vtorye miry' will be released, you'll hear, how i've changed.

how do you think, do you have any fans, and what do you think they particularly like in your music? would you like to say some words for them?

i don't know, whether i have fans or not, cos i got letters saying that somebody like my music only from few people. although, there are some. what to say? i am what i am and i won't change under any pressure.

what musical instruments do you use (if you ever used) during composing prosess? do you have any experience of musicmaking on other platforms? what do you think about it?

i often use my 'yamaha psr 540' sinthesizer - mainly for drums and bass parts. and my bayan for solos.

i have some experience of musicmaking on the other platforms, though it's not too significant. i should say, that nothing can replace spectrum as a machine for composing for me yet. it's more interesting and pleasing to compose on spectrum, than somewhere else.

what musical instruments do you use (if you ever used) during composing prosess? do you have any experience of musicmaking on other platforms? what do you think about it?

i have one weak spot, i think, it's envelope. i am often displeased with the way i use it in my tracks, but i can't do anything. on the other hand, many of those, whom i contact with, like my envelope. what about rythm and melody i've never had a lack of ideas for this stuff.

what kind of music do you listen, what bands/projects affect you, what moods and feelings you try to put in your own compositions? remixes: what do you think of this?

trip hop, ambient, rock, pop (a little). i adore portishead and radiohead, i'm fond of red snapper and metallica, respect 'korol i shut'.

the feelings are different everytime. for examle, my 'highway to sky' (3rd place at ascii'03) - i see a huge highway, leading to the sky, with the racing sportcars, passing each other, they horn, collide... to be the first in heaven! before i made this track i spent some time in a car, moving on a highway and these feelings were realised in this track.

i try to put those feelings that i have while composing. i can't remember any track made against my moral conditions, it's unnatural for me.

i think remixes help a musician to develop his techniques and ear. i make it mainly when i like music very much or if somebody ask me to do so.

what music compos did you participate in, what was the highest rate and what do you think about your achievements?

what parties? there are a lot of them, ok, i'll try to mention all:

ascii'2001 (2nd'n'5th place), cc'2001 (couldn't pass the preselect), phat1 (13th'n'14th place), ascii'2002 (2nd'n'6th place), forever'02(13th'n'16th place), cafe'2002 (18th place), phat'2(?), antigue toy (7th place), ascii'2003 (1st'n'3rd place), forever'2003 (8th place), paradigmuz'2003 (3rd place), cafe'2003 (13th place)

however, i can say that at cafe'2003 the sound system was too weak for the whole hall. as a result, the drums were too quiet (the right channel). this also happened with many other tracks with silent instruments.

what do you feel when your track is playing on a party? are you concerned with sound equipment, people that vote or it doesn't bother you much?

i guess, the only thing that bothers is to hear my track playing correctly. nothing else. of course, i want to win, but fairly at cafe'2003 i put no marks for all of o.c.a. works to be honest at least in this aspect.

do you have any interesting ideas about the future of spectrum music? maybe there are some hardware or software innovations that you would like to have?

newart is develping the idea about new tracker, supporting the frequency of 100 times per second music reproduction. i think it will give a new stimulus in the ay music developing. also i long for a 6 channel editor for double ay from himik - it will be the real breakthru in ay music. so, there are a lot of hopeful prospects here.

what is the most interesting aspect in spectrum music composing for you - to perfect your skills within the bounds of one 'style' or 'genre', or to continue the thorny path of experiments with sound and techniques?

i experiment often for the last time, but such tracks form an independent field in my creativity. i commonly try to realise the idea that appear and develop during its realisation. to hold to the certain style, i guess, is not for me. anyway, i suppose, that i have no personal style, cos i compose different music.

can you tell us some your original ideas that you want to realize in your music, maybe you want to make a demo or a game soundtrack, maybe just to try what you have never tried yet, the new field of applying your talent?

no, alas, i have nothing to try. i realised myself in demos, games and for the press. there are some funny ideas from alco -to make 1 channel track or 1 sample track. however, i've already done the last, i'll proceed with the first now :)

oh, almost forgot, i dream to make a track with 2 opposite moods, harmonically tied to each other, for a few months. i've never done it before.

what do you think about co-operative composing, is it interesting for you, whom would you like to make music with? please name 3 authors among the contemporary spectrum musicians that you like most.

i tried for a few times, but it didn't come out. it's interesting, but requests the similarity of styles of both authors, otherwise it can result in a full mess.

nik-o, miguel, d-juice.

can you say some words of advise for those musicians who are just starting out?

to become a good musician you need to work much, take the experiments. no need to repeat the old tricks - try to figure out your own to put your personality in your tracks.