TW #10 — Interview with Jugi (White Wizard)

White Wizard interviews jugi of Complex, the musician of Dope, the winning demo of The Gathering 1995 — "nobody knows anything about him", writes Populus, who edited both participants' English.

Key claims#

• Jukka Kaartinen, 22, physics/computer-science student at the University of Jyväskylä. Complex was founded in 1989; he joined in 1990, won his first demo compo in 1991 (Taipan's Vector Preview); Complex's PC division dates from The Party 1993, when jmagic joined.
• Thirteen years of keyboard playing, no classical training; piano is his instrument (he names Tori Amos, Bruce Hornsby, Bill Payne, Chick Corea for his playing; influences Kate Bush, Irish/Celtic music, Kitaro, Clannad, Rush, Pink Floyd, Dream Theater, Metallica, GRP records).
• Writes modules only when a demo needs them: "tracker is nice for a simple rhythm machine", but the music he cares about "needs the depth of higher resolutions"; tracker resolution is too low for grooves unless you use loops; "all kinda mod jazz is pathetic cuz jazz is all about playing … and you can't really 'play' with mods". Demo music's job is to create a feeling that carries to the viewer.
• Workflow: he no longer doodles in the tracker — he has "chords on my fingers and a keyboard", maybe a melody idea; the chords go into the tracker first, then the melody on top; production and sounds come last and often run out of time ("just put some awful clichés to add length to a demo/intro tune").
• Samples from everywhere: CDs, his synths, rips from others, mixed samples, a custom Amiga sampler for 8-bit material, sample CDs.
• On ripping and loops: "technique is technique, all that matters is the vibe" — copying note for note is not creative, but a module has no performer, "just notes timed exactly", so the whole is what matters.
• Plans a MIDI "solo piano" musicdisk with a 1–2 MB piano sample.

Practical takeaways#

Jugi's six tips for newcomers (he tracked with FastTracker 2 according to the interviewer):

1. Take breaks when you work on a module.
2. Never do long sessions.
3. Do not copy from other modules.
4. As a starter, try to copy something from your favourite CD.
5. Learn to play a real instrument; learn to sing.
6. Compare your module music with the "real" music in your CD collection.

Notable quotes#

• "Tracker resolution is so low to get any sorta grooves you would have to use loops." — Jugi.

Relevance#

A demoscene musician's view of the tracker as a rhythm machine and a delivery format rather than an instrument; the "chords first on a keyboard" workflow; sourced advice for tracking-workflow.

Pages touched#

jugi, tracking-workflow, fasttracker-2, sample-looping.