The Story of Vic

Vic/Acme/Level-D

Ok, hmm.. I've been thinking about this for a little while.. read some scener-articles in hugi24, saw the loads of pages with text, got afraid I wouldn't be able to write that much about the topic! Not that that's really important.. length that is :))

Anyway, I'll simply write down what has happened the last few years and we'll see how far we get. :)

So, let's say, we go back some years to 1996. I was 21, quit school (never was a learner), went working full-time at the bakery I already worked part-time. I was of course in about all my spare time trying to make some music. For the scene mostly.. Well, everything I suppose really..

Anyway, I hadn't a clue what the future had in store for me. I quite school because it sucked and because I didn't really know what else to do, I became a full time bread-guy.. So with the money earned I got me some midi gear... first a Yamaha a3000 sampler.. learned how to use cubase, found out I needed a mixer too so got me a plain Spirit thing.

Vic was doing his first midi tunes.. And as time went by I started to really like this world of midi and got me some other stuff.. synth, module, some fx's, better mixer, etc.

By this time it was 1999 and I finally found the study that would fit me taste: SAE (School for Audio Engineering). It is a 9 months course and they tell you stuff about sound and equipment that's pretty interesting (luckily :) and I learned a great deal!

So I had a classmate, and he and I shared some music and he said "hey I know this guy that would perhaps like your music and do something with it". So we went to his office and chatted a bit and he showed me his studio (which was a big smelly mess :) but it had all those good old analogue things which is pretty ok!)

So I gave him a demo CD and never heard from him again :)

Then when SAE was over I thought, I need to quit this bakery thing and earn my money with music! So I got a job at a big audio rental company. You would go to (dance) events setup the sound (shit load of work btw and HEAVY speakers :). It was cool work, BUT IT PAID LIKE SHIT! At the bakery I got 2 as much...

Anyway, gotta have some faith I thought..

Later at one event I heard someone call my name.. It appeared to be the guy I gave the demo CD to the other day (month really..). He said he'd listened to it and he quite liked it and if I could come by his office again the next day. And so I did.. He told me great things about his publishers and labels and yadayadayada.. But I was a newbie! and I didn't know -what- to believe.. He also offered me to 'run' his studio, because he was busy doing other things.. I said YEAH and we rebuild the whole thing (it's not SO big, about 20 m2 and just a soundproof room with midi stuff.. so no recording area or something).

2000, there I was.. moved all my stuff over to the studio to merge it with the rest.. I had a free place to make noise whenever I wanted! Free as in, Frank (the studio-owner-guy) would arrange to have projects to work on.. music for company demos, commercials etc. I would do the music and we both get our share of the income. Never did a single thing concerning that btw :) Or at least, not for him..

He also arranged for me to work at Now&Wow (coolest club in Holland, if you believe what the papers say) where they needed a new sound guy. So I took the job.

Also learned a shit load there.. it's been a really good learning environment. Everything was arranged so shit, that you had to do lots yourself :) Though it also meant working 60h a week or so.. and the salary wasn't that great either! You had to make sure the audio system was setup on Saturdays. Brake it down and setup on Mondays for other event held in the building, arrange additional gear and people if for example a band comes and of course be present at the show and press and turn some knobs. So I did that for 4 months.. then went back to the bakery again :) where I now still work 3 days a week..

Back to the music.

So, what was I doing in the studio then? Well, basically my own stuff.. Made a load of tracks.. Made a demo CD which I never demoed to anyone, except played live with a band at TakeOver01 against a frozen audience which took about 15mins convincing to get out of their seats in the first place! :) It was fun nevertheless.. We practiced for about half a year with the band in the studio.. once a week and we managed to do quite a lot of all the midified instruments with live played ones. The idea was to do more with the band. TO01 was kind of a practice to see how we would do on stage. But after TO01, holidays came and after that it died a silent death..

So, as you may have noticed, we are already in the year 2001 and I've been making music for let's say, my ass... But hey, working only 3 days at the bakery and spend 4 in the studio.. which costs nothing.. I didn't really mind what happened.. (I may be 26, but I feel like 18 still :) Though by this time still had not made any serious money with music.. hmm. Frank had promised me all sorts of things as well.. I was kind of waiting for that too.. but it never came..

After the holidays however, things started to change.. I had made some danceable tunes and I had a friend who was doing that too and djing as well and he got signed by this label and got a record out etc. And he heard those danceable tunes and said, hey why don't I show these to the label dude? And so he did.. Got a call the next day if I would come over for a chat :) So I went there, had a good open talk about what he had in mind and what my plans are. Eventually to go home with the contract, check it and sign it. That vinyl will be coming out soon (if not already when this is out) and more to follow!

Right after this, I got a mail from Alex Evans (We-all-love-him-Statix :) who now works at Lionhead and he said two ex-colleagues were doing a very nice racing game now and that they were searching for someone to do music and sound for it. So YEAH OF COURSE! That's cool! Made contact with the chaps, gave them all my music and fortunately they liked it! So that's my main occupation now. For all you interested, www.liveforspeed.com. In March there will be a demoversion available for all you peeps to check! But get a wheel, it's MUCH nicer that way :) Though, still no money... yet. I'm not on a payroll with the game since they don't have any money either.. That's why I still work at the bakery. Money will (hopefully in showers :) be coming only when the game is sold. There is a risk of course.. it may not sell at all and 'waste' a year on that...but well.. we'll see what happens later! It's a cool game.. I promise.. Alex has done some very nice things for it too ;)

And money from the vinyl will not be much either.. it's more a hobby.. it's cool to have your tune on vinyl! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I already did some remixes which are on vinyl.. (I can put names here, but you wouldn't know them anyway...) it paid.. a little..

So that's about up to now.. my weekly schedule is Su-We full time studio, Th-Sa bakery and a little bit of studio. I love doing music but I'm not out for the big buck.. it would be nice, but if I can make a living out of it I'm happy!

Vic/Acme/Level-D