musicians interrogation room...
gasman/h-prg

when and why did you start to make spectrum music?

i'm sure every speccy user has played around with beeps and data lines at some stage, and i'm no exception... i learned the piano when i was younger, so i had a bit of musical background from there. my first experience of tracking was quite straightforward really when my first demo was nearing completion, i decided it needed some music, because every other demo in the world had some. so, i loaded up the copy of soundtracker that came on a your sinclair covertape, and started composing - the end result was a bit lame, but so was the demo, so that's okay :-)

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?

la, definitely. in fact, the only tracks i've ever 'dissected' for learning were la's work and the soundtracker example track.

what was the first music editor that you used?

soundtracker is the first, and the last - it's what i know best, and it still achieves everything i want. when i'm near the end of a composition, and i'm running out of samples and ornaments, i often think "ok, this is it - i've reached the limit of soundtracker." and then i always manage something bigger and better for the next composition...

what was the first music editor that you used?

it's hard to point to any specific moments, because i think i've slowly progressed over time - but my track 'lucid' was a turning point, i reckon. usually when i write music i have an idea for a short phrase or a riff and work from there, but this was the first time a whole track leaped into my head, perfectly formed... listening to it now i can hear some obvious weak points (the drums are pretty bad, and it doesn't develop very much) but many of my works since then have taken inspiration from that track.

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?

primarily i make the sort of music that i would want to listen to, so if other people are fans of it too, then that's cool :-) i think my main strengths are in melodies and themes rather than sounds and samples - i try to keep my compositions varied and unpredictable, which probably helps when you're listening to 20 tracks end-to-end in a music compo...

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?

occasionally i try things out on a piano when i need to work out a complicated chord sequence, but most of the time when i'm composing i don't have a convenient piano nearby :-) on the pc, i've had some success with buzztracker - i decided i wouldn't waste time learning other trackers, so i went straight to the top. i haven't really completed much on the pc, though - all my best ideas tend to go into my spectrum tracks, because i can get them up and running quickly, sounding close to how i want them.

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?

my biggest weakness is probably in the low-level sounds - i tend to stick to a basic set of samples and don't explore much beyond those. also, sometimes i wonder whether my music's a bit too hyperactive - i can keep a track varied and interesting for two or three minutes, but i find myself floundering for inspiration after that. i'm amazed at how yerzmyey managed the 9-minute finale of the first ay riders album with just a single soundtracker module :-)

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?

my music takes inspiration from all over the place, but never the same artist twice :-) ok, there are the obvious influences from the world of electronica (jarre, robert miles, tim follin...) but the only one i'd class as a long-time influence is purple motion. whenever i reach a tricky part in my compositions and i'm not sure where to go next, i often think "what would purple motion do"... looking through my cd collection, i've got lots of mike oldfield, divine comedy and they might be giants - all very diverse, but i'm sure it's all played a part in defining my style.

i have mixed feelings about remixes - i used to think it was a bit pointless to take a perfectly good tune and throw half of it away to fit it into three channels, and i'm often disappointed when i discover that one of my favourite speccy tracks is actually ripped from somewhere else. but now i've tried a couple of cover versions for myself, i can see the attraction of making them as 'sketches' for practicing new techniques, investigating chord sequences and that sort of thing. i think remixes in compos are a bit of a silly idea though - the ones that win will always be the ones which have the best or most recognisable tunes to begin with, regardless of how good the remixer is.

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

i try to enter as many compos as i can (provided i hear about them early enough, and they aren't one of those parties which "mysteriously" lose my submissions year after year... mentioning no names ;-) ), and i've reached first place in a few, most recently cafe'03. there have been so many occasions when the real results are completely different to what i expected (for better, or for worse...) that i can't really take compo results too seriously - i think they say more about the musical tastes of the audience than the quality of the music :-) but good compo results still play a big part in encouraging me to carry on - i say to myself "i must be doing *something* right! "

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?

mostly i just try to enjoy my three minutes of 'fame' :-) it's not something i get to experience very often - maybe two or three times a year - so it's worth enjoying while it lasts.

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?

i'm very impressed with poke's work with the sidsound engine, and i hope that it will encourage more demo makers to "break the 50hz barrier" - there's a lot of unexplored territory there.

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?

to be honest, i don't really start my compositions with any direction in mind. usually when i make a decision like "ok, i'll try something in a jazz style" or "i'll make sure to put all my trademark sounds in this one" it ends up going somewhere totally different.

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?

i'd be interested in working on a longer, album-length composition something where i can take a small number of themes and really explore them. most of the music i write (and most of the music on the scene, in fact) doesn't really stand up as a work of art by itself, because it's either intended as a soundtrack to accompany some visuals, or condensed in an effort to impress as many people as possible in three minutes. perhaps it wouldn't be a spectrum project, though - maybe i'd be inclined to move on to a 'bigger' platform.

what do you think about cooperative 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 suspect that cooperative composing can't be done effectively unless you have both people sitting in front of one keyboard, which means there are real geographical problems in my case :-) (hmm, maybe i should grab somebody at the next demo party i visit...)

favourite three authors - that's a tricky one. the ay riders project has managed to unite many of my absolute favourite musicians, and i'm proud to be part of it. i couldn't possibly pick out three, though... so, i'll just mention megus, for his ability to pick up any style and come up with something really listenable.

i like siril's style a lot - the way it sounds like he's grabbing notes out of the air and weaving them into a melody... and sergant too. i'm not a great fan of techno, but serg really has the right idea about it - putting that little bit extra in his tracks, more than just heavy drums and a rumbling bassline.

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

keep composing every minute of the day, not just when you're in front of the computer (and if people laugh at you because you're humming to yourself all the time, remember that they are the foolish ones! ). always be prepared when inspiration strikes you - grab a piece of paper and write that melody down, before it disappears forever!