Andrew Gregory Sega ( ; born May 20, 1975), also known as Necros, is an American musician best known for

tracking Tracking may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Tracking, in computer graphics, in match moving (insertion of graphics into footage) * Tracking, composing music with music tracker software * Eye tracking, measuring the position of ...

modules in the 1990s

demoscene The demoscene is an international computer art subculture focused on producing demos: self-contained, sometimes extremely small, computer programs that produce audiovisual presentations. The purpose of a demo is to show off programming, visua ...

as well as for composing music for several well-known video games. He was a member of the synthpop duo Iris from 2001 until its disbandment in 2021. In 2020, he founded the

dark wave Dark wave (also typeset as darkwave) is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as be ...

duo Hallowed Hearts. Sega is the owner of the

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

Diffusion Records. His main solo project is known as The Alpha Conspiracy.

Biography

Andrew Sega was born on May 20, 1975, in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

and lived the majority of his young life in Upstate New York. His interest in music began when he was 7 years old, when he started playing and experimenting with an

electronic organ An electric organ, also known as electronic organ, is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally designed to imitate their sound, or orchestral sounds, it has since develop ...

he had in his house. He later started taking lessons with an organist from a Polish church in Rome, New York, where he learned almost exclusively baroque music. Later in high school he learned to play other instruments, including

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave ...

and piano. Sega's first records were from artists such as Men at Work,

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book o ...

, and

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the li ...

. He discovered trackers in his first year of college (1993) from a friend who showed him Future Crew's '' Unreal'' demo. Sega was amazed with how good the music sounded. He eventually discovered FastTracker 1.0, and began writing MOD music for the first time. His first

demo group Demogroups are teams of demosceners, who make computer based audio-visual works of art known as demos. Demogroups form a subculture collectively known as the demoscene. Groups frequently consist of students, young computer enthusiasts who spend ...

was Psychic Monks. Through the mid-1990s he contributed music to various demo and music groups, and

music disk Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...

s such as ''Epidemic'' (1994), featuring other noted tracker musicians like Purple Motion and Skaven. Sega later helped form the legendary tracking group Five Musicians, which featured other notable figures, such as Jeroen Tel, Basehead and

Hunz Hunz is an electronic pop music group from Brisbane, Australia. The name Hunz can refer to either the group or its composer, keyboardist and vocalist, Hans van Vliet. The group was formed in 2005 by Johannes (Hans) van Vliet (born 15 Decembe ...

. He was also a member of German demogroup Legend Design, and iCE. Sega programmed and/or composed music for several demoscene productions, such as the NAID '95 demo ''Eden'' and 1996 demo ''Babylon''. His composition, "Ascent of the Cloud Eagle", won the first place at NAID '95. In a 1998 interview, Sega declared that he had composed around four hundred finished songs. He gradually left the demoscene behind and started making music for video games, beginning with little known titles such as '' In Pursuit of Greed'', ''

Ironseed ''Ironseed'' is a 1994 MS-DOS video game, developed and published by Channel 7. It is a Space trading and combat simulator, space trading and combat game with real-time strategy elements. Plot The game plays in fictional alternative reality in t ...

'' and ''Xixit'', then moving on to

Origin Systems Origin Systems, Inc. was an American video game developer based in Austin, Texas. It was founded on March 3, 1983, by Richard Garriott and his brother Robert. Origin is best known for their groundbreaking work in multiple genres of video games ...

' '' Crusader'' series, where he worked as a software engineer and composer. Sega was a founding member of the

video game music Video game music (or VGM) is the soundtrack that accompanies video games. Early video game music was once limited to sounds of early sound chips, such as programmable sound generators (PSG) or FM synthesis chips. These limitations have led to ...

production company Straylight Productions, contributing tracks to the first-person shooters '' Unreal'' and ''

Unreal Tournament ''Unreal Tournament'' is a first-person arena shooter video game developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes. The second installment in the '' Unreal'' series, it was first published by GT Interactive in 1999 for Microsoft Windows, and lat ...

''. Later, he joined

Digital Anvil Digital Anvil, Inc. (formerly Digital Anvil Holdings, Inc.) was an American video game developer based in Austin, Texas owned by Microsoft Game Studios (MGS). It was founded in 1996 by brothers Chris and Erin Roberts along with Tony Zurovec, Ma ...

(now a part of

Microsoft Game Studios Xbox Game Studios (previously known as Microsoft Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, and Microsoft Games) is an American video game publisher and part of the Microsoft Gaming division based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, ...

), and worked as a programmer and musician on '' Freelancer''. In 2006 he founded Diffusion Games, a gaming company which focuses on exploring emotional and social aspects of

interactivity Across the many fields concerned with interactivity, including information science, computer science, human-computer interaction, communication, and industrial design, there is little agreement over the meaning of the term "interactivity", but ...

. In 2001, Sega founded The Alpha Conspiracy, and released two studio albums, ''

Cipher In cryptography, a cipher (or cypher) is an algorithm for performing encryption or decryption—a series of well-defined steps that can be followed as a procedure. An alternative, less common term is ''encipherment''. To encipher or encode i ...

'' (2001) and ''

Aura Aura most commonly refers to: * Aura (paranormal), a field of luminous multicolored radiation around a person or object * Aura (symptom), a symptom experienced before a migraine or seizure Aura may also refer to: Places Extraterrestrial * 1488 ...

'' (2004), and a split EP with Low Technicians, ''Forward Rewinding'' (2002). He also founded Diffusion Records, an

through which he released The Alpha Conspiracy debut album. Gradually, Diffusion Records became a full-featured label, releasing albums by Iris, CTRL, Low Technicians, and Kilowatts and Vanek. Sega was introduced to Iris in 2001. He started working on several test tracks with Reagan Jones before becoming an official member in 2002. Sega is also a live member of

industrial hip hop Industrial hip hop is a fusion genre of industrial music and hip hop. History 1980s The origins of industrial hip hop are in the work of Mark Stewart, Bill Laswell, and Adrian Sherwood. In 1985, former The Pop Group singer Mark Stewart relea ...

group Stromkern. As of 2011, he was working on a dark electropop side-project with Julia Beyer ( Chandeen, Technoir). In 2012 Sega and Dan Clark from Stromkern teamed up under the name The Mighty Chouffe and released an EP, ''The West Town''. In 2013 he released ''Obelus'', the debut album from his new side-project XYZZY. In 2020, Sega and Alex Virlios (Blue Images, CTRL, Exit) formed Hallowed Hearts and released their debut album ''Into the Fire''. Sega's influences include

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld ...

, μ-Ziq,

Aphex Twin Richard David James (born 18 August 1971), best known as Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born British musician, composer and DJ. He is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic styles such as techno, ambient, and jungle. Journalists from publication ...

, Radiohead,

Orbital Orbital may refer to: Sciences Chemistry and physics * Atomic orbital * Molecular orbital * Hybrid orbital Astronomy and space flight * Orbit ** Earth orbit Medicine and physiology * Orbit (anatomy), also known as the ''orbital bone'' * Orbito ...

, Fluke, The Prodigy,

Hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...

, Mouse on Mars,

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depech ...

, Rush,

, XTC,

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

Imogen Heap Imogen Jennifer Heap (born 9 December 1977) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Her work has been considered pioneering in pop and electropop music. Heap classically trained in piano, cello and clarinet starting at a ...

, and

The Chemical Brothers The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo formed by Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons in Manchester in 1989. They were pioneers (along with the Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, the Crystal Method, and other acts) in bringing the big beat gen ...

, among others. He described

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

, folk,

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

, ambient,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

, and

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

as his favorite genres, but noted that he tries to avoid the categorization of music. Sega studied

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includin ...

and philosophy at

Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public research university in Stony Brook, New York. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is one of the State University of New York syste ...

. Throughout the years, he has worked primarily as a full-time software engineer for video games.

Video game credits

Andrew Sega has composed music for the following video games: * 2007 – ''

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am'' is a video game based on the Adult Swim animated television series, ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force''. It is a hybrid kart racing/fighting/golf game that takes place on several New Jersey golf courses. It was ...

'' * 2007 – '' Enigma'' * 2003 – '' Freelancer'' * 2001 – '' Conquest: Frontier Wars'' * 1999 – ''

'' * 1999 – ''

Jazz Jackrabbit 3 ''Jazz Jackrabbit'' is a series of platform games featuring the eponymous character, Jazz Jackrabbit, a green anthropomorphic hare, who fights with his nemesis, Devan Shell, in a science fiction parody of the fable, ''The Tortoise and the Hare'' ...

'' (unreleased) * 1998 – '' Unreal'' * 1997 – '' Wing Commander: Prophecy'' * 1996 – '' Crusader: No Regret'' * 1995 – '' Crusader: No Remorse'' * 1995 – '' In Pursuit of Greed'' * 1995 – ''Xixit'' * 1994 – ''

Discography

Necros

* 1994 – ''Digital Psychosis'' (Psychic Monks, DOS

) * 1995 – ''Progression'' (Five Musicians, DOS music disk with S3M files) * 1997 – ''System'' ( IT music files)

The Alpha Conspiracy

* 2001 – ''

'' * 2001 – ''Forward Rewinding'' (a split EP with Low Technicians) * 2004 – ''

Iris

* 2003 – '' Awakening'' * 2003 – ''Reconnect'' * 2005 – ''

Wrath Anger, also known as wrath or rage, is an intense emotional state involving a strong uncomfortable and non-cooperative response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat. A person experiencing anger will often experience physical effects, suc ...

'' * 2005 – ''Disconnect 2.0'' * 2008 – ''Hydra'' * 2010 – ''

Blacklight A blacklight, also called a UV-A light, Wood's lamp, or ultraviolet light, is a lamp that emits long-wave ( UV-A) ultraviolet light and very little visible light. One type of lamp has a violet filter material, either on the bulb or in a sepa ...

'' * 2014 – ''

Radiant Radiant may refer to: Computers, software, and video games * Radiant (software), a content management system * GtkRadiant, a level editor created by id Software for their games * Radiant AI, a technology developed by Bethesda Softworks for ''The ...

'' * 2019 – '' Six''

The Mighty Chouffe

* 2012 – ''The West Town'' (EP)

XYZZY

* 2013 – ''Obelus''

Hallowed Hearts

* 2020 – ''Into the Fire'' * 2021 – ''Ruins'' (EP)

References

External links

The Alpha Conspiracy official website
*
Artist profile
at

OverClocked ReMix OverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix and OCR, is a non-commercial organization dedicated to preserving and paying tribute to video game music through arranging and re-interpreting the songs, both with new technology and software and by va ...

Andrew Sega Webshrine with Music examplesAndrew Sega
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

Diffusion Records official websiteIris official website
*
XYZZY
at

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

Hallowed Hearts
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sega, Andrew 1975 births Living people American electronic musicians Demosceners Video game composers Intelligent dance musicians American video game designers Jeskola Buzz users American keyboardists American multi-instrumentalists Electronica musicians Tracker musicians Ableton Live users Origin Systems people Stony Brook University alumni Guitarists from Rhode Island Musicians from Providence, Rhode Island Record producers from Rhode Island American male guitarists 21st-century American singers 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male singers