Line out: XCOPY

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> STC: Hello there!

> XCOPY: Ciao! Grazie mille per l’invito, è un vero piacere ;)

> STC: How did it started? How did you step into micromusic? Were you a fan/listener before performing it?

> XCOPY: I started quite late with the Amiga scene. My first live set was in 2020. Before that, I was doing sound collages and was already deeply interested in the lowbit underground scene. I was also releasing music on floppy disks through my own label, Pionierska Records. Together with my friend Zenial from the Polish demoscene, who was part of the older swapping generation, we released a few classic demoscene-style productions.

That’s really how my journey with demoscene and Amiga music began. Before that, I experimented with making music on calculators and did a few things on the Game Boy, but I dropped it quite quickly in favor of ProTracker on the Amiga. It just felt closer to me. My roots go back to Atari and Amiga culture from the 90s.

> STC: What's your hardware/software specs, and why did you choose it? Did you change it in years?

> XCOPY: At the beginning, I wanted to be very purist and faithful to the original hardware, that’s why I bought another Amiga and pushed myself to perform within that setup. But over time, I realized you have to evolve, especially in terms of mobility and practical thinking. These machines are very delicate now, even well-maintained Amigas don’t like constant traveling. And since I’m not a wealthy person, I had to rethink how to tour efficiently.

I travel mostly by train or buses and try to keep everything minimal, so I started working on the smallest possible setup that still keeps the same workflow. I tested things like Raspberry Pi, but it didn’t work out due to latency issues.

The real breakthrough came when I got the A500 Mini and adapted it to my needs, building my own setup around it, designing and 3D-printing a custom case, and using small 3.5-inch screens. That really did the job (big thanks to Janek for the print).

Now I’m fully mobile, and even flying low-cost with just hand luggage is no problem for me anymore.

> STC: Are there any other music instruments outside of the Amiga? Were you born as electronic musician?

> XCOPY: I recorded a lot on cassette tapes in the past. At some point I was also doing tape DJ sets under the nic DOLBY, basically mixing and performing using cassettes. I was traveling a lot and playing shows back then, and tapes became my first real love.

Part of it was also practical, I didn’t have much money, and cassettes were the cheapest medium available. But that limitation gave them a kind of punk energy, which really fit me. I actually started in the punk scene, playing in bands, so everything evolved quite naturally from there and started to blend together.

So no, I wasn’t “born” as an electronic musician. It was more like a gradual mutation, from punk, to tapes, to machines.

> STC: Why 2 Amigas and not one single Tracker? Do you like the "dj attitude" of mixing your own tracks? Do you provide any syncronizazion feature between them (audio midi-clock..)

> XCOPY: No, there’s no cable synchronization at all. Everything is done manually, you trigger, adjust, and correct things by hand in real time. It’s a very physical process.

The software I use, PT1210, is actually quite new, it dates from around 2014. So it’s not something from the original era, but a modern demoscene creation. Honestly, I can say that thanks to the PT1210 guys, my life changed a lot, really a lot.

> STC: Where your inspiration come from? Is there a particular artist that influenced your style?

> XCOPY: I truly love demoscene productions, and a huge part of my inspiration comes from people around me. Artists like XSM, Amiga Junglism, Si Goes Retro, Teo, cTrix, Juice, Randall, Celsius, h0ffman, Dascon, TZX, Magiel, Lynn Drumm, Subi, DJ Nest, Mygg, Zenial, Skope, Qwan, Stekker, Jazzcat, Jammer, KK and also friends like Tomarkus, Kalosz, Pator, Aceman, Dalthon, E!ghtBM, Dokthor, Dan, and 2G1B, and many others.

I really recommend checking out their work, not only modules but also productions on other platforms. It’s not just about MOD files, there’s also amazing stuff made with Adlib Tracker or on ZX Spectrum. For example, Pator’s ZX Spectrum tracks are pure gold, no doubt about it.

That whole ecosystem is a constant source of inspiration for me.

> STC: Do you find aesthetic or style matters in your hardware limits? And what are your pros & cons of having less evoluted trackers?

> XCOPY: I think it pushes me more toward composing with a sense of dramaturgy. Before, I used to just pour things in without much structure, but now every single pattern has meaning for me.

Those four channels are actually a perfect multiplier of creativity, that’s enough. It’s really satisfying when everything has to be carefully thought through. You don’t get lost in your own creation that way.

> STC: What's your relationship with the underground scene in Poland?

> XCOPY: As I mentioned before, I ran my own label for about 10 years, and I was involved in a few different bands and projects. I played a lot of shows in cities like Kraków, Warsaw, Białystok, Toruń, Bydgoszcz, Szczecin, Gdańsk, and many others.

For some time I was also active in the improvisational music scene, and as you know, that’s a space where you really connect with people through playing together. That network just kept growing naturally over time.

Right now, I’m deeply into the demoscene, and it feels like another chapter of the same journey. These kinds of niches are incredibly inspiring to me, they’ve given me a lot. I’ve met amazing people and had a great time along the way.

> STC: Tell us a bit more about "PTWeekender Crew"?

> XCOPY: In short, PT Weekender (previously PT1210 Weekender) is a non-profit online event where a group of DJs perform using two Commodore Amigas, mixing .mod tracker music, mostly dance-oriented, for both Amiga fans and music lovers.

It all started with XSM, Amiga Junglism, and Si Goes Retro, they were really the core of the crew. Then things began to grow. The first PT Weekender happened, and I joined during the second edition and stayed ever since. Now we’re heading toward the tenth edition.

It all began during the pandemic, and somehow it just kept going. It turned into a strong passion project and a really vibrant micro-community, with new DJs joining over time and sometimes old ones coming back as well.

On our server, we share samples, a lot of our own productions, finished tracks, retracks, VIP versions, and just a huge amount of music in general. It’s impossible to mention everyone involved, but I’ll try to highlight some of the key players, and apologies in advance if I miss anyone.

From the DJ core: !cyke, DJ NEST, DJ Nicci Dee, Amiga Junglism, breakbob, cTrix, Ghaleon, Tytus, h0ffman, Quaad, Si Goes Retro, Snakebyte64, Stekker, Teo, RAV, and last but not least, in my opinion absolutely crucial to building this community, the unstoppable and brilliant Xtra Spice Mikey.

> STC: Is there any micromusic/chiptune environment in Poland?

> XCOPY: I think that apart from the demoscene, which is very strong in Poland, there isn’t that much to find. If you look at people like Pator and other chiptune artists, there are definitely some great individuals, but as a wider scene, it’s quite limited.

There are projects like Mikro Orchestra (LSDJ crew) from friends in Wrocław, and a few smaller ones like Green Jesus, but overall there are really not many club events happening. Some people try to organize things in Warsaw, and Tytus made some efforts in Wrocław as well.

But somehow, this culture feels like it’s slipping away a bit in Poland, it’s not fully disappearing, but it’s becoming more and more elusive.

> STC: Is this your first tour outside Poland? Tell us about your next trip in Japan.

> XCOPY: No, not at all, I’ve already done quite a few tours around Europe. I’ve played in countries like Spain, France, Lithuania, Latvia, and Germany. I’ve also performed many times in Ukraine, since it’s quite close, with different projects, including as XCOPY.

As for Japan, I’m going there for an artistic residency with my girlfriend. We’ll be working on a field recording project called “Conversations with Fuji.” It’s a kind of performative piece, and at the same time we’re creating a larger body of documentation around it, including a book and a documentary film.

The whole project explores animistic and philosophical ideas through sound and performance.

> STC: Your tracks and livesets range from House to DNB, from Hardtechno to Jungle; We suppose it's a personal to be versatile, but what's your favourite direction in all these styles?

> XCOPY: That’s a really good question, because it actually changes a lot for me. It depends on the moment.

Right now, I feel like I’d really like to explore more experimental electronic music, something more searching and abstract. I kind of miss that aesthetic in the demoscene, the kind of feeling you’d get from labels like Raster-Noton or Mille Plateaux.

I’m also really inspired by things like the Ukrainian label Kvitnu, which I highly recommend. And artists like Pan Sonic or Frank Bretschneider, that kind of sound is something I’d love to explore more in my sets at the moment.

> STC: Do you identify more with the definition of DJ or producer? Is your approach similar to a real tracks transcription? We still don't understand your way to compose. Is what you play a "new stuff" produced by you or is it "coverization"? Tell us about your playing/composing process.

> XCOPY: I think right now I identify more as a DJ, I mostly play tracks in my sets. But I’m also working on my own material, I have an album coming out soon with around 25 tracks that I’ve been developing since 2022. It’s a big milestone for me, and I’ll probably start mixing those tracks more into my sets.

Everything I do is based on sampling. I’ve been fascinated with magnetic tape for years, and I sample a lot of material from VHS tapes. That’s where my kind of crunchy, textured sound comes from.

So what I play is a mix, some of it is my own productions, some of it is other people’s tracks, but everything goes through my own way of selection and live mixing. It’s not really about covering tracks, it’s more about reshaping and recontextualizing them in real time.

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> STC: So, how are you afer these days spent together?

> XCOPY: ..??..

> STC: What was your best tour date? Naples/Itri/Rome?

> XCOPY: ..??..

> STC: Best fun facts that your remember about this tour?

> XCOPY: ..??..

> STC: Sad to say but it's time to say goodbye! But we should say _"Qusto non è un addio, è un arrivederci!"_

> XCOPY: ..??..

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ALSO XCOPY WANTED TO THANK US IN ITALIAN:

> XCOPY: Grazie davvero, è stata un’intervista super! Le domande sono state tra le migliori e più azzeccate che abbia mai ricevuto. Davvero, grazie di cuore!