musicians interrogation room...
yerzmey/h-prg

when and why did you start to make spectrum music?

oh, it was quite late. i mean first games we start to make in middle 80s, but i started to make music on zx... only in 1989/1990.

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?

in that time the best song on spectrum have been made on soundtracker 1.1, they were demo-songs of the tracker. they were made by hacker kicia.

what was the first music editor that you used?

first songs i was making on beep commands. :) although they were quite complicated. :) then i was using "wham! the music-box". then it was "music box 128" and then soundtracker 1.1.

what was the first music editor that you used?

it's hard to say, simply i was learning. maybe the most important were two moments:

1) when i decided to add very complicated composition to my songs (based on proggressive rock and art-rock)

2) when i decided that square wave is too boring for using it too often and i started to invent many new sounds for 50hz.

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?

if i didn't knew about them, i would think i haven't fans. :) but many persons write to me about it, so i realize that many persons like my chips for zx.

and the only thing i would like to say, it's: "thanx for giving me strength to be active still". :)

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?

you mean - non-zx activity? i make music for amiga and pc. i intend to make music for atari 8-bit too. and about real instruments, i'm a professional musician, i've published 5 records until now (under various nicknames), you can read about it more in russian encyclopedy of electronic music.

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?

do i *like* to criticize myself??? nobody likes it, and if anybody contradicts - he's a dirty liar. :)

what is the weakest spot in my stuff? sadly when i make music on zx, i cannot gain some cool charm, which c-jeff can obtain. c-jeff is fucking good bastard. :) :) :)

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?

about the first question: i listen to metal and electronic music. there is a point only to make electronic stuff on ay, so i make things similar to synth-pop, electronica, techno and so on. i also add to my zx-music elements of art rock and progressive rock.

the second quetions: i call it 'covers' more than 'remixes', anyway i made several. especially to "ay riders play world hits" album, but also for regular zx-demos.

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

ooooh, many music-compos. the highest was the first place.

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?

it doesn't bother me much, i guess.

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?

the most interesting for sample music is general sound. it should be more and more known in zx world. about chip stuff, i think for some time about forcing somebody to make an interface with filters for ay. (of course controlled by cpu). but i don't think anybody will make such an interface. :-\

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?

both. ;) and many more interesting aspects.

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?

the best would be to make many songs for new music-mode for speccy - sidsound made by some czech people. but for now there is no tracker for it on zx. i hope gasman will change it. ;)

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.

co-operative? it's cool thing.

3 authors? c-jeff, tdm, and rest of ay_riders staff.

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

i can't believe there is any music-newbies on zx. :(