None other than Bazooka talks about some of his own productions, producer techniques, and background of his tracks.
After already letting us know about some of the productions by the Amiga Shock Force, this is most welcome.
If you are into Hardcore, Bazooka probably needs no introduction. But let us just mention that he was a killer producer on the German Shockwave and Speedcore labels, had international productions on labels like Atomic Hardcore Recordings (USA) or Mokum (The Netherlands), and also was involved in a lot of drumnbass stuff.
But now, let's hear what he has to say!
I did not get on Shockwave before 1995. Martin (The Speed Freak) was well known already, because of his releases on Mono Tone and Mokum.
The first track for the SH1515 EP ("Bazooka – On Da Battlefield") was "Ich hasse dich", and was originally created on an Amiga. After I got the deal with Shockwave Recordings, I re-created the entire track on an Atari ST with Cubase and an EMAX sampler, with much better soundquality (there went my last and only money).
I produced the other tracks after that using E-MU samplers. SH1515 was entirely on EMAX (just one stereo output!). Everything after that ("Da Tankkilla EP" / CD compilation tracks) was produced on an E-MU ESI-32 or E64 (and later E6400), and with Logic on a Macintosh with 8 audio out channels - no compressor, I only owned the sampler - then it was put on DAT and sent off to Shockwave.
Here's an anecdote: Atari and Cubase were cool, and the only reason I switched to Logic and Macintosh was because fucking Cubase just went up to 250 BPM. Which was quite the bad thing for me as the probably first hardcore producer who was using Cubase. I had 280 BPM tracks that I edited on 140 BPM with a different "grid", which was annoying. Logic had 9999 BPMs then, and everything was clear. I used Logic for the next 15 years. Until Apple bought everything, and it got more colorful and worse.
The track "Ich hasse Dich" has a funny background story. The other tracks came into existence, most of the time without "deeper meaning", but there was always an idea behind them.
This track was about my ex-girlfriend.
I got the samples "Ich hasse dich" ("I hate you" in German) by using a video recorder - a stereo recorder with single outputs, that an acquaintance of my father got from a copy plant. I simply tuned into a channel (I had no TV) and started sampling. How big are the chances that you get good samples in this way? Close to zero.
Suddenly there was "Ich liebe dich nicht, ich hasse Dich, ich hasse dich". I found that so funny that I put them in the track, too, and "dedicated" them to my ex. Normally, I do not like German samples, but this was fitting well.
I also liked the "Gervais Obstgarten" advertising of that time, or rather the bad tune in the advert. I sampled that one months before I got the deal with Shockwave, and put it into the beginning of my track.
Speed Freak seemed to think in the same way, so I got the deal. He told me "Your stuff fits perfectly to Shockwave".
I was doing community service at the kindergarten at that point (editor's note: the only way to legally avoid the German military draft, when the draft still existed). When he called me, I was sweeping leaves on the roof of the kindergarten, and after the phone call I felt "naturally high" for the first time. I saw colors in the leaves and the surrounding, and everything was fine.
It was similar with the track "Die 303 Machine". By now, I was recording videotapes, and then listened to them afterwards. I discovered this Interview with a Chicago Techno Producer, maybe Carl Cox (or someone else). The German guy asked him questions, and the interpreter translated them, but it was so bad and chaotic because they understood nothing, and I was laughing myself to death.
After I had cut the samples, edited, and arranged the song (for a much too long time), I could not listen to the samples anymore, because they were so fucking bad and they disgusted me. I never listened to them ever again.
An old acquaintance out of Bottrop had bought a 303 on a flea market for 50 DM (Note: around 25 Euro) just at that time. He had bought it from a guitarist who thought it would be an electronic replacement for a bassist, and was disappointed by the beeping sound, so he discarded the trash.
My friend re-sold the 303 right away - for 1400 DM - and it was about to be picked up on monday. I talked him into letting me use the 303 over the weekend, and, after ages, I somehow managed to program the 303 and sample it, and then finished the track.
And how about something else. The Star Wars song. I had the idea while riding my BMX. We often biked from Bottrop to Dortmund. There was the "Keuninghaus" or something like that. An ice rink, with ramps in the summertime.
There was music playing all the time, and I heard a song by rappers from Dortmund, called "Rabenschwarze Nacht", they were sprayers, too (so they were not too far away from me), and I thought, cool, it's a good idea, I create a HC song with this.
I talked my brother into buying the Starwars CD, because I had no money, to get the perfect sound source. Straight into the EMU, off to Shockwave.
I watched all Star Wars movies in parallel then and wrote down the time codes, for sampling, for vocal samples, sfx, etc... (for example, the Agent Orange with Dirk (from Amiga Shock Force) was created out of that too. Because I had found and sampled every R2D2 sample, and then they were used for the Agent Orange).
A LOT of work, creating the intro, etc.
Later, there was an "answer track" by Speed Freak - with the good Star Wars melody - so it was like Rebels vs Empire.
Everyone influenced each other.
We thank you for these insights so far, Ralf, and hope to hear more in the future!
Bazooka on bandcamp: https://bazookaauralcarnage.bandcamp.com/
On discogs: https://www.discogs.com/artist/17337-Bazooka