My real name is Stefan Persson (
add me as a friend on Facebook) and I am an independent artist producing electronic music by the artist name
Imphenzia. I currently live in
Nynäshamn which is located about 50km south of Stockholm in Sweden. I was born
in 1975 and grew up closer to Stockholm in a town named
Vega. My passion for music started at a farily early
age but I have no formal training in the subject.
The first experience in creating electronic music was in 1989 after purchasing an
AdLib sound card;
the result of listening to the music in Sierra Online's game
Space Quest 3 on a different sound card;
the
Roland MT-32. The AdLib was more affoardable than the MT32 as it was based on FM synthesis rather
than sampled instruments, consequently it didn't sound as good. I created a number of songs in the
bundled version of the "
Cakewalk" sequencer software although no songs from that era have survided to this day.
Following the AdLib sound card I created my own "
Covox" device as I was introduced to the world of music
modules in the early PC demo scene. Using sampled instruments and "
music tracker" software such as FastTracker and
FastTracker 2 in the early 1990s I managed to create, in my opinion, better music. Most of the
XM modules that I created during 1990-1996 remain unreleased to the public. There are a few exceptions like
some music in "TSH Xmas Demo" by "The Sky Hawks" (1990-1992), a demo group that I founded and participated
in under the alias "Steep" and some of the songs that I created under the name "Elite Beat" (1992-1996).
The name "Imphenzia" was invented in 1997 in my endeavour to find a unique name. As I put the letters together,
and liked the sound of it, I entered the name into popular search engines at the time and it yielded zero search
results. The purpose of a unique name was that I wanted to keep track of my presence on the Internet. Today
Google reports 11300 pages the vast majority relating to my music as Imphenzia, games that I create under the
name of "Imphenzia Games", and music that may be licensed for games under the name of "Imphenzia Soundtrack". The Imphenzia Alien logo was designed in 1999.
The first album I released, "Sector" (1999), was a collection of tracks that I created while still living in
Vega. It was, as with all my albums, released as an independent album only available on my web site. Some of
the tracks were created using Fast Tracker 2 with post processing of the audio file but it was also during
this time that I made the switch to use Cakewalk as sequencing software instead. At the time of making the
tracks found on Sector I was heavily influenced by Goa music and artists like Astral Projection. Shortly after
the release of Sector I relocated to Liverpool in England where my English girlfriend, now wife, lived at the time.
While living in England I continued to create music and I also started to release my music on the pioneering site
for independent artists, mp3.com, which was a different site from today in early 2000. Imphenzia became fairly
popular in the charts on mp3.com with a few top 10 tracks in sub genres but it never reached the top layer of
electronic artists. Imphenzia was also present at similar artist sites such as ampcast.com and peoplesound.com.
The only still maintained external artist site where Imphenzia has full presence is
soundclick.com.
Moving from music trackers with simple samples as instruments into the world of modern sequencing software it
became apparent that virtual instruments at the time were few, limited in terms of quality, and used up too much
computer resources in order to be used exclusively when creating music. I gradually moved to a hardware based
setup by purchasing equipment such as the
Roland JX305 groove synth,
Yamaha CS6R,
Novation A-Station,
E-mu Xtreme Lead XL1,
Emagic AMT8 MIDI-interface, Fostex VC8 AD converter, and last but not least the €2500 DSP sound card
CreamwarePulsar II. The equipment was used to create most of the sound in the albums "Propulsion" (2000) and the double
disc album "Event Horizon" (2002). Although the hardware enabled me to progressively improve my music I found
myself spending too much time loading/saving configurations on the external gear, fiddling with cables, and
troubleshooting problems with synchronization and static noise.
As I relocated back to Sweden I also brought my external music hardware. Relocating several times within Sweden,
and finally to Nynäshamn where I currently reside, prevented me from setting up the hardware properly which in
turn resulted in a few silent years with no releases between 2003 and 2006. The hardware was collecting dust
becoming out of date so I finally decided to sell it all. Luckily enough meanwhile the world of computer
performance and the quality of virtual instruments had caught up making any external gear, apart from a master
MIDI keyboard, redundant for me. Starting with the purchase of a new master keyboard, the 88 key hammer action
Roland FP-7 stage piano, and moving to Steinberg's sequencing software
Cubase 5, I have now moved to an almost
exclusive software based setup. Cubase along with commercial virtual instruments that I use today, such as
Nexus2
and
VanGauard by ReFX,
Sylenth1 by LennarDigital, and a large number of sample libraries from
EastWest allow
me to focus on creating music rather than maintaining any external equipment. My expensive and nowadays unattractive
sound card Creamware Pulsar 2 has no 64bit drivers so it is the only historic piece of hardware that I still
keep in a drawer.
Back to a software-only setup again Imphenzia has seen quite a few productive years in recent time. Two albums
have been released, "Illusion" (2008) and "Duplicate My Soul" (2010), although they have more symbolic value as
albums are becoming a thing of the past where tracks can instead be digitally handpicked or accessed using the new
feature for full download access at imphenzia.com. The official web site saw a major transformation and re-launch
in 2008 with new features such as digital albums, the full download feature, and streaming capability.
Starting with the track "Princess at the Gate" Imphenzia has increasingly evolved towards what may be described
as a hybrid of euphoric, atmospheric, and melodic trance often with alternative relaxed versions of the tracks
with reduced tempo referred to as "chill-out" edits. Although the accessibility and affordability of music
software have enabled countless artists to create electronic music I believe that Imphenzia has a unique sound.
This sound has its heritage not only from my journey as an artist but also because I strive to create melodies
and music that are pleasing to me and not necessarily to commercial driven record labels that follow the
fashion of what recipes of trance that sell well.
Updated 2 January 2011
This Terms and Conditions agreement ("Agreement") between you ("you" or "your") and Imphenzia ("Imphenzia") sets forth the terms and conditions of use of the goods and services set forth herein (collectively "Service(s)"). You accept that the Agreement may change from time to time effective immediately upon posting on Imphenzia.com or any sub domain (collectively "Imphenzia.com"). Your continued use of any Service(s) shall constitute your acceptance of the Agreement. If you do not agree to the changes you may at any time request that your Service(s) are cancelled.
Full Access
The Full Access service enables you, for a term specified at the time of purchase ("Term"), to download all music files ("Music"), including new releases during the Term, from http://www.imphenzia.com/tracks.html and individual music file pages http://www.imphenzia.com/tracks/*. It is the intention of Imphenzia to provide high quality Music in various formats, e.g. 320kbit/s MP3, 256kbit/s and lossless FLAC files; however, the file format and quality of the Music may change at any time without notice. You acknowledge that the file formats and quality of the Music available to you during the Term is controlled by the size of your contribution as specified at the time of purchase. The Full Access service does not permit you to download the music released under the name "Imphenzia Soundtrack."
Digital Album
The Digital Album service enables you, for a term of 7 (seven) days following time of purchase, to download the content of a specifically purchased Digital Album including (i) music files ("Music") in available file formats for the specific Digital Album and (ii) jewel case cover artwork and CD label artwork for the specific Digital Album. It is the intention of Imphenzia to provide high quality Music in various formats, e.g. 320kbit/s MP3, 256kbit/s and lossless FLAC files; however, the file format and quality of the Music in a Digital Album may change at any time without notice.
CD Album
The CD Album is a good that will be posted to the address specified during the purchase process no later than 14 (fourteen) days following purchase. The CD Album consists of one or more Compact Disc-Recordable(s) ("CD-R") containing music with printed on-disc artwork in a jewel case with printed front and back cover artwork. The format of the music is the industry standard of music CDs, 16 bit 44.1 KHz audio. In the rare event that a CD Album does not function in your audio equipment you may return the CD Album, at your own expense, for a refund of the amount paid excluding shipping fees.
Property Rights
The music files ("Music") accessible to you through the Service(s) are property of Imphenzia. You are granted a non-exclusive license to listen to and copy the Music between your devices for own personal use. You are NOT, without written consent by Imphenzia, allowed to i) distribute the Music, ii) perform the Music in public, iii) share or give the Music to anyone, iv) make the Music publicly available, v) incorporate the Music in games, programs or multimedia, vi) sell the Music, or vii) modify the Music.
Limitation of Liability
You agree and acknowledge that your use of the Service(s) is entirely at your own risk. You agree that Imphenzia will not be liable, under any circumstances, for any (a) termination, suspension, loss, or modification of your Service(s), (b) use or inability to use the Service(s), (c) access interruptions or access delays to Imphenzia.com or Service(s). Imphenzia, (d) loss incurred in connection with your Service(s), or (e) unauthorized access to or alteration of your transmissions or data. Imphenzia will also not be liable for any indirect, special, incidental, or consequential, damages of any kind regardless of the form of action. In no event shall Imphenzia's maximum aggregate liability exceed the total amount paid by you for the Service(s).
Indemnification
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Imphenzia, directors, and employees for any loss, liabilities, damages, costs or expenses arising out of or related to your use of or connection to Imphenzia.com and the Service(s).
Disclaimer and Warranties
The Services are provided to you on an "as is," as available basis. Imphenzia makes no representations, warranties or guarantees of any kind whatsoever, express or implied, in connection with this Agreement. Imphenzia further disclaims any representation or warranty: (i) that the Service(s) will meet your specific requirements, (ii) that the Service(s) will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free, (iii) regarding any Service(s) purchased or obtained through the Service(s), or (iv) that any errors in the Service(s) will be corrected. Any material downloaded or otherwise obtained through the Service(s) is done at your own discretion and risk and you will be solely responsible for any damage to you, third parties, computer systems, audio equipment, or loss of data that results from the download or use of such material.
Updated 27th December 2010
Imphenzia is committed to protecting your privacy when you use the web site music.imphenzia.com ("Web Site") and services ("Services") offered on the Web Site. This policy explains how and why information is collected, what it is used for, and what controls you have over of how it is used.
From time to time, functions, content, and products are added, removed, and changed. This may result in periodic changes to this Privacy Policy. As a result, please remember to refer back to this Privacy Policy regularly to review any amendments.
Any questions regarding the Privacy Policy should be directed to music@imphenzia.com.
Your acceptance of these Privacy Statement terms
By using the Web Site, you unconditionally agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy.
What data do we collect and how do we use it?
Web Site collects and processes information about you in order to:
(i) identify visitors that have authorized access to features not available to anonymous visitors;
(ii) process orders submitted by you;
(iii) improve Services and Web Site;
(iv) customise your experience, for example, display properties and downloadable content; and
(v) send you information if you have signed up for e-mail notifications of new releases.
You may be asked, either when you purchase an item on the Web Site, or at other times, for information about yourself, such as your name, e-mail address, and postal address. Web Site uses known payment services such as PayPal.com and DaoPay.com, in turn Web Site will never store or have access to your credit/payment card details. You are under no obligation to provide this information, but if you don't then certain services will not be available.
Log files/IP addresses
When you visit the Web Site, the Web Hotel (binero.se) automatically log your IP address (the unique address which identifies your computer on the internet) which is automatically recognised by the web server. The Web Hotel uses IP addresses to help administer the Web Site and to collect broad demographic information for aggregate use.
Non personal information
Non-personal information about such as the type of internet browsers you use or the site from which you linked to our Web Site is automatically collected. You cannot be identified from this information and it is only used to improve the Web Site.
Use of Cookies
Cookies are pieces of information that a Web Site transfers to your hard drive to store and sometimes track information about you. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but if you prefer, you can change your browser to prevent that. However, you may not be able to take full advantage of a Web Site if you do so. Cookies are specific to the server that created them and cannot be accessed by other servers, which means they cannot be used to track your movements around the web. Although they do identify a user's computer, cookies do not personally identify customers or passwords. Credit card information is not stored in cookies.
Web Site use cookies for the following reasons:
(i) To identify who you are and to provide authorized access to Services not available to anonymous visitors;and
(ii) To track preferences and to improve and update our Web Site;
With whom is the information shared?
Imphenzia will not share, sell or rent your personal information to third parties.
Imphenzia may disclose aggregate statistics about our sales and Web Site visitors in order to describe the services to prospective partners, advertisers and other reputable third parties and for other lawful purposes, but these statistics will not include personally identifying information.
Imphenzia may disclose personal information if required to do so by law or if it believes that such action is necessary to protect and defend the rights, property or personal safety of Imphenzia, visitors to the Web Site and customers of Services.
Web Site contains links to the sites of third parties. When you visit these sites, it is suggested that you read their privacy policies. Imphenzia is not responsible for the privacy policies or the content of such sites.
Security
Imphenzia places a great importance on the security of all information associated with visitors. Security measures are in place to attempt to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of data. For example, the security and privacy policies are periodically reviewed and enhanced as necessary. With regard to payment processing, the payment networks used (PayPal.com and DaoPay.com) use secure server software (SSL) to encrypt financial information you. While it cannot be guaranteed that loss, misuse or alteration of data will not occur, best efforts are used to prevent this.
Where is the information stored?
Non-fincancial information which you submit via our Web Site on a server located in the European Economic Area. Financial information is only stored and processed at the payment network servers, PayPal.com and DaoPay.com.
