Interview with Metal / Vibrants
So...you haven't
heard of Metal you say ? Then I guess you
don't like top quality electronic music. Too bad, cause this man
knows his stuff, and he is a true oldskooler. I suggest you read
this interview with this extremely skilled musicmaker, and
then pop into www.vibrants.dk and click the link to
Metal and
get his music. You won't regret it I'm sure...
[biXen] :
Hi Metal, I think we will start with your name,nationality, age,
and which groups you have been in and are in.
[Metal] :
Hi biXen. Well, my name is Torben Hansen, I'm danish and 27 years
old. I assume you mean which groups I've been a member of on the
PC.. When I entered the pc in 1992, I was a member of the musicgroup
Vibrants, which I still am actually, but that's another story.
Shortly after that I teamed up with my old mates from the C64-days
and we re-formed Bonzai PC. Bonzai died again in 1994 and a fraction
of the group formed the dutch dominated Analogue (no comparison to
the musicgroup). Analogue is officially not dead, but I left them
sometime in 1998 and joined the danish group Fudge. Not much going
on in Fudge, but the group is still alive... Somehow it seems that
active groups go inactive whenever I join.. hmm.. (smelling my
armpits)
[biXen] :
How far back do you go in the scene ? Tell us a bit about the
beginning of your scene-adventure.
[Metal] :
Oh man, I'm as old as they come.. I've been active scenewise since
1986. My first computer was the Commodore 64 and I got into the C64
scene shortly after. I've been active on it untill about 1992 - but
I still manage to do a tune on it from time to time. In 1989 I got
myself an Amiga and started doing music on it. I never really got
thrilled about the Amiga, and therefore I got rid of it in 1991.
Oldtimers may remember the music from my group Upfront's demo
"Cool Fridge"... Anyway, in 1992 I started to compose on the PC making
adlib music in our very own editor called EdLib - developed by
JCH/Vibrants. I made the music for Impact Studios first pc-demo called
"Realtime" - also in 1992 if I remember it correctly.
[biXen] :
Tell us a bit about when you started to make music.
[Metal] :
I started making my first pieces of music in 1987 or so. It all began
with the appearance of a program called Sound Monitor. It was the first
really useful musicprogram for the C64, and it became quite popular.
Anyway, as I was very inspired by the music present in the games at that
time (artists such as Rob Hubbard, Benn Dalglish a.s.o.) I started
exploring the SoundMonitor and made some pretty awfull noises in it. One
of the guys in my group at that time had a little-brother, who also
started to make music with SoundMonitor, and he was better than me - way
better - and that really got me going with the music-making! We started
talking a lot about making music - made some music together and listened
to eachothers stuff. This kind of supporting and inspiring eachother
went on for years.. the guy is infact Drax/Vibrants, who is now also a
member of the Maniacs Of Noise. Anyway, sometimes I wonder if I would've
kept on making music if it hadn't been for that inspirational relation.
There's nothing like constructive criticism to keep you going on.
[biXen] :
When did you find out that you started to get good at it ?
[Metal] :
I think it was when I started to get feedback on my work. People started
contacting me, complimenting my music and used my music in their
productions. Later on I started seeing my name in the charts and that
made me feel really good.
[biXen] :
I see it difficult to make music, cause I feel I always copy
something others have made. How do you make something so
special and cool, and still unique ? Where do you get it from ?
[Metal] :
Well, that's the way you get started. Digging into the music you like.
Exploring the harmonies - the structures - how the sound is created in
the tune. In my opinion there's nothing wrong with "copying" a style as
long as you experience something with it yourself. After all, who makes
music for other people's sake? As long as you don't copy the song itself,
I see nothing but positive things about it. When I started out we all
immitated a lot - trying to sound like Rob Hubbard or Jeroen Tel (yes, he
was also damn famous back then). We even did covers of some tunes - however
that can't be quite compared to the pc-scene as you don't have a universal
tracker such as FastTracker, that you can just load the song into and then
start making your remix. You had to sit down by the piano and figure out
what was played and then make your cover-version.
Anyway, my point is that if you listen really good to the music you like
and try to make your own music sound that way, you're off to a good start,
coz after a while you'll experience that you suddenly get your own ideas
how to improve on certain things such as panning or whatever, and thereby
achieving a better sound. Also I find that quiet moments by my keyboard
gives me inspiration. But also something as simple as going through samples.
Just listening to them can provide inspiration. Suddenly you hear a sample
that you imagine in your head playing a certain sequence in a song.
[biXen] :
How and when did you join up with Vibrants ?
[Metal] :
I got included in the team around Xmas-time in 1992. I've known most of the
Vibrants members for ages - ever since I began to make music really. Anyway,
I was able to join because I was involved in a game-project together with Drax,
and as JCH and JO (2 other Vibrants members) also were involved in the project,
it was most convenient to make it a Vibrants-only project. Also because Vibrants
was infact created as a group with the purpose of making music for games.
[biXen] :
What do you think is the biggest differences between the
scene when you joined it and how it is today ?
[Metal] :
Woh.. there are too many differences to describe I think. The biggest difference is
that I'm not 14 anymore - infact I'm closing in on 30. I don't experience the scene
spirit anymore - never did on the pc really. Perhaps that's why I find it difficult
to answer that question... I'm not active in the scene the way I define the term
"scene".
[biXen] :
Did you have any idols when you started out, and if so
do you still have any ?
[Metal] :
Oh yes, I had my share of idols in the scene. Mostly other musicians such as the
classic Rob Hubbard and definately the awesome Tim Follin. Later on guys such as
Jeroen Tel and Johannes Bjerregaard totally blew me away. I was also huge fans of
the other Vibrants members music - JCH made completely unique music, which also
made him #1 in the charts for several years. Today I don't really have idols..
instead I look for inspiration - mostly within Vibrants, but labels such as Level-D,
Tokyo Dawn and Mono make some really great stuff. However I also try to listen to
"new" names, because I often get really surprised by the quality! It's amazing
sometimes. Unfortunately there's also a lot of s... well.. I only wish some people
were more selfcritic about what they release.
[biXen] :
What is it that takes your time nowadays then ?
[Metal] :
Work and family mostly. I have a job as an administrative leader of a map division
in a county administration - in charge of implementing and developing Geographic
Information Systems. I've got a MSC in planning and development. Also I'm a familyman
- got a son who is now 3 years old. Composing music is still a great part of my life,
and I manage to find time to release tunes on our homepage http://www.vibrants.dk
and even make music for games.
[biXen] :
Do you ever regret your time spent in the scene ?
[Metal] :
No. Not a single minute of it. It's been fun and innovative for my human development.
It's not that I totally devoted all my time to the scene - I also took my time to play
soccer, drink and party like a maniac and date girls, girls and more girls...
[biXen] :
Do you still watch what happens in the scene ?
[Metal] :
Kind of. I don't watch demos - haven't watched a demo since 1994 I think. Why am I
a member of Fudge then? Well, because they like my music and it's a way for me to
perhaps get more attention in this vast world.. after all - that _is_ what it's all
about, right? :) It's a kind of personal satisfaction I guess.
And as I said earlier I like to download music from the other groups in the scene.. and
I have contact with a few of them also.
[biXen] :
What do you use to make your music, all tools
needed for productions, and do you use any money on it ?
[Metal] :
Everything? Well, I've got an old AMD K6-233 pc (new today old tomorrow). An AWE32
for the sound and a Korg X3 synth. I normally use FastTracker - I've been using
DreamStation a lot lately though. I also make heavy use of softsynths! They can
really make amazing sounds! DSP-tools are used for editing.
[biXen] :
In your opinion, should demomakers use all the latest
"tools" like 3DFX and mp3's or stick to only regular
DirectX and .xm (mods) ?
[Metal] :
I definately think they should make use of the technology available. A few years
back I remember discussions like these. Is that ok - or is that not ok.. who cares
really. If a group decides to support that hardware, they either flop or succeed..
all they risk is that their production might not be seen by as many people as it
would, if they only supported things such as DX. And I think that it's definately
ok to use mp3's in demos. It makes life so much easier for the composer - makes it
possible to experiment with the sound and to add that final touch. I think it's
too much oldschool, that some parties still only allow mods with a 1meg limit in
the competition. And often there's not even a mp3-competition. Stupid.
[biXen] :
Do you have any hobbies ?
[Metal] :
Yep.. making music ;) Work in my beautiful garden. Painting stuff.
[biXen] :
Name the things you would do to have the best day
of your life :
[Metal] :
What do you mean? Everyday is the next best day of my life =D
[biXen] :
Do you have any advice for sceners that wants to be
just as good as you ?
[Metal] :
As good as me?.. Well.. be yourself. And add a second style to your reportoire!
Techno isn't everything. Neither is pop. Expand your horizons and experiment
as hell!
[biXen] :
Okay, finally, do you have any last words or greets
you want to say ?
[Metal] :
First of all I'd like to thank all the people, who played a part in my scene-
life. The list is too long to mention here! Secondly - a big hello to the
guys in Vibrants - we'll rock the next millenium aswell! And last.. a big
hello to the rest of the world surrounding my life. You know who you are!
And finally.. remember to check out http://www.vibrants.dk
you'll never know what hit you! :)
[biXen] :
Thanx a lot for the interview Metal, good luck in the future with both
music, work and your family life :)