Interview No. 157

Interview By: @The-Great-One

[ PART 1 | PART 2 ]

Q: Sunny Days is a cool General Rock song. Dedicated to the Summer you missed. What can you tell us about that Summer and the themes that went into this song?

A: Ah that summer... and every other summer. :) It's not so much a particular summer as summer overall. I've recorded similar homages later on, like Summer Stuff in 2014.

Sunny Days is an upbeat track, meant to convey the sensation I feel when the sun comes around after a time without. A small streak of euphoria and boundless optimism fueled by that great fiery orb in the sky that keeps feeding us life.

We have long winters here, and so we appreciate all the sunshine we can get. Not only that, but in our family we've been spending our summers at what I referred to as the family home above, an old house by a little farm-like patch of unkempt land in the middle of nowhere, for as long as we can each year since before I was born.

When I studied at a distance that meant three months, the pinnacle of all summers; now it's more like two, split up into two or three shorter trips. We savor the time. We farm our own food, fetch what we can from the forests, swim, get together and get closer to nature. When I had less responsibilities I wrote a lot during those summers.

It's really the highlight of the year. The snow melts in May and usually starts falling again in October, so it's a short-lived dream, vacation limits or no.

Q: Audizzity is an awesome rap song compiled of the pieces you made with Audacity only. Why did you take on this endeavor and what can you tell me about your rap influences?

A: Some time during 2014 I had the urge to make some music, but I didn't want to resort to the simple software I'd been using before. I had a Fruity Loops phase as well, but as I started working less and less with the instrumental aspect of music and more so just vocal recordings, I moved over to Audacity, and thought it'd be a fun experiment to see if I could actually mix together some real tracks there. As real as you might consider them considering the limited scope of the project.

The bits in Audizzity are all simple, the verses mostly short and repetitive, and the beats mostly based on instrumental samples: kick drums, hi hats and various bits of percussion that I repeated and chopped up as makeshift beats. Even with limited editing capabilities - if you've used Audacity you'll know it's not really meant for this type of work - I'm happy with how it turned out, as very much just a quick spur of the moment project. Glad you enjoyed it too!

My influences in regard to rap were maybe initially fueled by Limp Bizkit. I found out about them in middle school, and at the time the edginess in their music was one I both related to and loved just because it was just that. Edgy. It was a whole new world. Yes I'm part of that generation.

The first CDs I ever bought were Rammstein's 'Sehnsucht' and Kid Rock's 'Devil Without A Cause'. I guess the latter influenced me as well. Before this I'd been listening mostly to glam rock and pop, courtesy of my big bro/sister, but the world of metal, and nu metal in particular, was something else. After Limp Bizkit came Linkin Park as one of those perspective-altering musical revelations, with a style unheard of before. A true hybrid of genres.

Pure rap-related inspirations actually came a lot later. I'd listened to oldschool icons like LL Cool J and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (still underrated - props to Joyner on paying respects where due) via my brother before, but got into Eminem around the dawn of the millennium, and after that... I can't name just a few. Influences came from all places. Here in Sweden I went to school at a time when rap was just starting to get established in our culture, with artists like Petter, Timbuktu and Thomas Rusiak, so they probably played a role too.

I'm currently deep into Strange Music and all artists they collaborate with, but there's so much talent out there. Hard to name just a few individual inspirations.

Q: My favorite instrumental by you absolutely is Dream Flow. Ever since the days of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas I have loved this type of ambience. Not in your face, in the background, but not too much that it is distracting. Where did the inspiration for this come from? Could lyrics be put to this or are there melodies that do not need them?

A: Thanks. This is very much a type of music I like working with too, laid-back and ambient in appreciable ways. The inspiration at the time mostly came from the samples I worked with - I don't think there were any outside influences that made me go for this specific sound.

I do feel like instrumentals never inherently need a performance to go with them. Music's great as is, and lyricism is great as is too, but when you put them together... they do enforce each other. They become an experience. The instruments might evoke a feeling, but the lyrics add a meaning. A story or a message. Instrumental music has its time and place I feel, but a full-fledged composition, with focus on vocals, feels like a much more wholesome experience to me.

That said I wouldn't want vocals on everything. Sometimes you just want to appreciate the sound, and as you say it's easier to leave on in the background, the more ambient and subconscious the better for focus-requiring dues.

It'd be interesting to turn some of these old beats into full-fledged songs though... might pick up on that idea some day.

I also loved GTA San Andreas. It's probably the one game I've spent by far the most time on, and still one of my favorites of all time. Maybe it really was an influence for me too.

Q: Cyberdevil's Back and Cyberdevil's Back (2016) would come out in 2013 and 2016 respectively. They announced your return and are both fantastic rap songs. What made you want to make songs for both of your returns?

A: At the time I made a much bigger deal out of my summer vacations than I do now, treating them as almost a holy form of hiatus. I didn't go online at all for months at a time, and when I returned I liked the idea of coming back with a bang(er).

It was also an easy topic to write about, and a fun way to announce my arrival; set things in motion again.

When the first one came about I'd recently come into contact with Jabun, I believe I had the verse written and wondered if he could make some music for it, and he really went above and beyond, emulating a nu-metal style we both love with the instrumental. It wasn't part of my request at all. Turns out we had plenty of musical influences and tastes in common. And so much more too.

In 2016 I came back from summer with a similar verse, wondering if he could add some percussion to it. I had a very specific structure in mind, where the beats followed the annunciation in the raps, and it was apparently really difficult to make a beat that synced the way I imagined, as it wasn't made according to any definable BPM.

The first may sound more wholesome, but I'm sure the second one was a much greater challenge to make, with a rhythm so unorthodox the percussion had to be manually adjusted for each part. With that in mind it's a fun project to look back on. It really stands out among my other tracks.

Q: My favorite rap song by you is entitled From Ash To Alabaster. How and when did you meet Jabun and what can you tell us about your working together on your projects including this one?

A: We met via NG, though I'm not sure who took contact with who first. If he was looking for collaborations to boost his presence, or if the first call was me asking about that one verse on the first Cyberdevil's Back.

However it all started I'm glad it did, and it's since been somewhat of an unofficial goal to at least collaborate on one track per year, though we've missed a few now. I had a guest verse included on his Two Years On album (released under the band name Better Than The Book) a couple years back for example. Real honor.

From Ash To Alabaster came about in a similar way to Cyberdevil's Back, though the beat's actually based on a commercial one I'd written and recorded to already ( B.O.B.s 'Airplanes'), but didn't have the rights to use. I wondered if he could maybe make a new one that sounded similar and so he did! I believe he had some pointers on structure with this one, I adjusted my lyrics a bit, and you can hear him faintly on the hooks as well, and towards the end, as my voice didn't come through so well on any bits related to singing.

It turned out beyond expectation. It's usually the first track I link to if I want to introduce someone to my sound, even if I feel my vocal tone could be better.

Jabun's a humble dude. Very positive, forthcoming and easy to work with, not to mention incredibly talented with all that involves music. Hopefully these almost-yearly collabs are still far from over!

Fun fact: The first Cyberdevil's Back was actually recorded on a voice recorder, thus the lo-fi tone. I didn't have a real microphone at the time, but finally managed to get an upgrade with this one.

Q: Summer Stuff is a project you would work on with S3C. Which came first in this song the lyrics or the melody or did you both collaborate on them throughout the project?

A: First off big props to @S3C, probably my longest standing acquaintance/collaborateur/frequent commentator/dare-I-say-friend here on the grounds. I believe I stumbled upon his music in a similar way as with Jabun's, and asked if he wanted to work on something (correct me if I'm wrong @S3C). It's not our first collaboration, but maybe the first that's been uploaded. He had a few beats at the time and I wrote up some lyrics for one, which then turned into this.

The vibe felt just perfect. Sunny Days and soothing summer nostalgia come again. It's probably the most authentic depiction of how we (as in me and my folks/family) spend our summers yet.

I wrote an After Summer Stuff remix around the same time too. There are a few other verses for that same beat that never went past the writing stage. Really good beat. I could probably write a whole album with it.

I usually write lyrics in one sitting with the instrumental already made, depending on who I'm working with, but with rap in particular it feels like it's also the standard practice to have the beat ready from the start. Occasionally to start with a loop and build a structure around that as a track progresses.

Q: What is in your opinion the definition of music? How would you describe rap music?

A: I used to say that music is life. Or life is music.

I believe it's a reflection of how you feel and think. A way to get out a message to the world. A way to share your emotions and personal experiences. A way for people to relate and join in said journey. Communication you don't necessarily have to understand to bond with or immerse yourself in - therapeutic and transcendent of any boundaries between us.

A form of expression, in essence.

Rap, to me, feels like an amplification of the story-telling potential that music has, with or without the art of wordplay. Like a bridge between poetry and sound.

So maybe it's like this: Music's the art of expression. and rap's the art of words.

Q: As a musician, which do you feel you like more in a song, the melody or the lyrics?

A: The lyrics, hands down. It's probably why I also consider myself a lyricist first and foremost.

It feels like you don't need music at all to appreciate good lyrics, yet good music with bad lyrics can be painful to listen to.

I tend to shy away from mainstream music for this reason. I like something that says something, and unfortunately it seems rare in pop culture now. I'm also all the more impressed by artists who write their own songs, and feel like it heightens their performance. It always seems all the more authentic an expression when they can relate to what they're singing and performing too. And I can relate to them if they relate to their own music.

There are definitely exceptions, but that seems to be the rule of thumb, for me at least. I pride myself on not falling for the formula and getting stuck in everything that sounds the same. Anything that's more about monetary gain than expression and passion and soul.

Q: You are quite the busy individual with your hands in a lot of different pots. How would you describe your system for balancing all of these projects with your day-to-day life?

A: As very nonfunctional.

I still struggle to prioritize the right things, and to stay prolific and positive when the dues amount. I ride on waves of efficiency, then sometimes stall and come to a standstill entirely, moving on with only the most superficial and dopamine-inducing things (if you really want to get something done, then cut out all other rewarding tasks until the prospect of completing that one thing is the most rewarding thing you can imagine).

In theory I feel like I have a good idea of how such a system should work though. Don't wait. Start with the most important thing as soon as you wake up. Don't stall. Don't hesitate. Don't let yourself get stuck - move onto something else if you do, or take a break. Efficiency is something you hone as much as anything else, and even with creative work there's no room to work only when inspiration strikes. Work with the inspiration when you get it, but work around the barricades even when things don't seem to be going your way. Also calm down. Don't stress unnecessarily, just grind on. Relax when you can, but take pride in your work ethic, and fuel yourself with affirmations.

It also seems like the secret to achieving this may be to first find a balance in life that you're happy and healthy with, that lets you keep going without ever having or wanting to slow down with that which you choose to do. If you're not there yet though best just keep going.

As it is I simply spend a lot of time in front of the computer, both with work and hobby, and try to focus on whatever's most important at any particular point in time. Maybe some day I'll actually adapt all of the advice above. It's a work in progress.

Q: What can we expect from Cyberdevil in the future?

A: You can hopefully expect more frequent musical collaborations, and a wavering but never-waning presence on this here the greatest of creative oasis(es?).

I'd also like to get back to writing more spontaneously, and tackle a long-overdue update on some of my sites, not least the very little but hopefully soon to be expanded shortcut one NG Pot.

Cyberdevil is one of the best rappers on Newgrounds. He may not have the best flow, he may not even have the best beat. He does have an armory of words. He has a way of weaving his thoughts and opinions into a melodic form that we can all embrace and enjoy. From one writer to another, I am privileged to speak with him about his craft. And more to have his notes on my craft. Cyberdevil is a treasure to us that we should not neglect.