Inteview with Laxity

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   { MEGA INTERVIEW OF THE ISSUE }
___________________
_LAXITY_OF_KEFRENS_
___________________
            Mop / Alcatraz


Laxity  is  surely  one  of  the  most
popular  scene  personalities  at  the
moment.   No one can neglect his great
talent,  both  as  a capable coder and
also  as  an  astounding musician.  He
made all our dreams come true with his
Desert  Dream,  and astounded everyone
at  the  Hurricane party with Guardian
Dragon  2.  Laxity needs no particular
introductions,   still   many  sceners
might  be interested to know something
more about this Danish hero.  Mop made
a  quick trip to Haslev, Denmark, home
town  of  Laxity,  so  get ready for a
long  investigation  into  the  secret
life  of  the  most talented all-round
man, the scene has ever seen...

- You  are  most  known, both for your
  excellent  coding abilities, and for
  your  melodious  acoustics.   How do
  you  manage  to combine all of these
  talents  and  divide  your available
  time?

Well,  through  my life, I have always
been  told to use my creativity to its
full   extent,  and  always  seek  new
possible  ways  of expressing my state
of  mind.   I believe our gifts do not
come  from  above; if we are lucky, we
experience  the  fascinating  world of
creativity  in an early stage of life.
I know I have, and I think that is the
answer  to your question.  I just want
to   experience  every  way  of  being
creative, so beware, the day will come
when   I  will  start  releasing  hard
graphics!

- Do  you think that you dedicate more
  time  in  developing your code or do
  you  prefer  to  spend more hours of
  happy protracking?

Actually,   I  cannot  tell.   Though,
right now, I am 95% protracking and 5%
coding.  But do not think that this is
a  static  effect; I have BIG signs of
biorhythms;  I  can  code  for several
weeks,  then  suddenly I won't look at
anything  but  Protracker!   No, it is
impossible  to  tell certainly, but to
take  a wild guess, I would say that I
am  mostly making music, though 90% is
just experimenting!

- If  at  one  time in the future, you
  would  be  pushed,  because  of time
  problems,  to  choose  from stopping
  coding  or  stopping  making  music,
  which  one would you prefer to leave
  behind,  without having any regrets?
  Or isn't this possible for you?
I   would   say  that  it  is  totally
unimaginable  for  me.   However, if I
actually  should be directly FORCED to
quit  something,  I would stop coding.
Coding  is  no fun; just pain!  No, of
course  not,  but  it  is  just that I
could  never neglect my musicality; it
is a too much big part of me.

- Let   us   now   forget  Laxity  THE
  musician  for  the  moment.  Can you
  maybe  try  to  remember why did you
  decide to start coding, in the first
  place,   and   did   you   have  any
  experienced  coder,  willing to help
  you out?


Actually, I cannot remember why in the
world  I  wanted to become a coder.  I
think  that  I  have  always been very
curious  to figure out complex systems
and   to   find  out,  how  impressing
tricks,  in general, are made.  When I
was a little boy and watched magicians
and artists, I wanted to know how they
did  their  tricks.   Whenever  I  saw
something  imposing  to me, I would do
anything  to  know  how  it  was done.
Then,  when  I  got my first computer,
needless  to  say,  I  started  coding
immediately.   I saw the games and the
crack  intros, and I wanted to be able
to create something by myself.  But it
was  only  a good deal of time after I
got my Amiga 500 that I got in contact
with  an  experienced coder.  Up until
then, I had learned everything I knew,
through magazines and books.  But then
one day, I met this great coder, who I
do not think was at all appreciated as
much as he should have been.  His name
was  Tron,  and  at that time he was a
coder  in  a small Danish group called
Anubis.   He was fantastic at figuring
out  how  other coders made impressing
routines,  so  I  guess  you could say
that  I  looked up to him quite a lot.
Later, he joined Scoopex, then Dexion,
and  when they died he left the scene.
A  great  talent  had  left  us, but I
think  that  he  had just got tired of
coding.  I learned a lot from him, and
I  am  still  very thankful to him for
being  such a very great friend when I
was nobody.  Thank you Thomas!

- Most   budding   coders  are  always
  moaning   about  the  fact  that  no
  experienced coder wants to help them
  out.   Don't  you think that this is
  unfair,  or  do you believe that the
  best  way to learn is still the hard
  one?

As I said before, I learned a lot from
a great friend, but I think it depends
very  much  on  the type of person you
are.   You  can  learn  a lot of basic
coding tricks from others, but you can
NEVER  learn to hard-code from others.
It  is  something that comes from your
own  initiative.   You must have a big
desire    to    become    famous   and
appreciated,  and  above all, you have
got  to  be  willing to spend at least
70%   of   your  spare  time  with  an
assembler!

- You  surely  are being asked all the
  time,  some  little coding hints and
  tricks.   Have  you  ever  neglected
  your help to someone?

I  was  really  afraid  that  you were
going  to ask me that.  I am so sorry,
to  all  those newcomers out there who
wrote  to  me  and  never received any
answer.   I  must say that I am sorry,
but  if  you  want  to share knowledge
with  me,  you  have  got to do better
than  just  send  a  disk  and ask for
sources.   That  is  NOT  the  way  to
become   a   coder!    About   sharing
knowledge,  I  might  add  that  I and
Vention have been working very closely
when  coding,  and  we  have  sort  of
inspired each other and both learned a
lot  from  our  cooperation.   Without
Martin  (Vention),  I could never have
been what I am today.

- How much is it important for a coder
  to  always  come  up  with  new  and
  innovative routines and ideas?

Innovative   routines   are  not  very
important.  Some coders think that all
routines   in   a   demo   should   be
innovative   and  totally  uninspired.
But,  let us face the fact, that it is
never  possible anyway, so why bother?
Instead,  you  should  spend  all your
time  making  routines  that  generate
images that look as great as possible.
Of  course,  it  is  always nice to be
able  to say that you have figured out
how  to  make a 256 colour full screen
vector  running  in  every frame.  But
why  dedicate  all  of  your  time  to
making  this fantastic routine, if the
result  will look ugly?  Almost all of
my  routines  start  by some vision, I
have  had,  and then, if I am lucky, I
am   able   to   make   it  a  record,
simultaneously.
- Chaos  of  Sanity  is telling us all
  the  time,  that  the good coder can
  only  be  judged from the complexity
  and originality of his routines?  Do
  you  agree  with  all  this, and how
  important    do   you   think   that
  demo-designing  should  be  for  the
  coder?

Oh, Chaos...  You have a wonderful way
of  expressing  yourself.  So narrowly
and  one  directioned.  What you claim
here  is  like telling to a teacher to
judge an essay only from the spelling.
It  is probably the most narrow minded
way  of  seeing  the scene, for years.
Do  not  be offended, I just hope that
you  will  consider judging coders for
other   reasons   either  than  speed.
After  all,  you  have been working on
"Broken  Promises" for about 50 years,
haven't  you?   As I hinted above, the
main goal for a number one coder is to
make  his  routines  worth THE perfect
demo,   and   that   is   achieved  by
designing  the  demo  yourself,  as  a
coder!     Everything    should   have
relevance to the entire demo; else the
work is lost.

- You  have  worked  on  the design of
  Guardian  Dragon 1 and 2 and also on
  that  for  Desert  Dream.  Don't you
  think  that the designing job should
  be  left  for  the graphician, or do
  you  believe that no-one better than
  the  coder  can  give an appropriate
  visual form to his creation?

Again,    that    depends    on   your
personality.     If   you   are   very
team-spirited and you are able to work
at    the   best   together   with   a
graphician,  then  just  do  it!   The
problem  with little Laxity is that he
has   a   vision  which  he  wants  to
realize,  and  only  Laxity  knows how
this  is done.  So, unfortunately I do
not  draw  on  the  computer (though I
have   considered   to   start   as  a
graphician,  too!),  so  I tell R.W.O.
or  one of the other great graphicians
we  have  in  Kefrens,  exactly what I
want,  and  then,  if  I  am lucky, he
produces something really good.  But I
am a hard critic, and if I do not like
it, I draw it by myself!  Actually, if
you   should  judge  the  graphics  in
Desert  Dream  from  quantity,  I made
about  80%  of  it.  But, since R.W.O.
drew  the alien and the rotating wolf,
he is the winner in quality AND amount
of work.

- You  live in the same town as R.W.O.
  who was responsible for a great part
  of  the  graphics in your demos.  Do
  you  think  that having a graphician
  handy  all  the  time,  is  of vital
  importance,  especially when working
  on big projects like Guardian Dragon
  2 or Desert Dream?
Well,   if   you   (as   for  instance
Vention!)  end  up  with  a  bunch  of
random,  chaotic pixels every time you
touch  the  mouse in DELUXE PAINT, you
need  a  graphician to deliver all the
graphics  for  your productions.  This
is,  I  think, not the case for me, so
therefore,  I only ask R.W.O.  to draw
big pictures or detailed fonts in many
colours,   and   things   like   that.
Unfortunately,  I  do  not communicate
all  that  well  with  R.W.O, so it is
only  for  big  productions that I ask
him  to  participate  actively  in the
demo.   It  is  nothing  personal, you
know;  It's  just that we are just two
unlike types with different attitudes.
                  article continues...
...continued from previous article


- Sceners  always  seem to turn out to
  the  most  popular charts, to decide
  who is the BEST, in our case, coder.
  Do  you  think  that  this  is  fair
  towards  the  whole coder community,
  and  do you believe that the average
  scener  can  really judge how good a
  certain  coder  is, without being an
  actual  coder  himself?   After all,
  coding, unlike graphics or music, is
  an  invisible effect which cannot be
  judged    by    simply   seeing   or
  listening.

I do not agree with you that coding is
not   visible.   Coding  is  the  main
factor   that  scales  a  production's
quality  from  FANTASTIC to SUCKS LIKE
MY  12  YEAR  OLD BITCH.  I think that
charts  should  never  be  seen  as  a
quality determination.  Charts are the
opinions of all sceners, and they only
tell how popular people or productions
are,  and  in  my case, because of the
work  I  have  done.   I know that the
fact  that  I  am  a member of Kefrens
improves  my  status  a lot, but after
all,  I  have  a lot of credit for the
popularity of Kefrens, though we would
never  have been as popular if it were
not  for the ones like Vention, S.L.L.
or R.W.O.

- Still on the subject of charts, many
  have   suggested  that  only  coders
  should  vote for coders, thus making
  charts  more  reliable,  but  do you
  think  that this is fair?  More than
  often,    coders    don't    express
  themselves in an unbiased way.

That  depends  on  the  type of chart.
You  see,  most  charts  have,  due to
unsatisfied  readers,  been  forced to
entitle  the  charts as "Most popular"
or  whatever.  That is good to me, but
if  this  is the title, then every one
should   have  a  chance  for  voting.
However, if the title was "Best Fuck",
then  only  the  ones, who knew how to
fuck,  should  be able to vote, if you
get my point!

- What   do  you  think  is  the  main
  determinative  fact  that  pushes  a
  coder   to   decide   if   his  next
  production  will  be  a  single-file
  demo   or   a  trackmo?   Some  have
  suggested  that some coders released
  a  single-file demo, just because by
  doing  so,  their  work  would  have
  stood   more  possibility  to  stand
  higher in every chart.  Do you think
  that   this   last   statement   can
  somewhat sound credible?

Of  course  it  is  a  fact  that  the
decision results in the ranking in two
different  charts.   And  that  is too
bad,  I think.  So to all chart-makers
out there:  Why not create a new chart
entitled:   "Most popular production".
This  way,  you  could  see  both file
demos  and trackmos ranked separately,
and you could also rank the production
in  relation  to  other trackmos, file
demos,   intros,  dentros,  mentros...
Anyway, I do not know how other coders
decide  whether  they  should  make  a
trackmo  or  a  file  demo, but I know
that   I  will  probably  never  again
create  a trackmo, since compatibility
is decreased rather much in a trackmo,
and  since I am a hard disk owner now,
I want to be able to store the demo on
my  hard  disk  and  load  it  at warp
speed!
- Coders   have  always  been  moaning
  about  the  limitations of the A500,
  which until some months ago was seen
  as   the   "Scene   machine"  simply
  because   of  the  large  number  of
  sceners  that  owned this particular
  model.    One  year  ago,  Commodore
  released  the  A1200,  which  was an
  immediate   success,   and  everyone
  agrees  that  this machine, together
  with the A4000 has nowadays become a
  standard.   In  your  opinion,  what
  particular   demo-effects   are  now
  possible  to achieve just because of
  the higher specifications of the AGA
  machines,  and  which  were  only  a
  dream until some time ago?

Naturally,  everything  which contains
more  than  32 colours or 32 + 32 half
bright  colours  will now be possible.
Also  resolutions of 1280 * 512 pixels
are  now  possible,  though I doubt it
will be used very often.  The fact is,
I  am afraid to say, that the A1200 is
not  very  much faster than A500, once
the  instruction  cache  is  disabled.
This is probably because of the not so
clever  memory  arranging  in  the AGA
systems, which makes the A1200 seem as
something  that was released before it
was tested properly.  But if the cache
is  used  properly,  you  will achieve
processor  speed that is impossible to
imagine  if  you  only  have  an A500,
especially  if  you  have  some 32-bit
fast  memory  installed,  and together
with the new graphics features this is
all  the  reason for trashing your old
A500   and  buying  this,  after  all,
wonderful machine.

- We  have  heard that now, because of
  the large user base of A1200 owners,
  most   productions  will  boast  256
  coloured  pictures, and longer music
  with   larger  samples.   Don't  you
  think  that all this will impose new
  limits  to  the  poor  coder?  After
  all,  an  unexpanded  A1200 just has
  2Mb of memory.

It  is  of  course  sad that the A1200
does  not  offer more than 2Mb of chip
memory.   One  could easily require at
least  4Mb  with all the new features,
especially  when  the operating system
takes over 512Kb of lower chip memory!
But  if  you  trash  the system in the
start  of  your program, you will have
full  access  to  the 2Mb chip memory,
and,  believe  me,  unless  running an
animation   of   1280   *   512   *  8
resolution,  you  will  have plenty of
memory  for the first thousand kind of
routines.

- How   can  a  coder  possibly  feel,
  without    any   specific   Hardware
  reference   manual   for   the   AGA
  chipset?

I  don't know!  2 weeks after I bought
my   A1200,   I  had  a  complete  AGA
Hardware reference manual, so I simply
do  not  know,  what  you  are talking
about!   Still,  I  would  not like it
without  my  references, but you could
always find Deluxe Paint 4's copper in
memory,  and  then see how it uses all
the colours and resolutions!

- The  A1200  is  now more than 1 year
  old.   Do you think that in all this
  time,   most   coders  have  already
  discovered  all  the  secrets of the
  AGA chipset?  Can you recall any AGA
  production     which    you    found
  especially astounding?

Not  one!   Yet  I  am  determined  to
produce a demo in the next year, 1994,
which  uses  AGA  to  its full extent;
nothing  less, nothing more!  Besides,
who  knew, when the A500 was released,
what  kind  of  demos  we were able to
produce, a few years later?!

- You  told us, in the end scroller of
  Desert   Dream,   that   your   next
  productions will work exclusively on
  AGA  machines.  Don't you think that
  by doing this you will automatically
  cut  out  a small part of the scene,
  or  better,  those who haven't still
  farewelled their A500's?

Yes, and I am proud of it!  Because if
they  have  not got the money for even
purchasing  an  A1200  without  a hard
drive (in Denmark they cost about 3000
KR  today), then it's just too bad!  I
mean,  when  I  quit  the C64 scene, I
also  cut  out  the  C64  owners  from
seeing  Desert Dream, didn't I?  So do
you  still  think  that  I should have
made  Desert Dream compatible with the
C64?!

- Compatibility  has  always  been the
  main    coders'    nightmare,    now
  especially   because  of  the  great
  number  of A1200 owners.  Is it fair
  to  accuse  coders,  just  because a
  particular  production does not work
  on   an  AGA  machine,  taking  into
  consideration  that  the  poor coder
  had never had the possibility to get
  hold  of  one  before?   Does Laxity
  also fear compatibility?

Oh,   yes,   surely!   But  then,  no,
actually  not.   I  mean, can it be my
problem if a certain part of the scene
cannot see my production, because they
are too lazy to walk 500 metres to the
A1200 owner nearby?  Of course, I will
try  my best to produce a system which
will  accept  any  Amiga,  but if some
A6000  or so slipped the routine, then
I do not care!

- Ripping  is  a very ugly word to use
  nowadays, but still, it always seems
  to  sneak  in  every  coder's  small
  talk.   Do  you  think that nowadays
  the    resourcer   has   become   an
  indispensable  tool,  just  like the
  assembler?

Yes,  of  course.   I mean, why code a
half-speedy   line   routine   all  by
yourself,   if   you,  by  peeking  in
another coder's source, can see how he
sets   3   billion  lines  per  frame?
Always  choose the easiest solution, I
would  say,  though  I  think you gain
nothing   from   just   resourcing   a
complete routine and then inserting it
in  your  own  source.  You learn much
more  by  resourcing  a  bit  and then
re-coding  the  routine;  perhaps  you
could  even improve it, so you can set
3 billion + 1 lines per frame!















                  article continues...
...continued from previous article


- At  this point, we would all like to
  hear  your personal opinion, on some
  of  your fellow coders.  It would be
  a   real   pleasure   if  you  could
  possibly  detail their coding style,
  innovative ideas, and how well their
  code is implemented.

Chaos  of  Sanity  is a quality coder,
not  very  productive,  but still very
good.    His   opinions,  I  will  not
comment  here, but his productions are
certainly  worth while, especially the
WOC  1993  demo,  which  for the first
time   contained  some  nice  colours!
Very innovative and fast routines!
Mr.   Pet  of  Sanity  has  many  good
ideas,  but not very efficient when it
comes  to speed.  He has a good way of
solving  problems,  but  he  does  not
optimize his code well enough.
Hannibal is A VERY good coder.  He has
all   the  efficiency  that  Mr.   Pet
lacks.   Fast  routines, good quality,
though  he  has  never  made a routine
that  fully  knocked  me  down  off my
chair,  as  Chaos  has.   One word for
you,  H-animal:   Design  your ideas a
bit  more, they could be much nicer if
you  looked  twice  at the screen when
coding them!
Dan  is the cutest coder.  Good ideas,
funny  and  original design, but never
that innovative.  Average style.
Vention  of Kefrens...  Yes, I think I
recall  him...   Wasn't he a member of
Cycron?!   Stop  beating me!  Well, he
has  many nice ideas and a lot of will
to  code good routines, and sometimes,
he  even  succeeds!   Though, he lacks
optimizing a bit, many details he just
ignores,  resulting in a routine which
could  have  been  a lot cooler.  VERY
nice  colours  and  design,  though he
ALWAYS releases things TOO SOON!  Look
at D.A.N.E.  for instance...  right?
        I  remember  some French coder
who  did  a goodbye intro for Silents,
and  there  was also something about a
Dragonball,   which   has  never  been
copied   since!   Well,  Performer  of
Melon  has  many good ideas and a good
way   of  constructing  his  assembly.
Nice design, good colours, but perhaps
a bit too French.  I like your X-rated
movies, though!
BannaSoft  of Melon.  Now HE IS WEIRD!
Peeled  banana split with ice cubes to
go.    Though   he  does  NOT  control
contest  arranging AT ALL, he has many
good  ideas  and  a rather nice style.
S.O.S.  stinks, but I liked the Tetris
intro  VERY  much.   His  mirror  ball
rules!
Dr.   Jekyll  of Andromeda is a really
good  coder,  efficient,  not all that
innovative,  but...   One  thing:  HIS
DESIGN  IS  TOO  NICE  AND I HATE MIND
RIOT!  Okay, the 5 bit planes glenz is
indeed very nice!
Mr.  Hyde of Andromeda.  Well, well...
I  guess,  it's  hard  to  say, he has
cooperated  so  much  with Dr.  Jekyll
that  I  rather see them as one, but I
guess  that is quite good according to
their  names!   I  guess  he  is quite
good.
The  Spy  of  Crionics.   Now, he's my
man!   Many  very good ideas, though a
strange  way  of  coding  them, but it
almost  always  works.  However, if it
weren't  for  Mikael  Balle, Hardwired
would    have    never   entered   the
Eurochart.
Hornet    of   Alcatraz?    Horny   of
Alcraschmudts?   Cannot  remember him!
Did he code Odyssey?
- Do  you  think  that  there are some
  especially  talented coders which we
  involuntarily forgot to mention, and
  which you especially like?

Nah...

- Most  of  the  times, it is not very
  difficult  to  judge  a  demo by its
  graphics   and  music.   After  all,
  graphics  can  be seen and music can
  be  heard, so the average scener can
  tell  if something is really good or
  bad.   But  unfortunately,  code  is
  something  invisible,  and  so it is
  very  difficult to derive how simple
  or complex it is without knowing the
  limits of this machine, so listening
  to  a  coder's point of view on this
  subject   is   always  enlightening.
  Could  we  have your opinion, on the
  following  productions, all of which
  were  released  in  1993, before the
  Party 3.

Extension  by  Pygmy Projects has good
ideas,  but  the  worst  design  since
Elysium by Sanity!
        At  first,  I thought that the
Romantic  demo  by  Melon!  was a hate
demo,  but  in  the  end,  it was just
another  poor  Melon Design.  However,
the guitar music is VERY nice and VERY
innovative!    So,   credits  to  you,
Bannasoft!
Rink  a  Pink  by Lemon.  is a another
Lemon.  production!
Mobile  by  SpaceBalls!   HAAARH HAARH
HARH!   Please, stop before I laugh my
guts out!  Von mand, von rroutin!  Has
he got ANY other routines?
Interference  by  Sanity  is  my clear
favourite  file demo up to date!  Very
cool, nice coding, good ideas and good
design.    THOUGH   THE   SECRET  PART
STINKS!
Mind Riot? AAAAAARRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Puke!
242   by  Virtual  Dreams  is  another
Virtual Nightmare!


- If you remember well, some time ago,
  some  of  the most known coders were
  given  the  opportunity  to  express
  their opinions about Guardian Dragon
  2.   Chaos  of  Sanity, told us that
  the   loader  was  positioned  at  a
  critical  memory  address, making us
  see you as a mere beginner.  He even
  accused  you  that  you  made a fake
  zoomer  and  that your glenz vectors
  seem  more  like  a  tortured  cube.
  Saviour  of  Complex  said  that you
  should  have focused more on quality
  routines,  and  not  just on the big
  number    of   effects   you   used.
  LoneStarr  of  SpaceBalls  said that
  the  whole  demo was totally boring.
  On  the other hand, Wayne Mendoza of
  Masque was pleased with your efforts
  and  said  that  the demo was nearly
  perfect.   Dr.   Jekyll of Andromeda
  liked  your  exploding  cube.  Don't
  you  think  that  there  should be a
  bigger  sense  of fraternity amongst
  coders,  or  do  you  think  that in
  today's  scene,  friendship  between
  the   various   groups'  members  is
  impossible?

I  don't  know.   I  think  that  many
coders  have potential problems.  When
they  criticize  other  coders,  it is
probably  because  they have some deep
psycho problem.  About Guardian Dragon
2;  I  actually  don't  care if famous
coders  like  my productions; I see my
production  in  the  2nd  place in the
Eurochart,  and  I  know that for some
reason,  people must like it.  That is
more than enough for me.

- You  have  managed to hit the charts
  also  as  a  musician.  How and when
  did you decide to start composing?

I started composing immediately when I
got  SoundTracker 2.1 from a friend in
the start.  I've always been told that
I  had great musical talents, though I
do  not think that the techno music in
Desert  Dream,  displays  my talent at
all.   The  next  time I will create a
file  demo, I will surely include much
more  interesting music.  My favourite
right now is TRANCE!  Get the feeling!

- Most  musicians own a synth and some
  other  music-making equipment, which
  they also prefer to play, apart from
  using it as a sample source.  Do you
  think that making music on the Amiga
  is  much  simpler  than  playing  an
  instrument, or do you think that the
  Amiga  has  much more limitations in
  this area?

The Amiga and Protracker together make
a  perfect  combination  for music!  I
just miss some more MIDI functions for
my Ensoniq synthesizer, that's all.  I
love making Amiga music, it's just too
bad  that the A1200 does not contain a
16-bit  sound chip as standard.  8-bit
is after all not very good.  Anyway, I
am not the kind of musician that cares
a  lot  about how you make your music,
like  those  punks called heavy bands,
but  I want to hear good music, and if
it's  good, I don't care whether it is
acoustic or synthetic.

- A  synth  is  the  best  source  for
  getting   samples   from,  and  most
  musicians  put a copyright notice on
  "their"   samples.   But  don't  you
  think  that by doing so, everyone is
  breaching the copyright law, because
  after  all, the internal sounds of a
  synth  are  all  copyrighted  by the
  various          synth-manufacturing
  companies?

No,    I   think   you   misunderstood
something.  You see, a synthesizer, as
I know it, is an instrument with which
you   can   create   your  OWN  sounds
entirely  from scratch or edit default
sounds   and  use  them  for  whatever
purpose you might like.  A Keyboard is
an   instrument,   like  small  Roland
keyboards,  which does not contain any
possibilities   of   editing   sounds.
Anyway,  I don't think that it is very
important, from where the sound comes.
If   somebody  uses  a  sound  that  I
sampled, then I don't care, AS LONG as
they  note  that  they took the sample
from my production.

- Some  musicians  have  been  heavily
  accused,  just because they borrowed
  some  samples  from other musicians.
  Do  you think that borrowing samples
  from  others is strictly prohibited,
  or do you believe that if you spot a
  fabulous  sample,  then  there is no
  need  to  digitize  it all over once
  again by yourself?

I  think  that I have already answered
that  question.  It is totally alright
with me if others use my samples, just
as  long  as  they  write  my  name or
production  wherever they use it.  And
I   think  that  one  should  use  the
samples  he  needs, not caring much if
it  has  been  used before, as long as
the MODULE is changed!

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...continued from previous article


- Some  of  the most popular musicians
  always  seem to seek different music
  styles.   Do  you think that finding
  an  own style and develop it further
  is  the  right move for the starting
  musician,  or  do you think that one
  should  always try and experiment on
  all possible kinds of music?

Absolutely  the  last.   I  think  for
myself  that  it  is VERY important to
experiment    with    all   kinds   of
expression,  that  has  always been my
main  goal.   Of  course,  there  will
always  be  one style, which you fancy
the  most,  but  for  me,  it comes in
periods.

- How  much  do  you think that melody
  should be important in a tune?

Not  very  much.  As long as the music
is varied and interesting, it does not
matter  if the module contains nothing
but  bass  and  drums!   Or perhaps no
drums, just melody, but who cares!

- We common sceners are always hearing
  musicians  talk  about  the advanced
  technical    moves   they   use   in
  protracker.  Is it possible to judge
  the  technical  part  of  a piece of
  music, just by listening?
Yes,  I  think  so.  Yet, the thing is
not  to be as technical as possible by
using  many  effects, but to show that
you    can    control   the   commands
completely  and  that  you can achieve
any effect you desire.

- Bjorn  Lynn  has recently said, that
  Amiga music had already reached it's
  outmost  peak  some  years  ago, and
  that    musicians    have    already
  discovered    all    the    possible
  ProTracker  techniques,  since ages.
  Do   you   agree   with   all  these
  statements?

Well, yes, that is probably true.  But
if  it sounds good, then who cares?  I
mean,  just  because  the  piano  only
contains  12  notes  per  octave,  you
still  have  endless ways of composing
them.   It  is all wrong to think like
Bjorn,   I   believe,   he  must  have
misunderstood  something.  Originality
is  not  at all important when writing
music;  what  is important is that you
create   something   which   expresses
precisely  your  feeling at that time.
If  you  do,  the  result  will almost
always be worth listening to.

- Judges,  after  sample-rippers,  are
  the   most   hated   thing  for  you
  musicians!   Is  this  also the case
  with  you, and have you ever entered
  any music competitions?
No,  never.   It is probably because I
never  fancy  music  competitions much
myself.  It is not that I am afraid of
losing, it's just that I always end up
making  some  images  along  with  the
patterns, and there you have it...  It
always ends up as a demo!

- There   are   a   lot   of  talented
  musicians  out  there,  yet we would
  still  like  to  hear  your  opinion
  about the following stars.  We would
  especially  like  to  know something
  more  about  their  composing style,
  melodies,  quality of their samples,
  and  maybe  also something about the
  innovations they brought amongst all
  musicians.
Jester  has a very professional way of
composing, a very good sense of rhythm
and melody, and though his samples are
almost  unbearable  to  listen to when
played  alone,  he  always  manages to
make  them sound great!  This seems to
be  the best way of protecting against
ripping!  A very fine musician indeed!
Moby  of  Sanity  is THE king.  I need
say   nothing   more,   just  that  he
controls  all  styles and does it with
such  supremacy,  that  I  really envy
him.
S.L.L  of Kefrens...  Well, I guess he
is good with mixing, but he has always
seemed  a  bit too poppy for me.  Then
sometimes,  he suddenly creates a very
nice  melody,  like  for  instance the
introduction  to  Guardian  Dragon  2.
That was VERY nice!
Bruno  is  a very, VERY fine musician.
He   has   all   the   quality   of  a
professional  musician.   I especially
like his reggae pieces.  Cool sense of
beat!
Travolta  of SpaceBalls is quite good,
really  nothing  less  or more.  He is
very appreciate.

- Do  you  think  that  there are some
  especially  talented musicians which
  we  involuntarily forgot to mention,
  and which you especially appreciate?

Yes, in fact Scott of Spaceballs has a
very  good technique and is an overall
good musician.

- You  are  the  main  man  behind the
  music  of  Desert  Dream  and  DANE.
  But,  as  far  as I know, you always
  seem  to  do  tailor-made  music for
  particular  demos.   Is  this  true?
  Can you maybe tell us something more
  than  we  already  know, on the time
  when  you  made the music for Desert
  Dream?

As I said before, I always end up with
modules   for   demos  since  I  am  a
perfectionist.   I  always  think that
there  is  something  that ought to be
changed.   Actually,  the first module
of  Desert  Dream was created at about
6:00   in  the  morning  at  Vention's
place.    I  bet  you've  noticed  the
resemblance  between the drums in this
module    and    the   soundtrack   in
Terminator  2.   Well,  it is probably
because  I love that soundtrack, and I
wanted to make a demo that was just as
majestic as the movie.  Then, a couple
of  days  later, Vention and me joined
our  ex  modem  trader, Raxor, who's a
really  great  guy, where we spent the
rest of our autumn holiday.  So, there
I  started  designing  and  coding the
introduction;  the space ship part.  I
drew  the credit logos, and meanwhile,
Vention  told  me  that  I  should not
expect  him to be in Kefrens next time
I  would  visit  him!   I guess he was
going  through  a phase.  Anyway, that
was  probably  the  main  reason,  why
Vention didn't code anything on Desert
Dream.  But it soon passed, and we are
very good friends now.
Back  to  the  Subject;  Module 2, the
part  that  starts with the alien, was
actually  made  in  an interrupt.  You
see,   my   brain   is  very  good  at
interrupts,   so   while   coding  the
various routines for the demo, I, once
in  a  while switched to ProTracker to
do some more music.  And when I got an
idea  for  timing  the  music,  I just
switched  between  the  two  wonderful
programs   and   tested   the  result.
Eventually,  the  demo was on its way!
The  rest  is  a VERY long story, so I
will  leave your little minds to guess
what  happened  later.  Perhaps I will
write a biography sometime, so you all
can  get to know the secrets of Laxity
and his Amiga!

- Can we expect to see, at one time in
  the future, a music disk by you?

Perhaps,  but  I  don't know!  I can't
imagine  myself  composing  a bunch of
modules  that  all  sound  good to me.
You  see,  nothing  that  I produce is
ever  finished.   I could go on and on
rewriting   music   if   there  wasn't
anything  called  deadlines.   That is
why  I  never release anything outside
parties.    I   just   can't   get  it
finished!

- Good music disks are very rare these
  days, yet groups like Andromeda came
  up with something different with the
  release  of  Mirror.   Do  you think
  that  also  the graphics and code DO
  MAKE UP a music disk?

Of  course  they  do!  To me it is not
that important what kind of production
it  is,  as  long  as  it sounds good,
looks  good,  and even tastes good.  I
only  use  the  type  of production to
refer to it.

- You  also  did the sound effects for
  Guardian  Dragon 2 and Desert Dream.
  Do you think that spot sound effects
  have   become  a  standard  in  demo
  making?

No,  but  to  me  they are.  The sound
effect   when  the  cube  exploded  in
Guardian Dragon 2 was taken from an 80
minute  mix by Uncle Ben, and that was
the  main  fact  that  ensured the 1st
place in the demo competition.

- We  have said a lot about Laxity THE
  coder  and Laxity THE musician, that
  one  might  tend  to  forget to talk
  about  the  actual  productions  you
  worked  on.   Do  you  think  that a
  GREAT  production  is enough to make
  one gain total popularity?
Yes.    If  it  is  as  breath  taking
production  as  Desert  Dream seems to
be, it is far enough for me.

- In   1991,   you  released  Guardian
  Dragon  1,  which  was more or less,
  Kefrens' comeback in the demo scene.
  You  worked  on  the  main  code and
  design for this demo.  How important
  was  this demo for you, and how much
  time   did   you   spend   on   this
  production?

About  2 minutes.  Let it be said; The
demo  stinks!   In  fact, I do not see
why  you  credit me for design at all!
The best part was that it made all the
way to the 8th place on the Eurochart!
- At  the  Hurricane  party,  you then
  released  the  much acclaimed sequel
  to  Guardian Dragon.  Once again you
  worked on the code, design and sound
  effects,  but  this time you had the
  opportunity  to  work  with Vention,
  although  you  were  responsible for
  the main code.  Has this division of
  work made things easier, and what do
  you  think is the actual stress that
  a  coder has to stand, when such big
  projects are commenced?

I   was  very  thankful  that  Vention
wanted   to  put  so  much  work  into
Guardian  Dragon2.  I don't know if it
made  it  easier...   Well it did, but
mainly  it made the demo longer.  Some
have  claimed that this is poor, but I
think  that as long as every effect in
Guardian  Dragon 2 looks nice, it does
not matter if you've seen some effects
more or less before.












                  article continues...
...continued from previous articleĆ°n


- Guardian Dragon 2 reached the second
  place  in  the EuroCharts just after
  it was released.  Did all this maybe
  inject  in  you  a  kind  of  unique
  satisfaction?

Yes,  of  course it did.  It is always
nice  to  know  when your hard work is
appreciated,  and although I know many
coders  hated  the  demo  for  all the
success  it got, it all seemed fair to
me.

- We  all  know that Guardian Dragon 2
  won  the  demo  competition  at  the
  Hurricane  party.  We also know that
  the  organisers  refused to give you
  the  promised prize.  After all this
  time,  can  you  tell us if you ever
  managed  to  get  what  you deserved
  from the organisers?

Nope!  Not one single banana!  Anyway,
now  I  do  not give a damn, but after
the   party   I  was  of  course  very
depressed, but still, I had the honour
of   producing   the  best  demo  that
summer!   Plus  the fact that Guardian
Dragon  2  made it straight to the 2nd
place  on  the  Eurochart  and  stayed
there for several months!

- At  the  Gathering  2,  you released
  Desert  Dream,  which once again won
  the  demo  competition  without  any
  problems.   You  always  seem to win
  every  competition you take part in!
  Do  you  plan  to  continue going on
  like this?

Yes, of course!

- You  told  us  that Desert Dream has
  been  6  months  in production.  You
  did  the  main  code,  design,  some
  graphics, sound effects, main music,
  and  wrote  the  screen  play.   How
  important  was Desert Dream for you,
  and  did  you enjoy every second you
  spent working on this production, or
  was  there  some  time when you were
  almost on the verge of giving up?

Well,  I  guess you could say I nearly
killed  myself  between Christmas 1992
and  March  1993!  I had absolutely NO
inspiration   in   that   period,  and
whenever  I  think of it, I only see a
vacuum.    Desert   Dream   was   VERY
important  to  me, because since I did
practically  all  of  it,  it was very
much  "me".  Confidentially, Zeus only
coded  the part with the 5 circles, so
it  seemed  too  idiotic  to  list the
parts  with  credits,  since  I  coded
everything  else,  and even the replay
routine   and  the  track  loader!   I
cannot tell you, how glad I was when I
faced  the  fact that Desert Dream had
won  the  demo  competition in Norway.
Suddenly,  all  the  hard  work seemed
worth  while,  and I will surely never
forget that moment!

- In Guardian Dragon 2 you divided the
  coder's responsibility with Vention,
  but  in  Desert  Dream you teamed up
  with  Zeus.   Do  you prefer working
  more with Vention or Zeus?

Don't take any offence, Zeus, but what
you  offered  for  Desert Dream wasn't
much  compared  to  Vention's  work on
Guardian   Dragon  2!   One  man,  one
routine!

- The   start  of  Guardian  Dragon  2
  seemed  to  be  like  a  "condensed"
  Odyssey,  but  then  the rest of the
  demo  turned  out  to  be  something
  similar   to   HardWired.   Did  you
  really  mean to produce some kind of
  combination  of  these  2 particular
  demos?

Oh, come on...  I mean, if I wanted to
combine two shitty demos into one, I'd
say it, wouldn't I?  Seriously, I know
that  I  was  inspired  a  lot by both
productions.   But  at  the  time when
Odyssey  was released, nothing similar
had  been  seen  before.  It was a new
way  of telling a story, and of course
it seemed nice to me.  I always wanted
to  capture  my  audience  in  a  good
story, and so far, only CHAOS dislikes
the  story.   Everyone  else  has only
complimented me.

- Desert  Dream has finally topped the
  EuroCharts,  and  you  also have the
  compensation  from  the  Gathering 2
  competition.  Do you think that this
  demo  deserved  all this, and do you
  see any current rival at the moment?

Naturally,  the demo is the best ever!
No,  frankly,  I think nothing like it
has  ever  been  produced, since it is
unique  and  inspired,  but  aren't we
all?    I  mean,  which  is  the  most
desirable, to be an ignorant innovator
or   to   be  able  to  evaluate  your
impressions  and  combine  them  in  a
creative result?  Struck you, Chaos!

- Chaos  of  Sanity  labelled you as a
  lousy  storyteller,  so can you tell
  us who is really behind the texts in
  Guardian Dragon 1 and 2?

You  can  judge  it from the spelling!
Guardian  Dragon  1 contained about as
many  spelling  errors  as  words,  so
evidently   it  was  R.W.O!   Guardian
Dragon  2  was  a  bit inspired by the
theme  in Guardian Dragon 1, but was a
lot more exciting and contained nearly
no grammatical errors, so therefore it
must  have been me!  Now, about Chaos;
I  think  he  has  been very depressed
since   he  could  not  see  our  demo
because    of    my    poor    loader.
Eventually,  I  take  it  that he must
have  liked the demo very much, though
he  has  always  seemed  like an angry
little   boy   to   me.   Has  it  got
something to do with his child hood?

- Even  if  Chaos  of  Sanity dislikes
  your  stories,  still,  we  all love
  your   poetical   texts  about  King
  Kefren  and  the  power of the Ankh.
  Do  you  think  that it has become a
  new trend to build up such colourful
  descriptions around one's group?  Do
  you  think  that  sceners  really do
  believe  that King Kefren has passed
  onto you the power of the pyramids?
Probably.      Anyway,    that's    my
impression.   Furthermore, who are you
to   question  the  King's  existence?
Beware,  unfaithful,  for  thou  might
suffer   from   pain   in   thy   soul
eternally!   Chaos has long ago doomed
himself to ever lasting pain, since he
has  disregarded  the  holy scripts of
the  King.   Have not the same destiny
as  this  poor  soul,  unite  with  us
believers,  and  thou  will  always be
granted luck.

- Kefrens  is  surely amongst the most
  elder  groups  in  today's scene.  I
  think that everybody knows that.  At
  one  time,  after all those years of
  scene  activity,  Kefrens decides to
  pack  up  and close down definitely.
  Later  on,  sometime  in  1991,  you
  decided  to rise back from your deep
  Egyptian  tombs,  but  I  must admit
  that  not  everyone  seemed  to like
  your  comeback.   Were  the texts in
  Guardian   Dragon  1  and  2  really
  directed towards Melon?

Nope.   Only  a little bit.  Actually,
the  texts  were referring to a lot of
former Kefrens members and stupid ones
who for some strange reason claimed to
have  a right on our group?  The world
must really stink to those people!

- The   introductory  part  in  Desert
  Dream   surely   had  some  sort  of
  meaning.   We  know  that  after all
  this  time,  Kefrens  and Melon have
  sorted out all the misunderstandings
  between  your  groups.  Can we maybe
  expect   to   see   some   kind   of
  co-operation production between both
  groups in the future?

NOOOOOOOOOO!  MELON SPLAT!  MELON RIV!
MELON KNUS!  Hi Henrik, you old stud!

- Well,  today we have learnt a lot of
  new things about Laxity, but we have
  never   mentioned   anything   about
  Anders  Hansen.   Do  you think that
  you  would  still be looked up to as
  an  important  personality,  if  you
  maybe  presented yourself at a party
  just as Anders, and not as Laxity of
  Kefrens?   Do  you  believe that the
  scene  is  basically just made up of
  group names?

Yes.    By  the  way,  who  is  Anders
Hansen?

- Do  you  hate  being  referred to as
  Laxity  instead  of  Anders?  How do
  you  think  that  the  two mix up in
  everyday's life?

Quite  well,  I  think!  Though I have
some  difficulties remembering whether
I  actually AM Anders, or if Anders is
just a pseudo for Laxity Hansen?!

- Every  interview  must  have an end,
  and  I  must  really admit that when
  one  is  talking  with Laxity, there
  are  so  many things to discuss that
  one never seems to reach an end.  We
  hope   that   we   would   have  the
  opportunity  to host you once again,
  here   in   Compass,   but   in  the
  meantime,  we  would like you to end
  this  interview by putting down your
  last words.

Sure,  just  leave  it all up to me to
end this interview.  Did you know that
the  hardest  bit  is  always the end?
Don't  you  watch  any  Schwarzenegger
movies?  Well, to all my scene friends
and enemies out there:  Don't take the
scene so seriously.  You know, outside
the monitor, there is actually a world
besides  our  imagination.  And making
friends  is  always much more fun than
making enemies!