Say some words about yourself: handle, groups
Dipswitch of Blackmaiden, Up Rough, 5711 and various other groups.
When and where was the first Evoke you visited?
The first Evoke I visted was in 1998 . I wanted to go in 1997, too, but failed to do so: I planned to travel by train together with a local scene friend - Warhawk, a PC sysop from Cologne. I waited for him at the train station, but he didn't show up (and this was the era before mobile phones), so after an hour I got fed up and went home, thus missing the historical first Evoke.
In 1998, I travelled alone, but hung out with friends from SDi (E605, Zippy, Soundrunner). It was a crazy party, and there are numerous bits and pieces I remember: Kyp and Poti singing on stage, the crazy Dutch and Belgian people with their gabber music, the Haujobb guys showing up at the party like rock star VIPs (at least that's how I remember it), Zippy drinking a whole crate of Hansa, my anxiety while entering my first "serious" music compo entry... Also, I remember interacting with Pandur at the infodesk, but not being brave enough to tell him who I was - we knew each other through the BBS world (I was a regular user on his board), but he looked so grim and intimidating. =)
When did you join the organizing team?
I think I had my first infodesk shifts in 2000 - at least there's a photo that shows it.
What made you join the organizing team?
To be honest, I don't remember! I think Mool (my best friend from school, with whom I started my scene journey back in 1996-1997) and I simply offered our help spontaneously while being at the party in 2000. In 2002, I became more involved into orga work, attending orga meetings etc. - but it was only in 2004 that I took over some more serious duties apart from the infodesk shifts.
What is your job inside the organizing team?
My jobs in the Evoke organizing team evolve around music. First of all, I am responsible for organising the music competitions. It's a nerve-wrecking task, but also a very fulfilling one, and I am very fond of the overall excellent quality of our submissions. Participants seem to know that the standards are quite high, but also that it's worth giving it a try, since our preselection is a very transparent procedure, as described in the text on our compo rules website.
Also, I take care of organising the musical events at the party - asking DJs and live acts, planning the schedule, making sure the musicians arrive safely and feel comfortable. The musical side-event tradition was born in 2004, when Prymer organised the Evoke Netlabel Night in the basement of the venue - we decided to pick this up in 2008-2009 with "Evoke Tracks", where I was in charge of setting up a line-up balanced between local DJs and international demoscene musicians, showcasing demoscene talent to the local clubbing scene and offering Evoke visitors a nice club night at the same time. Since 2010, we had to give up the concept of a demoscene clubnight open for outside visitors due to the location change, but never the less, thanks to the spacious outdoor area at Abenteuerhalle, we are able to serve a high-quality musical line-up every year.
Oh, and last not least - I'm in charge of the text mode art compos together with Pandur.
Which compo do you enjoy watching the most?
It's hard to say, really... But if I would have to decide on two of them, then it would be, firstly, the ANSI compo - it's part of Evoke's tradition, and has fuelled the comeback of ANSI in the last years. And secondly, it's definitely the realtime wild competition - where we had the most amazing contributions over the years.
Is there a demo/intro/... released at Evoke you love the most?
If I had to pick three, then it probably would be "Herbst77" by Kolor, "Overdrive" by Titan, and "Rocket Science" by Bauknecht & TEK. And as a bonus: Arcane's live wild entry from 2000, which is sadly not preserved.
What would be the photo to describe Evoke for you?
Hard to say, as I have far too many pictures of Evoke both on my harddrive and in my head.
Do you have a favourite shirt from Evoke?
Yes, the one with the solar eclipse, from 2013(?) - I wish I had bought five of them.
What would be your most memorable moment at Evoke?
Far too many, really - every Evoke edition has its highlights.
Besides Evoke, what is your next favorite demoparty?
Three words that decribe Evoke best?
Family, skills, style.
Is there anything else that you always wanted to say about Evoke?
I hope we can go on for many, many years to come.