Interview with Yerzmyey elph/CPU That time I've got Yerz's music. While listening to oldschool so- unds and watching crazy pics, i thought that H-PRG is the most ac- tive European Speccy team now. Always unpredictable, headcrushing and full of schizophrenic ideas. Its interesting to know what lies behind the screen and how it was started for Yerz and the rest of the team. elph> I've heard that Hooy-Prog- ram was founded in 1989, is this true? It's sounds great for me, be- cause here, in ex-USSR we didn't have any groups that time. So tell the story of H-PRG. Yerz> Well, yes - that's true. I started to make my first demo with H-PRG name in winter of 1989 and I finished it in 1990. Of course the demo was extremely primitive, but yes - it was a beginning of H-PRG. :) I thought out HOOY-PROGRAM name, as I always wanted to make funny programs, stuff with sense of humour. I was watching many Po- lish funny zx-demos (Kaz&Ziutek's, ESI, and many others) and I was laughing. :) So I wanted to make people laugh as well. :) H-PRG has a 2-years break in its activity. It was 1994-1995. Last two demos I made in 1993 and I thought in that time, that Spec- cy is dead and nobody is interes- ted in zx-progs. But in 1996 I fo- und many new progs on internet and I started demomaking again. :) And I do it until now. :) We had many strange members, now they are gone... We have made some crazy-demos for PC too. elph> It's very interesting to know, is 'Hooy' word from your na- tive language? Yerz> Hehehe, yes - HUJ means the same what in Russian. :) A dick. :) Our name is a joke as eve- rything what we make is a joke too. :) Sadly some people without sense of humour can forget about it, but well, fuck them. ;) elph> Tell me your current mem- berstatus and some info about each man. Yerz> Well, ok then. Me - Yerzmyey musician. I make some graphix too. I spread our pro- ducts. And I force everybody to work. ;) Polish. Vavrzon - gfx, ideas... Polish. But in fact his job in our group is mostly only vodka-drinking. ;) Hellboj - a coder. He makes some gfx sometimes. Czech. Gasman - a coder. And a musician. British. TDM - a coder and musician. Czech. Expirt - a coder and very crazy man. :) elph> as I remind, Expirt is a new- comer, isn't he? Can you tell me the age of each member and their real life occupations (I un- derstand, that it isn't too 'scene related' question, but it is inte- resting to know how does your life look like)? Yerz> I have no idea what Expirt does in his real life. Hellboj studies nuclear physics. Vavrzon - psychology. Me - work in OPEL (hhehe, I know it's awful) and I study hm, hm, how I should call it in English... 'Knowledge about culture'...? Habib - finished studies about re- ligions. Gasman...? I have no idea, hehehe. TDM - the same. I have no idea what they makes in their real life. I mean it. :) elph> What products, as you think, are the most significant releases of your group? Yerz> Hmmmm. Most typical for us are so-called "old-school demos". But what demo is most significant? I don't think I can tell it. I think only watchers can say it. What do I like the most of our progs? Probably "CANNON BALL" demo... And "PONDLIFE" (my first bigger co-operation with Gasman). But I like our crazy-demos too. :) "CRAPMO" series... Or "DUPA BIS- KUPA" demo... :) Hehhehehe. We ma- ke them in this way: we sit, drink vodka and code. :) It's great fun, man. elph> Yes, i know what you mean, we are doing the same ;) What rele- ases we can expect from H-PRG in near future? Yerz> Well, I have just finished "Yerzmyey's Music-Tape" - a hu- ge music-collection, probably the bigger ever made for Spectrum. I included there almost 40 of my tu- nes made since 1998 to 2001. What will be next? Well, I have some plans actually. We are still ma- king a demo with Expirt (new-school). We make next one de- mo with Hellboj (old-school mega- demo). And we started to think about some new-school demo with Hellboj. elph> It's cool to read about for- thcoming products from you, hope we'll compete at some party this year ;)). What is going on with Spectrum related teams in your city ? Here, in Rybinsk we have a situation, when someone have to work a lot to earn money for li- ving, so some of CPU members simply have no time for creation, coz multinational corporations took their lives away... Yerz> Well, in my city - Krakow only Iceman was making demos for ZX, but as I know, he's a seri- ous doctor now, hehehe, so probab- ly he abandoned Speccy. Generally it seems that I am the last active ZX demo-maker in WHOLE Poland, man... There was DC PAK/CLAW, but he's silent for years... There was Jordan/Exodus, he even said that he'll release some demo, but... He did nothing with it. It's sad, I know... elph> Ok, lets talk about the past... we all know what is going on today, but 10 years ago we had no contacts out of our country. Where did you get new demos at the beginning? Yerz> Hmmm. I got demos/utils and games from some kind of market. Not some professional shops, but from big market, where ppl sell and buy progs (pirates version not legal - of coz ;) ). It was on the beginning of '90 years. Cool times. :) We got progs from fri- ends too... :) elph> I know, there were many crackers in Poland, who was the greatest in your opinion? Yerz> Hmmmm. I don't remember them very well actually. I remem- ber cracks from Bill Gilbert, Kicia, Radxcell and other ppl... Hacker Chris. Jacek Michalak. I don't remember them, really. Espe- cially that now we are drinking vodka with Habib and Vavrzon. :) elph> The majority of i-net connec- ted people have already read inte- resting news about your hardcore ay-oriented audio project. I think it's a great idea, so how it was born, what is the progress for now and what do you plan to do with the whole material? Yerz> Well, I have made two trax for now. Music is made on speccy (bass/percussion/noises) and rest is added on professional stuff. Ta- ke a look on: http://mp3.com/spectrum_of_terror For now only Factor 6 sent me some tunes to remix. Actually I ma- de this project mostly for Russian people as they make the best hard techno. But nobody from Russia ga- ve me a sign of life. :( I don't know why. elph> Time have passed since our last mails with Yerz. The amount of stuff he is spreading by e-mail, remains on the same great level, new project (Ay-Riders) started, Gasman released a demo for ASM2002, some local drinking parties, organised by H-PRG took place... I hope, this endless, ir- rational fallic energy will evoke insanity in me and you, giving birth to the pieces of art, never seen on this planet before...