by Neil Carr

Axeman is an excellent guitarist that has to date provided us with 2 well crafted rock remixes. The reason for only producing 2 remixes has probably got something to do with a rare and largely unknown infliction. Read more about this and his music within this interview.

Handle: Axeman
Born: 1973
Nationality: Finnish

I have to be unoriginal and say the typical: Hubbard-Galway-Gray combo.

Those typical: Delta, Last V8, Hawkeye, Last Ninja 1...

I'm an old scene-dude and I had been thinking of doing guitar remixes of C64
songs for years. But not until spring 2001 did I actually start doing music.
I was coder in the "good old days"...

Actually I became dramatically ill (hypersensitivity to electricity) in
autumn 2000. After moths of dramatic trials and suffery in spring 2001 I
started to feel a bit better and was physically able to use computers again
I just felt that I should do something creative. So I decided to make a few
remixes and write a book. The remixes hit R:K.O and I good lots of positive
feedback. Thank you people! Now the book is ready too and hits shelves this
month in Finland. Soon it is time for more remixes.

This is probably not the right forum to discuss hypersensitivity to
electricity but I just want to say that when you hear that some people get
headache from cell phones and have problems with computer monitors that be
gentle with them, because they are telling you a true thing. It is not
infectious! Don't be afraid of us. We are not crazy people, we are just more
sensitive than others.

I for example have 21 years of background in computer programming but today
I cannot use normal CRT monitors anymore. I have 2 university degrees
(comp.science and signal. processing) and I have worked in mobile phone
industry but today I cannot hang around cell phones. Basically I spend my
time home and use computer maybe 1-2 hours a day. If I use more I get severe
pains in nervous system. Every single piece of electric equipment that I use
must be specially designed for electrically handicapped people meaning
special grounding and reduced emission levels.

There is scientific evidence behind the phenomenon too (feel free to contact
me for further details). According to the newest findings it can be
estimated that probably 1-2 percent of the population of the western
countries will suffer similar pains than I am if the emission levels of
cellular base stations are not degreased by 1/100th parts.

I don't want to foment panic, but clearly state the facts of the case.
Wouldn't you do the same if you were me and you had the information I have?
So if anyone is interested I can supply with more info and weblinks
etc...but please do NOT actively think about radiation around you! Radiation
harm only very few people but one can think he is affected if one thinks
about it 24 hours a day. What I'd really hope for you to do is when you hear
your friends go:"hey that hypersensitivity stuff is fucking bullshit" you
can correct them then, hopefully? That day will come when your friends
say it. They will not believe it before they personally know someone who is
affected by radiation.

You remix people don't personally know me but you can dl my remixes and say:
"OK, not bad" and you can assume that I am at least partially sane person,
because insane people would not be able a) to enjoy C64 music and b) to
remix them intelligently. (actually, my Vertigo remix is not very
intelligent, but nevermind that

I would estimate that it takes 10-20 years when this sickness is generally
as known as AIDS or MadCow disease is. So basically I'm showing you people
the future. And future is pretty ugly I can tell you that much....

Of course it restricts things a lot. You see that effetice 2 hours is when I
have only this eqipment on:
a) monitor (flatpanel, brand MultiQ, the only fully emission free monitor on
the market),
b) computer (as far away from me as it can, about 2 meters)
c) my keyboard (LiteON SK-7100, battery operated, only keyboard I can use)

But when I compose, I need to turn on also my audio system and my Marhshall
Pre-amp, that's like 2 more electric adapters operating in the room which
mean that the amount of time I can physically be in the room is max 1 hour.
But I'm really happy it's even that, because about 6 months ago it was 30
minutes. So I guess I'm making slow recovery. Maybe next year I can use my
equipment for 4-5 hours. Hopefully. ;-)

Oh yeah and I forgot that I have to hold electric guitar that has small
currents going on in the strings too. They are minor currents but I can
"feel" them.

The problem really is that sometimes when I get carried away I tend to sit
with computer for so long that my nervous system cannot carry the "pain"
signals anymore, that's when I can sit for 10 hours without ny pains.
(That's prolly the same thing that your nervous system does when you're
drunk, you can fall from Empire State building and you won't feel a
thing... But the drawback of those "monster-sessions" is that I then
cannot use computers at all in the next 3-4 days. It kind of hits back in
the body really really hard. I feel really really "weak" after using
electric equipment too much. (By "weak" I mean a state when a person cannot
raise one's limbs...)

Simply because it has not been done that much. There's really only Puffy and
Press Play on Tape who have done anything (except for Nexus by R. Ouwehand)
sensible with guitar. I have to rely on guitar pretty much because that'a
about the only instrument I can say I can play. Drumming and pianostuff is
more like guessing.

OK. Puffy is a great! There are many differences between us. He's a lot
better rhythm guitarist than I am. He does fantastic job on arranging the
guitar in the "mid-area" and I'm not talking about mixing. His rhythm is not
in the back and not in the front either. The only thing (sometimes) that I
dislike is the sound. His use of synth is more advanced than mine.

I consider myself perhaps a bit advanced player what comes to technical
ability so I'd be expected to remix complex stuff more accurately.

Walking in the nature and doing martial arts. Meditation. (no kidding)

I'm really into the stuff that Jeff Beck, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Tony
McAlpine do guitar. It definitely shows in my remixes. I try to surf
somewhere between my own style, c64-style and guitar shredding style. It's
interesting place to be actually.

At the moment I'm remixing Hawkeye which I can test my technical playing.
Also I have a pal who will join me to play synth and drums. Let's see what
happens.

I use Yamaha SW1000XG soundcard and Marshall pre-amp for guitar. I don't
need any delays or effects because the soundcard can handle everything. At
the moment I can use about 1 percent of the functionality the system allows.
There's lots to learn.

At the moment I have released only 2 remixes: Delta and Vertigo.

Delta suited guitar perfectly. Some people actually didn't recognize that
the midpart of delta was played with guitar. There were a bit of pads yes,
but the main theme (which I made up, I always add something extra) was all
electric guitar.

Vertigo suits guitar very well too. Thinking back I regret releasing the
version I did. It was mixed badly, had too many things going on and people
really didn't get the joke it contained. I really don't see any point trying
to mimic SID with guitar 100 percent so you might expect more weird stuff
from me.

As I said, Hawkeye. I have tabbed (to tab= to make a tabulature aka
"guitarists notes") of many songs. I won't release the names so they will be
surprises.

One experiment that I'd really like to do is to make a potpour of c64remixes
with added guitar melodyline and backing track. I have tried incorporating
heavy rhythm to for example on Instant Remedy's Last Ninja (extended) and
boy does it kick the song out of the room. Total killer combination.

Biggles /Fred Gray

Schema F, Lman, SoundWavers, THC, C.Abbot, E. Pochesci, Instant Remedy,
MistaDistah, Furniss, Jeroen Breebaart..there are lots of great remixers
out there.

I dislike songs that sound like they are ripped with some sw and then added
mididrums. It was actually a big disappointment to me to know about sid2midi
because before that I had thought that everybody transcripts the music by
ear (like I still do).

Sometimes I don't like the hostile attitude of the scene, people getting
angry on the list etc. I think we have lots of commercial potential if we
push this thing forward together. And I don't mean that I do this to get
money or to get laid (laughs.), I'm the most anti-commercial man you could
think of.

This should be a fun hobby. And it is if we make it. BITLIVE was a good
example of the good sides of the scene. I felt sad that I couldn't attend it
due to my sickness.

Transcribing the song by ear definitely. That's a slow but rewarding
process. Some may call me stupid but I learned to play the instrument by ear
and that's what I stick with.

People who make up web pages, do interviews, arrange events and release
commercial stuff.

Let's be a bit more supportive and say good things when they are due. We are
very very special people with special gift so let's not spoil it. Viva C64
music!

Well it opened my eyes, i hope it has done the same for you. This infliction should be made more public. It made me appreciate his music even more so after hearing about this.

- Neil