Interview
Handle: DRAX of VIBRANTS (aka Thomas Mogensen)
How did you come up with your alias ?
That's a tad embarrassing as I didn't create the alias, for the second and most monstrous part of the physical being, by myself. The one who came up with the alias was TIGER of NOISE. And as I also feel a relentless desire for dressing up in women's clothes my alias must be quite suitable;)
Date of Birth/City/Country:
I was born the 20th of November 1975 meaning that I am 20 years old today(the 5th of October 1996). I have lived all my 20 years in Denmark and most of the time in a little town called Arden - that's where I grew up.
What was your first computer, and when did you get it?
My first computer was a c64 but I had been fiddling around with my bigbrother's VIC20 and C16 long before. I mainly used those for game-playing but I must say that the C16 had a surprisingly good basic and I remember doing simple lines to check it out. I got my own c64 in 1988/89(?) ... it must have been 1988 as I was 12 years old back then.
Give us a description of your career.
In the beginning of my computer career I started out with the usual stuff a computerfreak does, namely playing games and watching demos. But when my bigbrother began to explore the possibilities of the soundchip I felt a call to become a musician or atleast having something to do with sound. Soundmonitor made by Chris Huelsbeck was responsible for the transmission of the ideas in my inflamed mind. Although I only did the sounds for my brother's music I felt that I had accomplished something. Having experimented with sounds only it was time to move on. Now the turn had come to the state of composing which was quite a challenge for me since I had only a poor knowledge of music theory. Somehow composing seemed to be my strong point and as I could feel some sort of progress every day it was obvious that I had to become a musician. Realizing that soundmonitor-music wasn't that suitable for demos because of the rastertime I began to use futurecomposer which was an editor using the Maniacs of Noise music-player. But this editor had its limitations as regards soundediting - you were only able to change a few things - u couldn't even change the frequencies of the drumdatas so I had to look into the player to find those and change them to create a more personal sound. I wonder why more people didn't think of that(2+2=7;)). Anyway now I was atleast able to get my music in demos and I remember contacting MAX of BONES asking if they needed a musician which they did and I got in. Then I left Bones for Noise which also was a smart move Noise was quite active and released a lot of demos with my music (THANKS). One day JCH/VIBRANTS phoned me and we talked for 2« hours about music, Sexhabits and yesterday's weather forecast ;). Well he wanted to hear more of my music and send him some which he(I still wonder) liked. At the 2000AD party in Esbjerg(DK) 1989 I got his editor and WOOAUHWW I hadn't seen anything so well done(and I still haven't). Then I asked JCH if METAL could get a copy of his editor aswell he said yes. METAL and I made this little music-group called UNITECH DESIGNS inspired by the "idea" MANIACS of NOISE, but UNITECH D. got dissolved when I was asked to join VIBRANTS which I couldn't refuse. Then I now was in 2 groups NOISE and VIBRANTS and NOISE turned into NATO and when NATO stopped their activities I joined BONZAI, then CONIC, then VISUAL REALITY and last but not least CREST. Now I'm in both CREST AND VIBRANTS.
What was the proudest moment in your career ?
* When I got my first piece released in a demo.
* When I got my first piece released in a game (Ballmania - I think)
* When I got nr.1 in the charts
* When I was interviewed for the first time.
* When people wrote me fan-mail (I like that;))
* When I finally spoke to my biggest idol- Jeroen Tel who actually liked some of my music;) ;) ;)
For what specific reason(s) do you think that you are remembered ?
Firstly I got to admit that I have been inspired a lot by Jeroen Tel's very catching melodies. But I think I now have developed a new melodious-funky style on the C64 and I feel lots of composers today on the C64 are inspired by that style - so much that I sometimes have difficulties distinguishing between their music and my music.
What would you like to be remembered for ?
1) Bringing peace to the world
2) Saving the planet earth from the horrifying langoliers in the year of 2020...
3) My fucking music!!!;>
What made you stop the scene activity ? (and do you remember when?)
Did I stop(I know it's a standard question) - I haven't stopped. It's so lame when people say they stop and then after a month they regret that they stopped and make quite an event of returning.
Thinking back on the good old days, is there anything you regret?
Yes that I have spend so much time on computers which made me a tad anti-social freaking lunatic!.
I even got difficulties when I had to enter a shop - I was really scared and started to drewl and sweat like a squicking pig.
(It might not have been because of the computer). But then again if I haven't spend so much time on computers I might aswell have regreted that, right. Whenever you make a choice you'll also regret something. You choose to do something and in the same time you choose not to do something else. You choose to spend a lot of time on your computer and you'll regret it - you choose not to spend time at all on your computer and you'll regret it - So why choose at all? I won't tell you.
What was your favorite
GAME(S)
BLUE MAX, POOYAN(G), HERO
DEMO(S)
LARCH III /BONES
All the THINK TWICE demos / THE JUDGES
DOUBLE DENSITY / ASH'N'DAVE
TOASTER / UPFRONT
DUTCH BREEZE / BLACKMAIL
MIXER / UPFRONT
PROGRAMMER(S) (OR PROGRAMMING TEAM(S))
EINSTEIN / UPFRONT
JACKANAPES / BONES
SPACEMAN / BONES
SPIKE / BONES
MR. CURSOR
HANNES SOMMER / ???
ROBERT HERMELY(HERMES)/???
MARTIN ARENTOFT(MADUPLEC) / CREST
CROSSBOW / CREST
OXYRON
NICK JONES
ANDREW BRAYBROOK
CHRIS BUTLER
JEFF MINTER
IAN'N'MIC
1001 CREW
HORIZON
SCOOP
BLACKMAIL
THE JUDGES
MARTIN WALKER
WALT
RICKY
CRACKER(S) (OR CRACKING GROUP(S))
NATO
HOTLINE
IKARI
JEWELS
COMPOSER(S)
JEROEN TEL / MANIACS of NOISE
THOMAS EGESKOV PETERSEN(LAXITY) / VIBRANTS
JOHANNES BJERREGAARD / ???
ROB HUBBARD
MARTIN GALWAY
FRED GRAY
JEROEN KIMMEL(RED) / THE JUDGES
NEIL BALDWIN(DEMON) /???
BEN DAGLISH
TIM FOLLIN
MIGHTY BOGG
VOLKER MEITZ(PRI) / TIA / OXYRON
TORBEN HANSEN(METAL) / VIBRANTS
JENS-CHRISTIAN HUUS(JCH) / VIBRANTS
OLIVER KLAEWER /???
MATTHEW CANNON / OCEAN
POUL-JESPER OLSEN - mainly adlib stuff.
BEST COMPOSED TRACK(S)
* JEROEN TEL / MANIACS of NOISE:
(CYBERNOID 1+2, TOMCAT, HAWKEYE, MYTH, ELIMINATOR, RUBICON).
* THOMAS EGESKOV PETERSEN(LAXITY) / VIBRANTS:
(THE ALIBI, DEPRESSED, STORMLORD II VERSION 2, CROSSWORD, POCKET FREEZE).
* JOHANNES BJERREGAARD:
(OMEGA FORCE, THUNDER FORCE, KAMIKAZE, TWILIGHT BEYOND, MYTH DEMO, STORMLORD I, NIGHTDAWN, FLIMBO'S QUEST).
* FRED GRAY:
(LEGEND OF KAGE, HYSTERIA, MUTANTS).
* JEROEN KIMMEL(RED) / THE JUDGES:
(THINK TWICE III, WATCH IT).
* MARK COOKSEY:
(1942, RAMPARTS, GHOST'N'GOBLINS).
* NEIL BALDWIN(DEMON):
(ALA, SHADOWSKIMMER).
* ROB HUBBARD:
(ZOIDS, THUNDERCATS, KNUCKLE BUSTERS, MONTY ON THE RUN, PROTEUS, SANXION, DELTA).
* BEN DAGLISH:
(BOMBO, COBRA, BOBBY BEARING, ARK PANDORA).
* TIM FOLLIN:
(GHOULS'N'GHOSTS, BIONIC COMMANDO, AGENT X).
* MARTIN GALWAY:
(WIZZBALL, PARALLALAX, GREEN BERET, RAMBO).
BEST GRAPHICS
BOB STEVENSON
DOKK
HUGH BINNS
MIRAGE
ELECTRIC
KRING
VIC
HEIN
EVENT(S) (E.G. COPYPARTY)
The party in Randers(DK) held by UPFRONT, DOMINATORS and TRILOGY. The best party ever I dare to claim. Lots of musicians showed up such as: Johannes Bjerregaard, LAXITY, Edwin van Santen, Falco Paul, LINK, ZENOX, MOPPE, METAL, STEEL, JCH and I.
DRINK ?
COFFEE, BEER, PEPSI, WHISKY
What are you doing nowadays ?
Nowadays I'm studying mathematics at Aalborg Universitet, METAL / VIBRANTS studies there aswell. And ofcourse composing music whenever there is time for it(There is).
What are you doing on your spare time?
As I said I'm composing in my sparetime and also like to read books especially philosophy. I like long walks in the forest(my friends think I am crazy I wonder why?). Then ofcourse I spend a lot time partying.
Is there anything you'd like to say to the public (read: admires)
Thank you all for the appreciation of my music it is definately that which kept me going. And I think you should check out my PC-music. If you want to know where you can get it - then email me!
What is the meaning of life?
Happiness. In other words we search for happiness and the search is what I would call life. It's something which is growing and striving to reach the point where the individual feels that life is worth living - where the life has so much to offer that it can not be rejected. As I don't believe in "God" but in the principle that the existence comes before the essence.
I see myself being responsible for my own life and thereby the creation of the values that I want to live by. The values are ofcourse choosen on the consideration and respect for other people's life. This makes in a way my choice of values a compromise. But as I regard consideration as a value - I see no really compromise. As I just said I regard consideration as a value - and even think consideration is the precondition of life without that everything would turn into anachy where it's more difficult to create values as someone might see a value in cutting of your head. It'll be more like a question of survival than living worthy life... Sorry for this crap - don't take it too seriously as it's all a result of the stormy weather in my head...