----SPECIAL----

   INTERVIEW

        MARC 

    HARTMAN

             Réalisé en

        Novembre 2019

Sébastien Barrot :

1 - Where do you live?

MARC HARTMAN :

Utrecht Holland Born and raised

Sébastien Barrot :

2 - How old are you?

MARC HARTMAN:

53 years

Sébastien Barrot :

3 - What is your path to becoming a musician?

MARC HARTMAN :

I allways liked music and i was listening in a different way than other people.

I was crowing up with two friends who were sons of the Bassplayer/Singer of the famous Symphonic band named Solution.

Other kids played with LEGO and other kid toys and we played with the leftovers (musicinstruments) from their dad.

Sébastien Barrot :

4 - Do you still remember when and how Ed Starink contacted you?

MARC HARTMAN :

I never spoke with Ed Starink, it was the A&R Manager from Arcade Recordcompany who asked me to do a Remix.

The deal was with Arcade and that deal included one track written by me as a bonustrack on the Future Mix.

Sébastien Barrot :

7 - During the 1990s, would you have liked to produce albums with Ed Starink?

MARC HARTMAN :

It was not an option to put a co-producer on the Synthesizer Greatest serie, he had his own way of producing the serie.

And i think i was too young and unexperienced to have a role in it.

When you look to the succes of Synthesizer Greatest i would say yes! But i was not ready for this.

Sébastien Barrot :

8 - Which year more precisely, did you start the collection of 3 CDs "Synthesizer Adventures" (Instrumental Popsongs / Classics / Themes)?

MARC HARTMAN :

I started the producion of Synthesizer Adventures under a different name Synthesizer Themes in 1993.

Sébastien Barrot :

9 - When you compose your own music, what is your technique or strategy? Do you have a special source of inspiration?

MARC HARTMAN :

When i start working on music based on a Groove, i start with the Basics (Groove and Bass) and build on the basic.

Other songs i start with a melody.

Sébastien Barrot :

10 - How do you work when you start a new cover version? Do you listen to the original song as much as possible or do you use sheet music?

MARC HARTMAN :

I have allways the original version running in sync with my production and i focus on the general sound and when that's done

i start working trough the original and listen to what they played and what sound they use.

Sébastien Barrot :

11 - Have you ever thought about composing movie music?

MARC HARTMAN :

Soundtracks for Movies is still a wish, but i know it is very hard to enter this room. You see with filmscores names from people who are doing this for ages.

Think of John Barry, Ennio Morricone, Mark Snow etc.

With hitmusic it is different, when you're growing older you loose control with the new generation and their music.

There are a view people who are still in that proces like Giorgio moroder and Nile Rodgers. That are exceptions.

Sébastien Barrot :

12 - How many CDs did you make included. Covers "Synthesizer" Jean Michel Jarre - Vangelis - Art Of Noise etc ... of your own compositions in the 1990s until now?

MARC HARTMAN :

In the 90's i was focused on the charts and the trendy style. Now i am focused on making music people still play in 10 years.

and i am doing music i personally like .

I don't remember and sometimes do not recognise sinles i produced during the 80's/90's

Now i am doing like six albums every year, two with my name as main artist and the rest are sideprojects.

When you wanna know how much i did, check Discogs under my name and alias Micro Mania.

To be honest, it is not my complete catalogue. It's listed by all different people and for some reason producions from the 80's and 90's are all included but for some reason

albums are not listed for 100 %

Sébastien Barrot :

13 - Are there any artists you would like to cover? Do you have unpublished covers ever published about your collections of 3 CDs "Synthesizer" (Instrumental Popsongs / Classics / Themes)?

MARC HARTMAN :

I don't do covers anymore, it was just for the Synthesizer project.

Sébastien Barrot :

14 - What was your favorite "synthesizer"?

MARC HARTMAN :

My Favorite Synth is and allways will be the Korg Mono Poly, it's a pleasure to create your owns sounds.

Sébastien Barrot :

15 - What other additional modules did you use?

MARC HARTMAN :

The Electric Piano/ Rhodes is used a lot in Chillout Lounge Music, i am using the Lounge Lizard for these pianos

Sébastien Barrot :

16 - Have you used "Sound Effects" in addition to your Synthesizers & Modules, if so which ones?

MARC HARTMAN :

For Effects i am using the Waves Bundle and that covers everything... like Reverb, Delay, Compression etc.

Sébastien Barrot :

17 - Concerning your recordings of the collections "Synthesizer" and New Age (your own compositions) have you got your own label

MARC HARTMAN :

I don't have my own label, i do a lot for Lemongrass Music Germany... these guys are serious and they know what they're doing.

Sébastien Barrot :

18 - What are 2 artists "Jean Michel Jarre & Vangelis" do you have more preference?

MARC HARTMAN :

I never placed vangelis in the category Electronic Music. I liked the Sequenced sound and Arpeggios from Jarre a lot. So Jarre rules!

Sébastien Barrot :

19 - What do you think of the musical progress of these last decades?

MARC HARTMAN :

I am not into the music they make these days, it all sounds the same.. there are some exceptions like Coldplay, Faithless and Alt J

Sébastien Barrot :

21 - What do you do when you're not playing or listening to music?

MARC HARTMAN :

For me it's like 24/7 music... so when i'm not doing one of them... please check my circulation.

Sébastien Barrot :

22.Do you still have other hobbies than music?

MARC HARTMAN :

i am very boring, besides music i like movies and series.. but when the music is good in a movie... i put the movie on hold and start working on something inspired by that movie's soundtrack.