Showtime Interviews
April 1998
In Focus: Ganja of Nerve Axis
Interrogatory Performed by kaosmaster of Darkage
April 1998
In Focus: Ganja of Nerve Axis
Interrogatory Performed by kaosmaster of Darkage
KaosMasta: Well, could you introduce yourself to our audience ?
Ganja_NVX: I'm a Finnish musician and part of the Nerve Axis family. I've had my first Amiga since '89 and been composing music since '92. Some people might also remember me as “Slice/Mystic" as it's the handle I used before, but I'm NOT Slice/Royal.
KaosMasta: Surely this is a question for a uk dude =) but you are working for the coolest Brithis group. So, the uk has a strong commercial amiga market but a poor demo scene,so what do you think about it?
Ganja_NVX: Well, although I'm finnish I haven't been able to avoid seeing the situation in the UK and as most of the NVX are from the UK, I'm pretty much aware of what's happening there too. The situation in the UK pretty amazes me. To me it seems that the worse the commercial market is,.. the better or active the demo scene and of course, for us it's only less competition from our own country
KaosMasta: Could you explain to us how did you enter Nerve Axis ?
Ganja_NVX: Ok, back in the Autumn '95 I got shown the door from Mystic and I was desperately looking for a new group. I was hanging on #amiga where I happened to meet a former member, Axe. I already knew Jam&Spoon from the group and admired their work. Then I had a chat with Axe and the next day I was a member . To be honest, before that day I hadn't even heard of the group, but that's no big surprise to anyone.
KaosMasta: Well, but with Pulse it was a big surprise. How did you react when you saw the first previews ?
Ganja_NVX: ok .. As the demo took about 1.5 years to make I have had a chance of seeing lots of effects from Schlott and they kept getting better all the time so I think I got used to his quality stuff.. Of course, in the first place it wasn't what I was excepting from such an unknown group.. so it was a very nice surprise.
KaosMasta: Did you work really hard on it! 1 year and a half! , this long term gaved really..... a good result! don't you think that also other groups should spend much more time on their demos to give a better quality/design ?
Ganja_NVX: I really don't know about other groups and how long they work on their demos. To me it seems some groups spend a lot less time on demos than other by releasing many demos in a year.
But again, we only had one coder working on Pulse so that's one reason it took so long. I'd really like us to get a lot more out during the year than just one demo but nothing much I can do to help that fact.
The more the better - as long as the quality doesn't suffer..
I'd like to add to the previous question that it was a bit ironic that some groups/artits spend many years without even achieving the 3rd position and then comes a rather unknown group and wins the compo with their first big demo.:)
KaosMasta: But what about Babbage's ? and his unreleased demo ?
Ganja_NVX: Hehe, you don't want to hear about this case. And he's currently working on your Showtime09 intro
KaosMasta: I Have heard that you should need some talented graphicians, want to make any pubblic request here ?
Ganja_NVX: We've already tried a million times on different places, but heck, if there's some TALENTED PIXELER out there who would like to share his talents & sense of (british) humour with us, contact Zone/NvX at -email- - we really have plenty of work for you.
KaosMasta: OK, But from how much time this demo is laying around unreleased ?
Ganja_NVX: It was first supposed to be released at the Motorola Inside '97 here in Finland, but due to lack of quality graphics we decided to pull it back and it still is waiting for the graphics. Getting graphics for a production is probably the biggest current problem in the group.
KaosMasta: OK, Back to pulse, could you explain us which tunes you tracked and which tunes have been trackesd by jam&spoon ?
Ganja_NVX: I made the intro- and endpart effect mods (Pulse has actually 4 mods) and the first main tune. Jam&Spoon made the second main tune, but as it wasn't quite useable in the first place I was given the mission of "editing" it a bit to a more demoish style.
Guess it worked ok, Jam&Spoon just didn't quite like it .
KaosMasta: Did you take any particular inspiration for those tracks ?
Ganja_NVX: The effect modules were made to fit the demo effects so I guess the effects were the inspiring bit. Then what comes to my main tune, it was a funny incident. That track wasn't supposed to be in Pulse at all and it sounded all different when I first made it as it was only a remix of . a "The Prodigy" track called Made in Two Minutes. The final demo version has only the drums from the Prodigy track left and everything else is new.
And everyone says that the underwater bit matches well with the music so I guess Schlott got the inspiration for that from my mod...
That's how it works in NVX; Code inspires music and music inspires code.
KaosMasta: Did or do you use any particular hardware stuff like samplers or any effect devices to produce your tracks?
Ganja_NVX: I used my Aura-12 card for sampling and some samples were from my KorgX5 keyboard as well.. But no special effect devices, no.
KaosMasta: Pulse is your first production?
Ganja_NVX: My first big production which was shown on a big screen, yes. But I've also made music for a 64k intro back in '95 when I was in a group called Delusion.
Then I made the one track for Pressure #1 and to the Pressure Promo intro.
KaosMasta: Btw you have a bright future and work under nvx, has you are working on the music of st9 intro, babbages demo (?) and the new demo from schlott (?) , or not ?
Ganja_NVX: Well, I guess so then . And I can't complain as I produce a lot more modules than there's need. That's why I'd like NVX to be a lot more productive - to get my music used.. (phone!)
....and yes, I'm working on all those you mentioned plus we're planning a music disk for me this year so hopefully there's lots more to hear from me!
KaosMasta: Have you received requests to join other groups ? and would you like to work for others ?
Ganja_NVX: No, not a lot as people probably don't know me and my music that well - yet!
I've been asked to join some mod groups though, to which I have said no. I would like to join other big groups as well, but the rest of NVX aren't very fond of that.
And the reason? To get more of my music out and released. It's really annoying to have lots of mods waiting on your HD and getting old. What else could I do with them? Upload to aminet? No thanks..
KaosMasta: Ok, how takes place your tipical scene day ?
Ganja_NVX: Haha.. Good question! There's no such a thing as typical scene day, or then every day is such. Well ok, I have Protracker open almost all the time. Then, in the evening I'll hang out on IRC if nothing else, and finally during the night I spend time chatting with the rest of the NVX.
KaosMasta: Ok, how or who introduced you into the scene and into music ?
Ganja_NVX: Now this is a long story. I've always wondered how people in general get into the scene. What is THE thing that draws them in. I got into making music with a very good friend of mine who is still making music with PT (though is not in the scene).
In 1990 we got ourselves an early .. version of Soundtracker and some sample disks and first we only listened to a lot of music and then as time passed we both got more deeply into 'tracking'.
About getting into the scene.. I guess I got amazed right way when I saw my first intro which was some crappy "Traitors" intro in '90..
And then followed the RSI megademo and many others.
Wondered that what the fuck are these! Then I started following the scene for many years before I got there myself..
Don't know what the actual reason was then..
KaosMasta: So who are you scene heros ?
Ganja_NVX: Heh, there are many groups I've always liked a lot, but my absolute favs have always been the Kefrens and most of their musicians. And then I really like modules from Jukebox/Talent, Bethoven/Freezers and well, everyone in Kefrens )
KaosMasta: So what do you think of 1997 ?
Ganja_NVX: The best of my scene years so far - and the year of best demos too. (Not that I'd mean Pulse ).. Well seriously... I think the general design in demos improved last year a lot and demos in general look a lot more impressive.
KaosMasta: .. And about the party 7 demos ?
Ganja_NVX: For me they were a BIG disappointment as people always said that the best demos would come out on TP7. But this wasn't the case this year.
Especially the CNCD demo was a disappointment. And there was a lot of speculation that we won Asm97 only because groups saved their demos for .. TP7 in order to get more money (which sucks btw), but again that appeared to be only a hoax.
KaosMasta: After all a good year!
Ganja_NVX: At least for me, yes.
KaosMasta: Also on the commercial side, Joe Torre senior engeener of ai, declared that the next cpu's used will be a ppc with a 0x0 for compatibility... what do you think..?
Ganja_NVX: There has been a lot of talk that it's a bad thing. As I haven't been following the discussion or reading the reasons for it being bad I can't say. Frikk! I only want my ZII boards and a soundcard and then I'm happy.
KaosMasta: Back to us, what about the odiern musicians ?
Ganja_NVX: Well, there are currently only a few musicians I really like (no names here) and it seems that everyone are stuck with the style of "today" - but then again I don't think it's a bad thing as I like the current demo music a lot. It seems that nowadays the scene music follows the .. "dance music" scene a lot.. And with dance music I don't mean any pop-shit.
KaosMasta: Ok, and what about that discussion is following on showtime about mod2smp VS. sampler?
Ganja_NVX: I personally see nothing wrong with using mod2smp and I've been using it a few time myself too.
It's all the same as using some fuckin rebirth like everyone do nowdays! And that’s a PC program! It’s a lot worse than using mod2smp. Besides, if you use mod2smp you have still made everything yourself.
Like, playing riffs with guitars or making loop with keyboards. Doesn’t matter to me at all. As long as the music sounds cool it’s all fine!
KaosMasta: Ok, would you like to add anything else ?
Ganja_NVX: Concerning what ?
KaosMasta: Anything ?
Ganja_NVX: nah, fuck that
KaosMasta: Ok, want to discuss about something else?
I’d like to greet and thank my good friend for loaning me his old 8 bit sampler! Without you I’d be in real shit! Thanks m8! )
KaosMasta: Who is this one ?
Ganja_NVX: Someone outside the scene. The one I mentioned earlier when talking about getting into music.
KaosMasta: Ok.. a question we forgot… what do you do in real life ?
Ganja_NVX: Hehe, and scene ain’t real life ?
KaosMasta: Yes, but what do you do when you exit your computer room ?
KaosMasta: =)
Ganja_NVX: Ok, I work as a Media “School” advisor, and on my freetime I do things like anyone else.. Eat, shit, fart, see my friends ( my beloved best mate who's a girl ) and booze & party a lot. That’s me being a Finn.
KaosMasta: Ok!
Ganja_NVX: Being a Finnish toid that is.
KaosMasta: I think that is all…
KaosMasta: Thanx for your time
Ganja_NVX: Ok, you’re welcome indeed..
KaosMasta: Wow, we made it..!
KaosMasta: =)
Ganja_NVX: =)
Ganja_NVX: Phew
KaosMasta: Hehe..
KaosMasta: Ok..