Biochip C

Martin Damm prefers to be known as Biochip C, and he's also responsible for other projects involved in the production of a broad range of techno nuances, from the happy hardcore mania of Search & Destroy, DJ Fistfuck and The Speedfreak to the chilled-out journeys of Braindub, right on through the spectrum with the acidic experimentation of Biochip C itself, R.I.C. and Psychic Parasite and the more house-oriented tangent of Subsonic 808. With a continuing flood of product under all these guises coming out to Australia in the form of vinyl and on CD compilations as far afield as Mokum's "Terrordrome" series and Force Inc's "Rauschen" collection, Martin has now produced a full length album under the Search & Destroy moniker and it's called "Music For Happ-E Parties". . .

Martin's first reaction when confronted with an interview is to differentiate himself and his own personal state of mind from the broad-range music he produces under more than seven alternative guises. "It's obvious that Search & Destroy, The Speedfreak and Biochip C are the same person, but the other stuff like Braindub and R.I.C. are more ambient listening music. So it's okay for me that some people know it's all by the same person, but I don't want all people to know."

Yet in some circles so many different identites would lead people to suspect a form of schizophrenia, and he laughs at the suggestion. Is this the case, or is it more that Martin would prefer to be known as a kind of musical chameleon rather than the person behind the music- "Yeah", he agrees, "but it's not in my mind - I don't have such a clear plan. There are several projects which are a special concept, but you see when I work in the studio I just do what I want to do, and sometimes what comes out at the end is different from what I initially planned!" He chuckles. "There are different styles that come across in my music, just as I listen to different styles of music."

Given the huge differences between what he creates as Search & Destroy compared with what he's doing as Biochip C, the question inevitably arises - when Martin goes into the studio to create music, does he set himself within specific stylistic perimeters, say as Search & Destroy music or Biochip C music, or does he prefer to free-range and see where he goes from there- Martin's response is a swift one. "Yeah, you know if I want to do Biochip C now, for example, I have a certain style and I have some limits that I won't cross with that concept; I won't get too hard and I won't get too ambient, and of course I won't get too trancy, because all the trancers are my enemies!" We both laugh, but Martin's voice takes on a serious note. "Let's put it this way: I want to do different things but in no way will I do trance stuff. In Germany over the past three years, trance has been so popular that some tracks even made it into the charts. That's something that I really do not want to do at all; I want to stay undergrouand and just do my thing."

So what sparks the creative differences between, say, the harder acid stuff with Biochip C and the happy hardcore he's doing as Search & Destroy and The Speedfreak- Martin shrugs. "Yeah, well of course they're both totally different styles - it depends on the mood I'm in on the particular day. It's very personal what style I wish to do, you know."

Herr Damm's music has been released as far afield as the "Terrordrome" and "Fucking Hardcore" compilations on the Mokum label and on Force Inc's more experimental acid-oriented "Rauschen" series. Which do he feel he would prefer to listen to - the happy hardcore or the underground acid stuff- "Well, I have some problems with the happy hardcore thing because, okay, I make that kind of music and I still do with Search & Destroy, but I don't like what's happening in Holland these days." Martin considers the situation further and it's obvious that he isn't happy with it. "All the famous DJ's like Charly Lownoise and Mental Theo just have<

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