VIRTUALITY PRESS Interview with EFX MAC ART & DESIGN MAGAZINE 1. Tell us a little about your background, particularly your music & sound career. Well, my formative years were based upon a definite musical foundation. I began my excursion into the realm of the creative process (most likely thrust upon me by both my mother, and the educational institution most of us attend when we are young) first on trumpet followed by acoustic guitar, percussion, bass guitar, and then found my way back to my first musical love, guitar, which I has been my main instrument for well over 15 years. It was always my first love, music, as both an avid and enthusiastic listener AND performer. Throughout the years it's occupied a variety of levels of importance in my life, though my passion and conviction for music has never subsided, and thusly, always been one of the most important intangible possessions I carry with me. I've released a number of original music projects over the years on a number of different medium (cassette, CD, MP3 though I'm not necessarily sorry I missed the whole 8-track trend) and within a variety of musical genre's... Which lead into my entry into the realm of digital art and graphic design. Though it came much later in life through plenty of soul-searching, educational pursuits and caustic personal therapy, I can honestly say there is some interesting synergy between my creative exploits in the realm of both music and digital, not the least of which is, of course, they are both based upon a myriad of similar skill sets such as imagination, inspiration, influence and technology.   2. Are you writing music & sound for multimedia, video, film? Doing freelance work or do you have regular clients? Currently, My only current client is myself... and I'm working on my third full-length CD exploring the hybrid of techno/trance, progressive heavy rock music, ambience, and pop melodies. It may sound horrifying, but I am finding a very comfortable niche in this amalgamation of musical styles. That said, All of my music is original music for personal use and dissemination. Even attempting to entertain the notion of a career as a studio musician or freelance composer (which is an entirely separate level of musical virtuosity and ambition I probably am not cut out for) is a frightening concept. Much of my creative energy is currently being tapped by my current musical project(s) and graphic design occupation. Now if I raised my intake of a certain funky carbonated beverage (Dr. Pepper) and decreased my regimen of subconscious horizontal inactivity... Seriously, though, I am always considering taking the plunge into scoring video and cinematic works.   3. What are your influences in music? And what kind of electronic music are you most familiar with? Ah! One of my favorite questions, but also one people soon regret having posed as my influences literally run the gamut. One important aspect of being a creative individual I've always prided myself on is the mentality of diversity, tolerance, open mindedness and the willingness to evolve yet maintain something resembling artistic integrity and individuality. The willingness to experiment, progress and keep the channels of inspiration open, is a priority. Anyhow, not to digress from the original question, I listen to a little bit of everything from progressive rock to heavy metal to funk through hip hop through jazz into new age and trance/techno, pop, rhythm and blues, and polka. As far as electronic music is concerned, that covers mostly the trance/techno realm, as well as alot of electronic new age and soundtrack music.   4. What kind of computer and software programs are you using? I'm using an old tried, trusty and true, beige MacIntosh G3 and a Korg Triton synth workstation. I'm not much of a digital audio connoisseur, but I do have Pro Tools, which is a daunting piece of recording software. Even opening the box is intimidating, especially considering that I come from a background as a performing musician, composer and songwriter. My technical acumen of the recording process is limited, so I've been content to leave it to the professional(s) though current financial constraints have inspired me to start taking the home recording perspective more seriously. I look at the computer/sequencer more as a liason between the creative mind and the final product.   5. Explain a typical creative process when you are starting a music or sound piece.. The writing, the recording, the post processing, etc. Most of my music can be traced back to improvisation. A little chord progression here, a melody there, the accidental spilling of some soup on a guitar neck and ensuing sonic madness until it is cleaned up... the inspiration isn't often channeled into a coherent piece without much thought, practice and experimentation. Writing on a sequencer, though, as I most often do, often does allow me the pleasure (and pressure) of working on a number of compositions at any given time... but then again, considering most of my pieces are constant 'works in progress' and serve as the catalyst for an entire CD project, I've yet to actually bottle any one creative reference point as 'the rule'. Most of my compositions originate as 'the exception' to my own rules... haha.