It was not easy to get Mariusz Duda on the microphone during the last months. Already during the U.S. tour of Riverside various appointments fell through, another interview appointment failed at the last second because the ship of the "Cruise For The Edge" prog cruise left earlier than planned and sailed into the Internet-free zone. During the subsequent flying visit to South America, a renewed contact with the head of the Polish proggers seemed even more unlikely, so that we reached the 46-year-old only in early June after returning to his home country
In conversation, Duda initially raves about the enthusiastic fan reactions in Mexico, Chile and Brazil, but then seems all the more crestfallen when the conversation turns to the actual topic of electronics. "With Vangelis, one of my greatest musical heroes has passed away. I grew up with his music as a teenager and own his complete discography. For me personally, too, it's the end of an era!" An era that began almost 30 years ago in the nursery of an introverted teenager who fantasized about the soundscapes of Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis or Tangerine Dream and then began to make up his own electronic music stories. He recorded them on cassettes, designed covers he drew himself and put them on the shelf next to those of his masters ...
