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tHE sTORY OF xAKK AS REMEMBERED BY kNATTER,
ONE OF THE TWO ORIGINAL MEMBERS
 bEFORE xakk - "tHE DARK AGES"
aUGUST 1986, xakk IS FORMED
tHE FIRST fURULUND COPY-PARTY, 28TH OF mAY, 1987 - "tHE LEGEND BEGINS"
xakk IN 1987 - "cOMBINING SCHOOL AND THE cOMMY"
tHE kALMAR PARTY IN 1987 - "tHE BEGINNING OF THE FAMOUS 'SLEEP' SERIES"
tHE SECOND fULULUND PARTY, oCTOBER THE 3RD, 1987
tHE 1ST aLVESTA pARTY, oCTOBER THE 29TH, 1987 - hELD BY tHE sILENTS
sOME MORE DEMOS BY xakk
tHE xakk VS mAHONEY WAR
tHE dEXION PARTY IN dENMARK, fEBRUARY 1988
aROUND fABRUARY OR mARCH 1988 - tWO NEW MEMBERS
tHE 2ND aLVESTA pARTY, aPRIL THE 7TH, 1988 - hELD BY tHE sILENTS AND pEPSI
tHE iKARI MEETING IN dENMARK, 1988
mICROSLEEP
iKARI MEETING IN dENMARK, 1989
tHE THIRD fULULUND PARTY IN 1989 (?)
bOUND TO BE BEST 1
bOUND TO BE BEST 2
tHE eND?
wHAT ARE THOSE OLD HEROES OF xakk DOING TODAY (1997)?
bEFORE xakk - "tHE DARK AGES"
tHIS STORY BEGINS IN 1986. i HAD BEEN PROGRAMMING MY COMPUTER FOR A YEAR.
iN THE BEGINNING IT WAS MOSTLY BASIC PROGRAMS BUT THROUGH THE HELP
OF MY LONG TIME FRIEND aNDREAS gUNNARSSON (jOLLY cRACKER) i SOON DISCOVERED
THE WORLD OF ASSEMBLER. tHERE WERE SOME DEMOS AROUND AT THAT TIME, BUT IN NO
WAY SO MANY THAT YOU CAN FIND ON COMPUTERS TODAY. wHEN i FIRST SAW A DEMO i
WAS ASTOUNDED. tHIS WAS A COMPLETELY NEW WAY TO EXPRESS YOURSELF.
mOST OF THE DEMOS HOWEVER CONSISTED OF SIMPLE SCROLLS AND A PICTURE. tHE
MUSIC WAS ALWAYS STOLEN FROM SOME OF THE LATEST GAME.
i DECIDED TO CODE A DEMO! mY FIRST ATTEMPT WAS VERY SIMPLE. iT WAS JUST A
PICTURE i'VE DONE AND A SMALL PROGRAM TO SHOW IT.
sOON i MADE OTHER DEMOS. tHEY WERE SIMPLE BUT THEY HAD SOMETHING THAT NO
OTHER DEMOS i SAW HAD. mUSIC THAT WASEN'T RIPPED BUT WRITTEN BY MYSELF.
i USED THE FIRST TRACKER PROGRAM ON THE c64 CALLED "sOUND MONITOR" BY
cHRIS hUELSBECK TO CREATE MY FIRST STAGGERING ATTEMPTS TO MAKE SOME NOISE.
oNE OF MY FRIENDS CALLED ME "kNATTER" BECAUSE i WAS ALWAYS TAPPING THE KEYS
OF MY c64. "kNATTER" IS THE SWEDISH WORD FOR THE NOISE OF TAPPING THE KEYBARD.
i MADE SOME DEMOS USING MY HANDLE kcs, kNATTER cRACKING sERVICE. i DIDN'T
DO MORE THAN FIVE OR SIX EASY CRACKINGS, BUT EVERYBODY BACK THEN HAD TO HAVE
THE WORD "CRACKING" IN THE NAME OF THEIR GROUP, AND SO DID i.
mY FIRST CONTACT WAS A REPLY TO A DEMO i'VE MADE CALLED "cOBRA, THE
BRAINLESS". iT INLUDED AN ANIMATION THAT i HAD MADE FROM THE POSTER OF
THE "cOBRA" MOVIE SINCE i THOUGH THE ONE FOR THE GAME SUCKED BIGTIME.
iF YOU PRESSED THE FIREBUTTON, cOBRA WOULD PULL THE TRIGGER OF THE GUN
WHICH ACCIDENTALLY BLEW HIS HEAD OFF.
oNE DAY i WAS CALLED UP BY A GUY CALLED rOGER. hIS HANDLE WAS cLEO. hE
LIKED ONE OF THE DEMOS THAT i HAD MADE, AND WAS IMPRESSED BY THE MUSIC.
cLEO BECAME ONE OF MY CONTACTS BUT WOULD LATER ON BECOME A VALUABLE MEMBER
OF A GREAT TEAM.
aUGUST 1986, xakk IS FORMED
nOW WE'RE BACK AT THE LATE SUMMER OF 1986. jOLLY cRACKER KNEW i HAD BEEN
MAKING DEMOS AND THAT i WAS STARTING TO GET A SMALL NET OF CONTACTS WITH
WHOM i SWAPPED CRACKED GAMES AND DEMO PROGRAMS.
oNE DAY HE ASKED ME IF
i WANTED TO FORM A GROUP WITH HIM. oF COURSE i ACCEPTED, jOLLY cRACKER
WAS THE WIZARD OF ASSEMBLER CODING. i KNEW THAT TOGETHER WE COULD CREATE
WONDERS. hE PROGRAMMED A ROUTINE TO CALCULATE DIFFERENT SUGGESTIONS OF
A NAME FOR THE GROUP. tHE PROGRAM GAVE HIM SUGGESTIONS LIKE "xikk" "kaxx"
AND "xalk". hE USED HIS IMAGINATION AND CAME TO THINK OF THE NAME "xakk"
WHICH BY THE WAY DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING AT ALL IN SWEDISH.
i HAD SOME FRIENDS IN SCHOOL WHO HAD THE SAME INTERESTS AS i HAD. tHEY WERE
pELLE fRITZON, sTEFAN wALTER AND aNDREAS oHLSSON. oNE DAY THEY CALLED ME
AND ASKED IF THEY COULD JOIN xakk. i DISCUSSED IT WITH jOLLY cRACKER
AND SOON WE WERE FIVE MEMBERS. tHEY CALLED THEMSELF mR mEZZO, mR vIVACE AND
mR bACHER.
aFTER SOME ARGUMENTS i GAVE UP THE "CRACKING SERVICE" IN MY NAME
AND CALLED MYSELF kNATTER. oUR NEW MEMBERS WERE INTO SWAPPING AND
HAD MORE CONTACTS THAN i DID. oNE DAY mR mEZZO MANAGED TO GET AN INVITATION
FROM ONE OF HIS CONTACTS. iT WAS TO THE FIRST HACKER PARTY IN sWEDEN. i
REMEMBER THAT IT WAS HARD TO GET THAT INVITATIONS SINCE NO ONE KNEW WHAT
xakk WAS.
jOLLY cRACKER AND i HAD EARLIER DECIDED TO HAVE AN INTERNAL
COMPETITION TO SEE WHICH ONE OF US THAT COULD MAKE THE BEST DEMO. aS WE GOT
INVITED TO THE pARTY, WE DECIDED TO JOIN FORCES AND CREATE AN AWESOME DEMO,
A REAL JAW-DROPPER, TO REALLY SHOW OFF.
sOON "aNOTHER PERFECT DEMO" WAS COMPLETED. tHIS FIRST REAL xakk DEMO
CONTAINED A STEERABLE SCROLL, SPLIT SCREENS WITH GREETING-SCROLL, JUMPING SPRITES AND
GRAPHICS FROM A mOTORHEAD AND A dIO ALBUM. nATURALLY IT ALSO CONTAINED A
EARLY TUNE MADE BY ME, kNATTER.
tHE FIRST fURULUND COPY-PARTY, 28TH OF mAY, 1987 - "tHE LEGEND BEGINS"
aS WE WERE PICKED UP IN fURULUND TO BE DRIVEN TO THE PARTY PLACE, THE GUY
WHO DROVE THE CAR ASKED US WHAT GROUP WE WERE IN.
"xakk", WE SAID.
"nEVER HEARD OF IT", THE GUY REPLIED.
"yOU WILL", WE SAID AND TRIED TO LOOK COOL.
wE ARRIVED AT THE PLACE WHICH WAS LOCATED IN A SMALL SCOUT COTTAGE.
i CAN'T REMEMBER HOW MANY PEOPLE THAT WERE PRESENT BUT i GUESS SOMEWHERE AROUND
30-40 PERSONS. wE HOOKED UP OUR EQUIPMENT AND SAID HELLO TO SOME OF THE
GUYS THAT WE KNEW THROUGH OUR SWAPPING.
aFTER A WHILE IT WAS TIME TO SHOW OFF.
wE LOADED "aNOTHER PERFECT DEMO" AND CALLED AT SOME GUYS TO WATCH IT.
iN A MATTER OF MINUTES ALMOST EVERYBODY WAS WATCHING OUR DEMO. sOME GUYS
EVEN ASKED US WHERE WE HAD RIPPED THE ROUTINES AND FROM WHERE WE HAD STOLEN
THE MUSIC.
aCTUALLY WE THOUGHT THERE WOULD BE MORE GROUPS WITH HIGHER KNOWLEDGE
OF THE cOMMODORE 64 AT THE PARTY AND GOT QUITE DISAPOINTED WHEN THERE WASN'T.
jOLLY cRACKER CODED A NEW NEVER-SEEN-BEFORE ROTATING SCROLLROUTINE THAT
IMPRESSED A LOT OF GUYS. iT WAS USED IN THE PARTY DEMO WHICH OTHERWISE WASN'T TOO GREAT.
i ALSO MADE A FAST DEMO CALLED "hOLM-DEMO" WHICH CONTAINED A PICTURE,
SCROLLTEXT AND A TUNE BY mR mEZZO.
wHEN THE MORNING LIGHT OF THE FINAL DAY FOUND IT'S WAY TO THE PARTY PLACE, EVERYBODY WAS
TIRED AND WANTED TO GO HOME. wE LEFT THE PARTY AS IT WAS BEING CLOSED, HAVING
MET A LOT OF NEW FRIENDS AND ESTABLISHED THE NAME xakk IN THE EARLY SWEDISH
DEMO SCENE.
xakk IN 1987 - "cOMBINING SCHOOL AND THE cOMMY"
iN 1987 ALL THE THE MEMBERS OF xakk WENT TO SCHOOL, THE SWEDISH "GYMNASIUM".
i WAS 17 YEARS OLD, GOING ON 18. aLL THE OTHER MEMBERS AT THAT TIME WERE AT
THE SAME AGE AND WE ALL COULD MEET EVERY DAY AS WE WENT TO THE SAME SCHOOL.
i GUESS AT THAT TIME, YOU COULD CALL US COMPUTER NERDS. tHE REST OF THE
COMPUTER-ILLITERATE SCHOOL BASICALLY LOOKED UPON US AS THAT. aT THE SAME TIME
WE WERE ENGAGED IN AN ONGOING WAR TO CONTINIOUSLY PRESS THE LIMITS FOR WHAT
COULD BE MADE ON A cOMMODORE 64. i GUESS IT WAS OUR WAY TO SHOW THE WORLD
WHAT WE WERE AND THAT WE EXISTED.
jOLLY cRACKER MADE IT THROUGH SCHOOL WITH EXCELLENT GRADES BUT i CONCENTRATED
EARLY ON THE c64 AND DIDN'T GET MUCH MORE THAN MEDIUM GRADES. aT THAT
POINT IN MY LIFE THE WORLD OF THE c64 WAS MY WORLD AND THE WORLD OF MOST OF
THE OTHER MEMBERS IN xakk. wE DIDN'T HAVE ANY
OTHER INTERESTS EXCEPT MABY GETTING DRUNK AND GO TO THE LOCAL DISCO ONCE IN
A WHILE. wE LIVED FOR MAKING DEMOS AND GETTING THE FAME FOR IT, ALWAYS THINKING
ABOUT A NEW ROUTINE OR AN IDEA FOR A NEW DEMO.
pELLE fRITZON ALIAS mR mEZZO GOT TIRED OF HIS c64 JUST BEFORE THE kALMAR
PARTY AND DECIDED TO SELL IT AND BUY ANOTHER VIDEO INSTEAD.
hE QUIT AND i GOT ALL HIS SWAPPING CONTACTS.
mR vIVACE HAD JUST BOUGHT AN aMIGA AND WAS ALSO THINKING ABOUT SELLING HIS
c64 WHEN IT ONE DAY CEASED TO WORK. i MANAGED TO CONVINCE HIM TO GET IT
FIXED AND LEARN SOME ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE. aFTER THAT, THINGS REALLY STARTED
TO HAPPEN.
tHE kALMAR PARTY IN 1987 - "tHE BEGINNING OF THE FAMOUS 'SLEEP' SERIES"
oNE DAY i WAS CALLED UP BY SOME GUY IN kALMAR NAMED hENRIK &oUML;BERG. hE WAS
HAVING A PARTY IN HIS HOMETOWN AND WE WERE INVITED. mE, jOLLY cRACKER,
cLOSSEAU AND mR vIVACE WENT. wE BROUGHT ONE aMIGA AND ONE c64.
hERE WE GOT TO MEET THE GUYS IN tHE sILENTS, THAT LATER WOULD BECOME A VERY
FAMOUS SWEDISH GROUP ON THE aMIGA.
tHEY WERE ALL GREAT GUYS AND IT WAS FUN TO GET TO KNOW THEM.
wE GOT TO MEET EACHOTHER MANY TIMES THROUGH THE NEXT YEARS.
aT THE PARTY WE DECIDED TO MAKE ANOTHER DEMO. jOLLY cRACKER TOOK THE
STEERABLE SCROLL-ROUTINE FROM "aNOTHER PERFECT DEMO" AND i MADE NEW MUSIC
AND USED A PICTURE OF A GREEN DUDE THAT i JUST HAD COMPLETED.
"nO sLEEP" WAS BORN. iT WAS RELEASED AT THE PARTY AND WAS THE FIRST IN A
LONG SERIES OF DEMOS FROM xakk WITH THE WORD "SLEEP" IN THE TITLE.
oNE FUNNY THING i REMEMBER FROM THE PARTY WAS HOW vIPER, THE HOST, COLLECTED
MONEY FROM ALL THE PARTICIPANTS TO BE ABLE TO BUY AN ORIGINAL GAME WHICH
WOULD BE CRACKED AND SPREAD FROM THE PARTY.
iN THE WAY HOME FROM THE PARTY WE STARTED TO THINK ABOUT HOW TO MAKE THE
COOLEST DEMO EVER SEEN. tHE BASICS OF WHAT WOULD LATER BE SEEN IN
"nO SLEEP 2" WAS INVENTED RIGHT THERE AND THEN.
nOW i WAS GETTING LETTERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, PRAISING ME FOR OUR
DEMOS, GRAPHICS AND MUSIC. i GOT A LOT OF CONTACTS FROM FAR AWAY LIKE
iSRAEL, tURKEY, fRANCE AND usa. tHEY ALL WANTED TO SWAP 5-INCH DISKS WITH ME
THROUGH THE MAIL. tHIS GAVE US A LOT OF CONFIDENCE THAT WE WERE ON THE
RIGHT TRACK OF THINGS AND MADE US VERY DETERMINED TO REALLY PUSH THE LIMITS
OF THE cOMMODORE 64.
i GOT CALLS FROM OTHER DEMO-GROUPS WHICH WANTED ME TO JOIN THEM. i THINK THAT
IT WAS PRETTY COMMON FOR TALENTS OF RATHER UNKNOWN GROUPS TO JOIN BIGGER AND BETTER
GROUPS. i DECIDED NOT TO LEAVE xAKK NO MATTER WHAT. i RATHER WANTED TO BE
PART OF BUILDING SOMETHING GREAT WITH THE HELP OF MY OLD FRIENDS INSTEAD.
hEY, i EVEN GOT A CALL FROM A VERY WELL KNOWN GROUP CALLED tRIAD. tHEY EVEN
CALLED ME TWICE IN A DESPERATE ATTEMT TO MAKE ME JOIN THIS GROWING INDUSTRY
OF CRACKERS. i DECLINED OF CORSE. i KNEW WHERE xAKK WAS HEADING.
wE GOT TWO NEW MEMBERS, BOTH WERE FRIENDS OF OURS. cLOSSEAU AND bLACK aDDER
WERE NOW PROUD MEMBERS OF xAKK.
tHE SECOND fULULUND PARTY, oCTOBER THE 3RD, 1987
xakk WAS AT THE SECOND PARTY IN fURULUND. tHIS TIME IT WAS BIGGER AND
BETTER. tHERE WERE ALSO A DEMO COMPETITION IN WHICH WE SHOULD PARTICIPATE.
tHE RULES FOR THE COMPETITION SAID THAT YOU HAD TO MAKE THE COMPLETE DEMO
AT THE PARTY PLACE, SO WE GOT DOWN TO IT. mE AND mR mEZZO (WHO MADE A SMALL COMEBACK
JUST FOR THIS PARTY), MADE A TUNE. jOLLY cRACKER WORKED ON AN AMAZING SCROLL
ROUTINE WHICH USED LOTS OF SPRITES.
uNFORTUNATELY WE COULDN'T GET IT FIXED
IN TIME AND WASN'T ABLE TO USE IT IN THE COMPETITION WHICH WAS WON BY
A GREAT DANISH TEAM CALLED dEXION.
tHE 1ST aLVESTA pARTY, oCTOBER THE 29TH, 1987 - hELD BY tHE sILENTS
wE HAD SOME TROUBLE FINDING THE PARTYPLACE BUT THEN i SPOTTED THE GUYS IN tHE
sILENTS ON THE STREET OUTSIDE THE ENTRANCE TO THIS SCHOOL.
wE WANTED TO WIN THE DEMOCOMPO SO WE GOT RIGHT DOWN TO IT.
jOLLY cRACKER FINISHED THE SCROLLING ROUTINE FROM THE fURULUND-PARTY AND USED
IT AS THE SECOND PART IN OUR FOLLOW-UP TO OUR PREVIOUS DEMO, "nO SLEEP".
jOLLY cRACKER HAD MADE SOME INCREDIBLE ROUTINES. tHE FIRST PART WAS THE
WORLDS FIRST SCROLL MADE ENTIRELY BY SCROLLING $d020 AND $d021 RASTERBAR-
SPLITS MOVING FROM RIGHT TO LEFT. tHE SECOND PART WAS EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE
WITH LOTS OF SPRITES IN A SCROLL AROUND A PICTURE OF kING TUT.
wHEN WE HAD FINISHED THE DEMO, WE WENT TO SLEEP IN sILENTS OWN PRIVATE
SLEEPING-ROOM. wE SLEPT LIKE LOGS, jOLLY cRACKER HAD BEEN AWAKE FOR MORE
THAN 60 HOURS IN A ROW TO COMPLETE THE DEMO.
aNYWAY, THE DEMO WAS CALLED "nO SLEEP ii".
wE WON THE DEMO-COMPETITION. tRIAD GOT VERY PISSED WHEN THEY DIDN'T WIN. :)
sOME MORE DEMOS BY xakk
tHE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS 1987 WE RELEASED "gO TO SLEEP", A DEMO BY mR vIVACE
AND kNATTER.
oN jANUARY THE 23RD 1988 WE RELEASED ANOTHER SMALL DEMO CALLED "sLEEPING".
tHIS DEMO WAS LATER THE CAUSE TO THE WAR BETWEEN xakk AND A SMALL GROUP CALLED
tRIUMPH.
tHE xakk VS mAHONEY WAR
mANY HAVE ASKED ME WHAT REALLY SET OF THE WAR AGAINST xakk AND mAHONEY OF
tRIUMPH WHICH WOULD LAST FOR OVER A YEAR. wELL, HERE IS HOW i REMEMBER IT.
tHERE WAS TWO GUYS CALLED kAKTUS AND mAHONEY WHO MADE SOME PRETTY GOOD DEMOS.
iN ONE OF THEM THEY FOOLED AROUND WITH THE NAMES OF OTHER FAMOUS c64 GROUPS.
i GUESS WE WERE FAMOUS SINCE WE GOT OUR OWN NICKNAMES AS WELL. xAKK BECAME
kRAX AND kNATTER BECAME kNASTER i THINK. i THINK MOST OF THE MEMBERS OF
xAKK GOT NEW NICKNAMES FROM mAHONEY. wE DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF THIS SINCE i
REMEMBER THEIR DEMO AS BEING MORE OF A "FOOL-AROUND-DEMO" THAN A "HATE-DEMO".
i DON'T THINK i MENTIONED IT IN MY SCROLLTEXT OF "sLEEPING", BUT i DID WRITE
ONE THING THAT REALLY PISSED mAHONEY OFF. i WROTE THAT i DIDN'T THINK THAT
tRIUMPH HAD THE BEST CODERS IN THE SOUTH OF sWEDEN AS THEY HAD STATED IN
THEIR DEMO. iNSTEAD i THOUGHT THAT jOLLY cRACKER OF xAKK WAS THE BEST, ONE
THING THAT HE REALLY PROVED WITH HIS RASTER-SCROLL AND SPRITE-SCROLL IN
"nO SLEEP ii".
tHIS WAS ENOUGH FOR A REALLY NASTY DEMO OF HATE FROM tRIUMPH WHICH THEY
RELEASED SOME WEEKS AFTER "sLEEPING". wE GOT REALLY SURPRISED ABOUT THIS.
wE HAD BEEN GETTING A LOT OF FAN MAIL AND GREETINGS IN DEMOS DURING THE PAST
MONTHS AND WAS NOT USED TO THIS KIND OF HATE TOWARDS US.
wE DID THE ONLY THING WE THOUGHT WAS RIGHT: wE DECLARED A WAR AGAINST mAHONEY AND RENAMED HIM mAHOMO.
aLL OUR DEMOS FROM THIS POINT FORWARD FOR OVER A YEAR WOULD CONTAIN SOME VERY NASTY THINGS WHAT WE THOUGHT ABOUT
THIS GUY.
nOW IN RETROSPECT, iT'S PRETTY SILLY WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT. iN THOSE DAYS,
HOWEVER, WE REALLY HATED THAT GUY. (wE DON'T ANYMORE, mAHONEY :)
tHE dEXION PARTY IN dENMARK, fEBRUARY 1988
tHIS WAS A SMALL BUT PRETTY GOOD PARTY. wE DIDN'T DO MUCH HERE BUT LOOKING
AT DEMOS, VIDEOS AND PLAYING GAMES. i SAW "rOBOCOP" FOR THE FIRST TIME OF
MANY, MANY TIMES. (i THINK i KNOW ALL THE LINES). i WAS IMPRESSED BY
fUTURE fREAK OF dEXION. hE MADE SOME INCREDIBLE MUSIC WHICH i LIKED A LOT.
i ALSO GOT SOME NEW CONTACTS AMONG THESE VERY NICE dANISH DUDES.
aROUND fABRUARY OR mARCH 1988 - tWO NEW MEMBERS
i SAW THAT ALMOST ALL OTHER DEMO-GROUPS ALSO HAD GUYS CRACKING GAMES WHICH
WOULD FURTHER SPREAD THE FAME OF THE GROUP. iT SEEMED LIKE MAKING DEMOS
WAS COOL, BUT DIDN'T GET YOU MENTIONED IN THE DISKBASED HACKER-MAGAZINES THAT
FLOURISHED AT THE TIME. sO, i WANTED US TO GET A CRACKER.
nONE OF US FELT UP
TO IT, SO WE DECIDED TO GET HELP FROM OUTSIDE. i HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH
cLEO FOR AROUND A YEAR. hE HAD PHONED ME ONE DAY AFTER HAVING SEEN MY
PHONENUMBER IN "kNATTER DEMO 3" AND SINCE THEN WE HAD BEEN TALKING OVER THE
PHONE ONCE IN A WHILE AND MET AT VARIOUS COPY-PARTIES.
i KNEW THAT HE HAD JUST LEFT tHE sILENTS AND i ASKED HIM IF HE WANTED TO JOIN
US AS A CRACKER AND PROGRAMMER. hE WAS THRILLED BY THE IDEA BUT WANTED US
TO INCLUDE YET ANOTHER FORMER MEMBER OF tHE sILENTS, NAMELY mR cROSS.
hE ASSURED ME THAT THE GUY WAS A VERY GOOD PROGRAMMER WITH SOME VERY COOL
IDEAS. i DIDN'T LIKE THE IDEA OF GETTING TO MANY MEMBERS IN xAKK, BUT
ACCEPTED SINCE i BELIVED IN cLEOS WORDS.
oF COURSE mR cROSS TURNED OUT TO
BE A HUGE INJECTION OF VITAMINES FOR xAKK AND SOON HE HAD FINISHED HIS FIRST
DEMO CALLED "wAKING UP". iT WAS RELEASED IN mARCH THE 18TH, 1988 AND
CONTAINED SOME INCREDIBLE SIDEBORDER THINGS, REALIZED THROUGH THE MAGIC OF
mR cROSS.
cLEO WAS STARTING TO CRACK GAMES CONTAINING A NEW xAKK INTRO MADE
BY mR vIVACE. i DECIDED TO STICK TO MAKING MUSIC AND GRAPHICS FOR OUR DEMOS
SINCE WE NOW HAD TWO VERY GOOD PROGRAMMERS INSTEAD.
tHE 2ND aLVESTA pARTY, aPRIL THE 7TH, 1988 - hELD BY tHE sILENTS AND pEPSI
mR cROSS AND cLEO WENT EARLY TO THIS PARTY SINCE IT WAS HELD AT A TIME WHEN
WE IN THE SOUTHERN PARTS OF sWEDEN STILL HAD TO GO TO SCHOOL.
aNYWAY, mR.cROSS CODED HIS SECOND DEMO FOR xakk CALLED "wHY sLEEP". i MADE THE GRAPHICS
AND MUSIC IN THIS SECOND "WAR-DEMO" AGAINST mAHONEY OF tRIUMPH.
tRIUMPH ALSO
RELEASED A DEMO AT THE PARTY CALLED "aLVESTA-SMÖRJA", i THINK. tHEY DIDN'T
WIN THE COMPETITION. we did!!!!
"wHY SLEEP" IMPRESSED A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH
IT'S INCREDIBLE SIDE-BORDER TRICKS WHICH NOBODY AT THE TIME WOULD COME CLOSE
TO AT CREATING. i REMEMBER HOW DISAPOINTED WE WERE WHEN mAHONEY DIDN'T SHOW UP
AT THE PARTY. i STILL WONDER WHY HE DIDN'T... ;)
tHE iKARI MEETING IN dENMARK, 1988
tHIS WAS GOING TO BE A GREAT PARTY, IT WAS TOLD. wE DROVE ALL THE WAY THROUGH
dENMARK TO BE THERE. wHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE PARTY-PLACE, IT WAS PACKED WITH
PEOPLE. tHE PLACE WAS WAY TO SMALL FOR SO MUCH FOLKS AND WE HAD NO PLACE TO
PUT ALL OUR COMPUTERS. wE REALLY HATED IT AND WENT HOME AT SUNSET.
wE WERE GOING TO RELEASE "mICROSLEEP" AT THE PARTY BUT WAITED UNTIL LATER
INSTEAD.
mICROSLEEP
"mICROSLEEP" WAS FINALLY RELEASED IN aUGUST 1988 AFTER WEEKS OF HARD WORK. mR cROSS
WROTE A NEW NOISY LOADER TO USE IN THIS DEMO WHICH CONTAINED LOTS AND LOTS
OF NEW AND COOL ROUTINES. oH, AND DON'T FORGET THOSE GREAT SAMPLES.
aBOUT THIS TIME i MOVED TO mALMÖ SINCE i GOT A PLACE AS A STUDENT ON THE
COMPUTER UNIVERSITY. i QUIT ALL THE SWAPPING AND LEFT MY c64 AT
MY PARENTS ONLY TO BE USED AT WEEKENDS. nATURALLY i DIDN'T GET MUCH TIME
LEFT TO DO ANYTHING ON THE cOMMY ANYMORE.
i STARTED TO WORK ON A MUSIC-PLAYER AND EDITOR, SOMETHING THAT WOULD TAKE A LONG TIME TO FINISH.
cLEO GOT HIS HANDS ON A NEW SOUNDEDITOR CALLED THE sOEDESOUND EDITOR.
i STARTED TO MAKE NEW MUSIC USING NEW SOUNDS AND TECHNIQUES.
iN jUNE 1989 THE SCHOOL WAS FINALLY OVER AND i MOVED BACK HOME TO GET A JOB.
iKARI MEETING IN dENMARK, 1989
aNOTHER iKARI MEETING WHICH THIS TIME HAD PLACE FOR SOME MORE PEOPLE.
i GOT THE IMPRESSION THAT IT WAS A VERY SLOPPY ARRANGEMENT. i DON'T THINK WE
EVEN HAD TO PAY FOR THE ENTRANCE. nOBODY WERE AT THE ENTRANCE AND NOBODY SEEMED
TO CARE. wE FOUND A ROOM FOR OURSELVES WERE WE COULD WORK ON A DEMO.
wE NEVER GOT ANYTHING FINISHED SINCE SOME ASSHOLES IN THE NEXT ROOM TURNED OFF
THE LIGHTS AND POWER ALL THE TIME.
wE FINALLY DECIDED TO QUIT THIS POOR
EXCUSE FOR A PARTY WHEN vIVACE GOT HIS EXTERNAL aMIGADRIVE STOLEN RIGHT NEXT
TO A SLEEPING jOLLY cRACKER. cLEO ALSO GOT VERY DISAPOINTED ON THE WHOLE THING
AND COMPLAINED ABOUT HOW MOST OF THE SCENE CONCISTED OF LAMER KIDS.
mAYBE WE WERE GETTING TOO OLD FOR IT ALL.
tHE THIRD fULULUND PARTY IN 1989 (?)
sINCE fURULUND ALREADY WAS A LEGEND, WHE SIMPLY HAD TO GO. dON'T THINK WE
DID MUCH HERE BUT PLAYING GAMES AND LOOKING AT DEMOS. iT WAS PRETTY FUN THOUGH...
bOUND TO BE BEST 1
iN 1989 WE THOUGHT IT WAS TIME TO RELEASE ANOTHER DEMO. wE HADN'T BEEN AT IT
FOR A LONG TIME AND WAS PRETTY HUNGRY TO MAKE SOMETHING NICE.
"bOUND TO BE BEST" CONTAINED AMONG OTHER THINGS, SOME NEW MUSIC BY ME USING
THE sOEDESOUND ROUTINE. nOBODY IN xAKK DID ANY MORE SWAPPING AT THIS TIME
AND cLEO DIDN'T CRACK MUCH GAMES ANYMORE.
wE MADE THE DEMO FOR A DEMO-COMPO IN A sWEDISH MAGAZINE. i DON'T THINK THE
COMPO EVER EVOLVED INTO ANYTHING USEFUL AND INSTEAD THE MAGAZINE LET SOME
(STUPID) SCENE-FOLKS REVIEW THE DEMOS INSTEAD. xakk ALWAYS GOT LOUSY REVIEWS
BY A GUY WHO PROBABLY WAS A MEMBER OF SOME GROUP THAT DIDN'T LIKE US.
mR vIVACE AND ME HAD BEEN WORKING ON A GAME FOR THE c64 ON AND OFF FOR THE
LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. iN 1990 WE GOT TO THE POINT WHERE YOU COULD ACTUALLY
PLAY IT. wE CALLED OURSELVES "wACKO DESIGNERS". (tHE GAME CAN BE FOUND
IN THE FILES SECTION.) wE NEVER GOT IT PUBLISHED AND WAS PRETTY TIRED OF THE c64
SO WE JUST DUMPED THE WORK...
bOUND TO BE BEST 2
oN THE 26TH OF mAY IN 1990 WE RELEASED OUR LAST DEMO EVER ON THE
cOMMODORE 64. wE NAMED IT "bOUND TO BE BEST ii". tHIS ONE WAS GOING TO BE
VERY, VERY SPECIAL. i THINK EVERYBODY WAS PRETTY AMAZED WHEN THEY SAW THE
RESULT. tHIS DEMO WAS OUR BYE, BYE TO THE SCENE WHICH HAD BEEN OUR HOME
SINCE 1986/87. i NEVER GOT MUCH REPLIES TO WHAT THE SCENE THOUGHT OF THE DEMO
SINCE WE HAD SPECIFICALLY STATED IN IT THAT WE DIDN'T WANT ANY MORE CONTACTS.
i HAVE HOWEVER HEARD MUCH LATER THAT IT REALLY IMPRESSED A LOT OF GUYS AND
THAT REALLY WARMS MY OLD c64-HEART...
nOW EVERYBODY IN xAKK QUIT THE c64. mOST OF THE GUYS HAD BOUGHT
ANOTHER COMPUTER AND WAS TIRED ON THE OLD COMMY. i WAS ACHING FOR AN aMIGA
AND WAS TIRED OF THE c64 SINCE NOBODY WOULD GIVE ME A JOB AS A GRAPHICS
ARTIST OR A MUSICIAN.
aFTER THE DEMO WAS RELEASED, i HAD TO GO TO THE sWEDISH MILITARY SERVICE.
aT LAST i BOUGHT MY aMIGA AND PUT THE cOMMODORE 64 DEEP IN MY CLOSET.
tHE eND?
sOMETIMES WHEN i FEEL NOSTALGIC, i USE TO RECONNECT MY
OLD FRIEND, STILL WORKING PERFECTLY. i DON'T HAVE THE ANSWERS TO IF IT
WAS BETTER OR WORSE BACK THEN, BUT WE SURE HAD A GREAT TIME (wELL, MOST
OF THE TIME, ANYWAY)!
wHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON THE MORE THAN TEN YEARS THAT HAS
PASSED SINCE i FIRST ACHED FOR A c64, YOU CAN'T HELP TO GET AMAZED ON THE
INCREDIBLE TECHNOLOGICAL EVOLVEMENT OF AND AROUND COMPUTERS. bACK THEN YOU WERE REALLY
A NERD IF YOU USED A COMPUTER. i KNEW GUYS WHO DIDN'T DARE TO TELL
FRIENDS IN SCHOOL WHAT THEY DID ON THEIR SPARE TIME. tODAY EVERYBODY USES
OR WANTS TO USE A COMPUTER AND THE MOST ATTRACTIVE JOBS TODAY AND IN THE FUTURE
ARE AND WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH THEM.
wHAT ARE THOSE OLD HEROES OF xakk DOING TODAY (1997)?
bJÖRN fOGELBERG/kNATTER: i DID MY MILITARY SERVICE IN kRISTIANSTAD 1990 TO 1991 AND OWNED AN aMIGA
WHEN THAT WAS OVER. i AND jOHAN lUNDIN (bLACK aDDER) MADE A GAME ON THE aMIGA
CALLED cYBERGAMES
WHICH TOOK TOO MUCH TIME TO FINISH. iT WAS RELEASED IN
EARLY 1995 AS SHAREWARE WHEN THE aMIGA MARKET WAS AS DEAD AS THE c64 WAS IN
1990.
i WAS UNEMPLOYED BETWEEN 1991 AND 1993 WHEN i GOT A WORK AS A PRINTER'S
ASSISTANT. aFTER HALF A YEAR i GOT A NEW WORK AS A PRINTER, A JOB WHICH i
KEPT UNTIL 1996.
tODAY i WORK AT sERAF dIGITAL ab TOGETHER WITH sTEFAN wALTER (mR vIVACE) AS
A MULTIMEDIA CONSULTANT. sERAF MAKES WWW-PAGES AND CD-ROM PRODUCTIONS
BUT COULD PROBABLY MOVE IN TO COMPUTER GAMES IF WE FEEL LIKE IT.
i LIVE TOGETHER WITH jENNY hOLST IN A NICE APARTEMENT IN eNGELHOLM AND AM
CURRENTLY RECORDING MY FIRST AUDIO-CD USING AN aMIGA AND A pc CONNECTED TO
SEMI-PROFESSIONAL MIDI-EQUIPMENT.
oH, AND i ALSO HAVE A RED BELT IN wtf tAE kWON dO ;) sOMETIMES i HANG OUT ON irc #c-64. cOME MEET ME ON tHE pARTY OR tHE gATHERING EACH YEAR.
aNDREAS gUNNARSSON/jc: i'M STUDYING AND WORKING.
sTEFAN wALTER/vIVACE: sTEFAN IS CURRENTLY WORKING AT sERAF dIGITAL ab AS A MULTIMEDIA CONSULTANT.
fREDRIK pERSSON/mR cROSS: fREDRIK IS CURRENTLY WORKING AT eRICSSON mOBILE dATA.
jOHAN lUNDIN/bLACK aDDER: jOHAN IS CURRENTLY STUDYING IN sKOEVDE.
rOGER j{$f6}NSSON/cLEO: rOGER IS CURRENTLY WORKING AT eNATOR.
bJOERN lJUNGDAHL/cLOSSEAU
aNDREAS oHLSSON/mR bACHER: aNDREAS IS CURRENTLY WORKING AT lINDAB.
sTORY WRITTEN BY: bJÖRN fOGELBERG A.K.A. kNATTER OF xAKK
sOURCE: xAKK'S HOMEPAGE
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