:: BB INTERVIEWS ::

:: TOKSIN ::

Toksin - An Aural Infection by Stuart Fingerhut Growing up in Berlin, Sascha Dikiciyan began learning the piano at an early age, then switched his attention to drums when he was 12. Relocating to Los Angeles, California in 1993, Sascha studied music at Hollywood's famous Musicians Institute, where he excelled in classes focused on the keyboard, music theory and recording arts. After MI, Sascha studied film scoring and composition at UCLA. Sascha's interest in video games began in the early '80's, compelling him to independently produce and release "Methods of Destruction," the first-ever audio add-on for the original Quake in 1996. "I produced and sold that CD out of my apartment in LA," explains Sascha. "It gave me the opportunity to be noticed for not just my abilities as a producer but also as an artist who understands the way music can complement visual action." Sascha captured the attention of id software and in 1997, submitted music for Quake II. After reviewing two demos, id agreed to use Sascha's original music and the path was opened for him to become one of the leading progressive voices in game music. Following the production of "Quake III: Arena Noise" Sascha realized the demand for the type of sounds he creates. In the spring of 2001, Sascha, under his company Sonic Mayhem, released his first sample CD, "Noize Loops," winning the Future Music Platinum Award. A Keyboard Magazine writer noted, "Not since Sounds Good's Methods of Mayhem sample CD have I encountered a collection with so much edge and attitude." His passion for electronic-based music extends further than scoring for video games and sound design. In the summer of 2002, Sascha began producing dance music under the name "Toksin" in tandem with his responsibilities as a video game composer. Within months, he went on to win BPM Magazine's Remix contest with his original re-production of BT's anthem, Communicate. In the years following, Toksin has produced over a dozen original recordings and remixes collaborating with some of the world's most respected and renowned vocalists and producers in dance music. The original track "Digital Divine" was released in February 2006 on Distinctive Records' long-standing electronic compilation series, Y4K featuring Nubreed. Sascha is currently composing music for "Hellgate: London," "Dark Messiah," "Splinter Cell 4" and an all-new incarnation of "Battlezone" for the Sony PSP, as well as his forthcoming breaks EP as Toksin. Most people may only know you as Toksin, the breakbeat producer. Tell me about the other side of your music career? I've been writing game scores since 1996. My first professional gig was actually Quake II for id software. I've always had a love for videogames, starting with my Commodore 20 around 1981. Later I got caught up with the amazing sound possibilities of the Amiga. Music for videogames has come a long way since. I've recently recorded a 65-piece live orchestra with my writing partner Cris Velasco in Prague for the UbiSoft title "Dark Messiah" due in October. The lines between movie scores and videogames have definitely been blurred. I try to incorporate elements I've developed as Toksin as much as I can, but game developers can only take so much madness. It's a very demanding industry and the competition is fierce! It's good 'cause it keeps me on my toes! Alright, spill it. How glamorous is the life of a videogame soundtrack producer? Well, not as glamorous as one would think. Let me tell you, I put in a lot of hours. I'm currently pushing between 12 to 15 hours a day. So much for the glamorous life. (laughing) So how did the Toksin project come about? I was looking for an artist outlet besides all the game scoring where, you know, I can just do what I want to do and no one tells me how it should sound or anything. It's been a wild ride so far and I'm glad my first couple of tracks from back in the days will never see the light of day. (laughing) You mean the ones you played for me? Yeah, they're shit! (laughing) Did you do have formal music training before you got your start? Yes, I started playing the piano when I was really young. Then around 12 I also learned the drums after working a deal with my parents that if I kept learning the piano, I could bang on drums too. I made the move to Los Angeles in my early 20s and studied keyboard and recording arts at Musicians Institute here in Hollywood. Great school and there ain't nothing like learning directly from Prince's old keyboard player. I also went to UCLA to study film music and composition. But the real tools you learn when you leave all that behind and really start writing and make money. I consider myself very fortunate, but a good education is a must, period. My mom said the same thing growing up, but she drank a lot. You told me you started off as a DnB head. When did you make the transition to Breakbeats? Oh yeah, DnB is huge in Europe! I'm originally from Berlin and we have a huge DNB following over there. The scene is a lot bigger than for breaks. But I always wanted to write more accessible material and writing at constant 180bpm becomes limiting. I just got burned out on it. I've always loved breaks and it's just something that I feel more at the moment. I guess I'm just more comfortable writing breaks. Don't get me wrong, there will be a massive DnB track for my EP. You just wait. Speaking of your EP, give me some inside info. What's the theme for it? It's definitely going to be all over the place. There will be breaks of course, but it will also contain elements of other genres I love, like DnB and rock. It's going to be nuts, hopefully sound fresh and people will think I'm crazy. I want to push the envelope without leaving the most important thing behind - a hook and melody. When do you think it'll be wrapped up? I'm planning on having the Toksin EP done by winter. I'm really excited about this, since unlike the videogame scores, no one's telling me what to do. But you know, good tracks take time and I will not release it unless it's ready to go. How would you describe your style of breaks? I'd say it's a good mixture of everything I love. I love breaks, but also progressive music. You can hear that influence especially in my breakdowns. (laughing) Big epic strings and a massive buildup. I also come from a rock background. I love rock, industrial and metal! Anything from the early NIN, Skinny Puppy to KMFDM and Slipknot. I'm trying to splice some of that flavor into my breaks tracks and add another level of emotion to the track. I think people will relate to it more. Plus we need a mosh pit in the clubs, no? Totally! Mosh pit, stage diving, smashing 1200's, the whole deal. So take me through and average week of work for you? Well usually I like to get up early, even though I go to bed late. I get an average of 5-6 hours sleep currently. I get up, check the schedule for the day, and talk to my manager. Then I hit the gym before I will lock myself into the studio starting around noon. From there I'll go til around 3-4 AM. I'm trying not to work Sundays, but a lot of times there's just no way to avoid it. In this business, cues are due yesterday if you know what I mean. Yeah. I heard a rumor you have a mean backhand on the tennis court. (laughing) Yeah I not only have a mean backhand, but evidently I'm also a mean winner. I'll rub it in your face. Alright man, I'll take you up on that. Take me inside you studio with a rundown of the equipment and software you use. My main sequencer is Cubase SX running on custom built PC. I have a bunch of slave machines hooked up via FX teleport, which are running most of my Orchestra libraries. I use the Kyma workstation a lot for musical sound design, then there's the Powercore Firewire, which has some great mastering plug-ins. On the keyboard front I use my trusty Juno 106, a Virus TI, Ms2000, Korg Prophecy, Se-1 and the Monomachine. The Machinedrum is great when you hook it up to the Sherman Filter Bank2. Just nasty let me tell you. Software-wise pretty much everything from the NI catalog with focus on Absynth, Reaktor, Battery and Kontakt2. And let's not forget about Live. What an amazing piece of software! It's great for creating arrangement ideas and of course playing out. But of course... Dude, I have no idea what any of the stuff you just told me means. Write me up an appendix when we're through. What's one piece of equipment or software you can't live without? Well I've been using Cubase since 1990 so that's obvious. A laptop, Reaktor and the Virus TI. What advice would you give to the home producer trying to turn their ideas into music? Well the one thing I've learned throughout the years is that no matter how hot one piece of equipment might be, it will not make your tracks better if the ideas aren't solid to start with. It's easy to get caught up with a billion plug-ins, I still do, and other amazing tools, but nothing will help you write a good hook, a rockin' bassline or amazing beat. Try to streamline your studio so that when you have an idea you're ready to rock. Also, don't get caught up in the details for too long; most people will never care. You're one of the video game industry's top producers. Where do you go from here? I guess movies would be the next step. But even if I were to score a movie, I will always want to be writing music for games 'cause I love them. Game scoring requires a lot more work than linear mediums like movies. Interactivity is a constant challenge in the writing process. But yeah, I hope to score or a movie or two. Money aside, as a creative person how do you measure your success? I have never measured success by the amounts of money. I really think when I finished with a tune and I'm truly happy with it, that's half the battle. But ultimately, when people are enjoying the music and play it out, that's what counts to me. Videogame music-wise, when people don't turn the music off you could say that's a compliment. You worked out a deal with BijouBeats allowing them to make your latest remix available for free download. What's the story behind the release of the Digital Divine remix? The original version of Digital Divine is on Nubreed presents: Y4k. I started playing around with some guitars and had this idea of going into a different direction. I figured this would be the perfect track and since it's a remix of my own track I can go a bit overboard. Overall, I wanted to try to incorporate some rock elements and even drum and bass into a breaks track. It's a teaser of what you can expect from the Toksin EP. And look, we are giving the track away free thanks to BijouBeats! I want people to play it out and play it loud. After all, that's the point of writing it. Yes, it most certainly is. So who are some current producers you'd like to get in the studio and collaborate with? I really admire Pendulum a lot. I think their sound is unique and they really brought some fresh air into the DnB scene. I would love to work with them on a mad sick breaks track. I'm sure it would shake walls and just be wicked. I also really love what Lostep are doing. Their last record was just sick!! What other non-videogame music project do you have in the works and does the future hold for Toksin? I'm currently working on collaboration with Nubreed, remixes for artists like Summer Channel, that's Scott of the Deepsky's group, and others. One thing's for sure, it's going to be a busy fall. I'm ready! :: September 2006 :: Toksin's Digital Divine (Toksin's Aftershock Remix), the first release on BijouBeats is out now! More info on Toksin can be found at http://www.myspace.com/Toksin and Toksin.com Photos courtesy Drew "Rukes" Ressler and Jenny Pogo.

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