Interview
Handle: Jesper Kyd
How did you come up with your alias ?
It's my freakin name !!! Well after to many different handels on the C64 I desided to use the only handel I felt ok with.
City / Country:
West Hollywood / Beverly Hills , USA
Born year:
1972
What was your first computer, and when did you get it?
C128 - 1985
How did you get into the scene and what groups have you been a member of ?
Well Mikael Balle and I started doing demoes on the C64. They were just like a picture Balle drew and a piece of music I did. I also joined Zargon and we did a couple of music selectors. I used handels like JK, JJK, jonesy and a bunch of other names I have forgotten. Then the amiga arrived and I bougt a 500. Mikael and I joined a software company in DK named Starvision. The company was completely none happening so we left. The only thing ever to come out of Starvision was the TV2 game called OSWALD. Later Starvision changed it's name to Silverock Prd and did another game for TV2 called HUGO (is it still on tv?). A funny thougt.... I was at a Starvision meeting and SLL and I were the music people... I had done some music in SONIX on the amiga and everybody was listening to my tape, when S0ren Lysholm Larsen pulled out a Soundtracker V1.0 program. None of us had seen it before. And he had those 8 or 10 tracks that later became Amiga classics. My jaw dropped when I heard that music. Very nice inded!!! With Soundtracker a did music for a lot of pre Kefrens demoes (TSP?? or something) I did a lot of music for Metallions demoes. Then Silents DK arrived and we joined.
What was the proudest moment in your career ?
Well those moments are still to come, but I was surprised about the impact Global Trash 2 had. Also the dropping of the keyboard at the Kyd/Balle concert has a special place in my heart.
For what specific reason(s) do you think that you are remembered ?
I was always experimenting with my music. My music was very different to all the elevator crap music to many well known amiga musicians did. Theres like this dating/meeting people channel here in California and they play all the most cheesy amiga music (some would call many of the songs classics!)
What would you like to be remembered for ?
Amiga : Hardwired music - Sound of Silents - Global Trash 2 -
Sega Genesis music : Subterannia - Red Zone - Adv of Batman and Robin
What made you stop the scene activity ? (and do you remember when?)
Well Crionics and Kyd/Balle Prd created ZYRINX and did Subterannia. Then we got the coin and moved to Boston. We became fulltime game makers. It was in 1992.
Thinking back on the good old days, is there anything you regret?
Nope!
What was your favorite
GAME(S)
C64 - Sanxion,Wizzball,Paradriod,Druid
DEMO(S)
Mental Hangover / Hardwired / Cebit 90
PROGRAMMER(S) (OR PROGRAMMING TEAM(S))
gotta be Crionics and Dexion
CRACKER(S) (OR CRACKING GROUP(S))
I really loved the old Paplions cracks on the C64!! (I still remember the music for their intros)
OVERALL GROUPS :
Early Phenomena was great and early Kefrens was pretty cool
COMPOSER(S)
Fred, Early Uncle Tom, Early Audiomonster, Early Walkman
BEST COMPOSED TRACK(S)
I cant remember anything really great, exept old stuff like Cream of the Earth (Romeo Knight), The Last Sun (Fred), Dirt (Nightlight),
BEST GRAPHICS
Mental Hangover had great art (Reward ??)
EVENT(S) (E.G. COPYPARTY)
Red Sector / Silents 1990
MEMORY(S)
Well I did like writing all those scroll texts!! And the fact that GB2 has been shown at so many partys is cool!!
DRINK ?
BEER BEER BEER (import Carlsberg, Red Dog)
What are you doing nowadays ?
I live in Hollywood together with David and Karl (Hardwired coders Crionics) I am also doing music for most of Scavengers titles. I am gonna start a Techno label in New York (we are moving to the Village/Soho on Manhatten the 28 of june (1 week!!) No more Beverly Hills snob shit!!
What are you doing on your spare time?
Party Party Party...and more music!!!
Is there anything you'd like to say to the public (read: admires)
Ehhhhh...... Buy all our games (our new game is called Scorcher and is out for Saturn - Win95/Dos - Playstation around Xmas 96)
What is the meaning of life?
DO DRUGS!!!!! (just kidding!!)
If you want to contact Jesper, go though me and I'll forward the message to our hero!
PS: there is information on Scavenger on the net: http://www.mcb.net/parsec/scavenger_page.html