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Nearly 10 years in music production, A0d and BST are brothers working together
and producing c64 remixes. A0d does the composing while BST works on the FX and
post-production.
Profile:
Name: Anton van Deurzen
Codename: A0d
Nationality: Dutch (Rotterdam, Yeah!)
Birth Year: 1973
Name: Edwin van Deurzen
Codename: BST
Nationality: Dutch (Rotterdam)
Birth Year: 1970
First things first, How did you get a name such as A0d?
That's actually very simple. About 12 or thirteen years ago, in our c64 hacking
and freaking days, some really illegal spreader used my old name 'Demolition'
and since I, as 'honest' game-cheater and programmer, didn't want to be mixed
up with him I asked my brother for a new name (He makes up quite nice ones) and
he lifted 'Angel of Death' off of a Slayer record cover lying about in my room.
I in my Heavy metal period thought it was great. The 'A0d' handle with the zero
in the middle is a digital rendition of my graffitti tag I still use. The zero
to emphasize my digital 'roots'
What c64 composers are your favourites?
What are your favourite Sids?
By far my favorites are: DMC demo IV tune 2 by Bjerregaard, Knucklebusters in-
game by Hubbard, Kettle by Daglish, the Peter Clarke Ocean Loader, To be on Top
loader by Heulsbeck, WotF II by Brennan,Head over Heels tune 1 by Peter Clarke,
The Last Ninja tune 6 by Ben Daglish, Driller by Mat Gray , Leviathan by David
Whittaker.
And again this will also cover Edwin's taste
What other arrangers do you like?
THC Flatline is the first one that comes to mind. The way he looks at sid-tunes
is completely my style. Taking the very essence of a tune and doing something
completely unexpected with it; Terra Cresta 'Shrooms mix' and the Spellbound '
short mix' being absolute masterpieces. Same thing goes for Mahoney Kaktus.
Their Amiga tunes are also very remarkable. My 'neighbour' FTC (on a global
scale that is :) for his kind of synthy seventies feel. But I also like the
thumping styles of Bart Klepka, Dean Frenz, Instant Remedy, DJ Lizard and DJ
oscillation or the 909 Sadist. Making accurate remakes of Sid's has never been
my thing, though. (Mainly because I can't read , write or play one single note!)
But the works of Chris Abbott, Glyn R. Brown or Forsythe are very nice!
What would you consider as your best remix?
That has to be my 'Switched on Bogas' version of PSI-5 Trading Company Crew
select. It was made in just about 4 hours on a rainy Wednesday. Somehow it just
all pieced together. Sid2Midi (Somebody give that man the Nobel prize!) blurted
out a perfect Midi file that almost needed no editing and the symphonic feel
with three softsynths (that's six oscillators!) fighting for some bandwidth in
just one compressor was there from note number one. The rest was simple. A
standard orchestral string and a nice chemical beat without too rough edges
finished the job. I also like my Mission Impossabubble mix. Just because it is
a great Sid in itself. This one was also finished in about 4 or 5 hours. My
Knucklebusters mix would have featured in an online game for the Levi's red Tab
(c) co. If it wasn't for both the software house and Levi's itself having their
main offices in Manhattan...
What equipment/software do you use?
Three words...Reason Reason Reason.
My brother has a lot of stuff which he (but I seldom) uses. Here is the list:
PC running Logic Reason (midi sync with Amiga)
Amiga running OctaMed
Akai S1000 Sampler
Korg Wavestation AD
ARP Odyssee analog synth
Roland M240 line mixer
Roland MIDI controlled Parametric EQ
An old very small Midi keyboard
Two Eminent organs about a millennium old
and a lot of stuff that mostly belongs in a museum but Edwin just loves...
I used to own a Korg 01W FD Keyboard, A MPC 2000 form AKAI and a Spririt Folio
Mixer but I sold it to a friend. (I have included a pic from the days it was
all crammed in the attic at our parents house. On it is the also sold Korg M1
Keyboard.)
How do you get your inspiration?
I get my inspiration by listening. Having always been more of a producer and
remixer instead of a composer I need other stuff to get me going. I hear a tune
or a loop. I sample it. Chew on it. Smell it and then when I have the taste I
want in my mouth I start cooking. Sometimes surprising myself. Sometimes
overeating and sometimes losing my appetite altogether. (Yes I like cooking and
writing as well
What do you look at in a SID when remixing it?
In a Sid I look for that special taste as I said in the previous question. It
doesn't matter who made it or how popular it used to be. In Mission
Impossabubble I liked the perfect bluesy feel. In knucklebusters it is the
seventies Rock'n Roll and in BedLam it was the merry 'I am a Psycho driving 150
Miles an hour' franticism. I have to hear it to know if it will be something
being uneducated in music. This also goes for Edwin. He hears something and it
passes him by like a summer breeze, caressing his ears, embracing his heart or
it kicks him in the behind to go and remix some
What other arrangements do you like?
I like everything by THC Flatline ofcourse. Bart Klepka's Last Ninja Jungle
Ressurrection, FTC's Infodroid and Dor-x 's Zig Zag are also among my favorites.
As you can see I like mixes with an edge and a twist to them.
What are your fondest memories of the c64?
The memories are the times when WGI 2015, our group which still exists, was
among the greatest and everybody liked us. We were almost famous! Staying up
whole weekends to finish that demo in time for a party. And so on and so on...
What are your likes/dislikes regarding the scene?
can't tell if there still is a real c64 scene. But on the PC the memory is
kept alive by people who work hard and completely adore the little beige
bugger. The atmosphere is a lot better then it used to be in 1987-1990. It was
total competition war then. No fun at all. But now it's great. I am almost
feeling guilty for not participating more.
What single piece of equipment that you do not own would you like to own, and why?
That is a question we asked ourselves many times. My brother would like to have
everything but I am convinced that a great piece of equipment doesn't make a
fine mix. This sounds corny I know but I would have traded all my equipment for
Linus Akelsons piano lessons so to speak. Because learning to play now is
almost impossible due to my age and rough working hands...
If there was a tune you wish you could claim as your own, what would it be and why?
It would definitely be DMC Demo IV tune 2. I wish I could make an almost arabic
chord progression sound like a rock band!
Who do you think gives the scene the biggest boost, and why?
The biggest boost apart from the people living the scene, I think, are the
emulators and Sid players which are getting better and better. Being able to
totally recreate a sound or a screen keeps the fans hooked and can show the
younger people where it all came from in a dignified manner.
How would you like to see the scene develop/improve?
I think we are on a good track.. But, and forgive me for the pessimistic view,
I also think that almost nothing c64 related can become a commercial succes
anymore. I do not consider this a bad thing, though. It means that only real
c64 crazy people will keep it in our world. Enbalming it, surrounding it with
the almost mythical glow that also keeps, let's say, Star Trek the original
series alive.
What non c64 music do you like and does this reflect in your own remixes?
In my normal days I also like music that has an edge and a twist or just sounds
a little different from other music. I still have a weakness for Heavy Metal.
But Drum'n Bass is also my thing which can be clearly heard in my work. Edwin
likes almost everything besides Heavy Metal. The biggest influence, however,
are the loops and sounds we steal!
How did you come across the current scene?
I always knew there was an 'Emulator scene' on just about every platform. But I
took a long while to get a PC. And when I had bought one and got me some
Internet the very first site I visited was c64.org!
s there a sid that has not yet been remixed that you would like to hear?
Oh yes there is. I would like to hear a great rock rendition of the
Knucklebusters in-game tune. With big synths and big drums and huge guitar
solos. The whole Shazam! Hello 'Press play on Tape'? Hello 'Puffy"?
Finally, what would you like to say to the scene?
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