C64 remixing
Pure nostalgia or true passion?
Many of today's sceners have their roots in older systems, such as Amiga, Atari and C64. A few are still active on these systems, even though they're sadly decreasing in numbers. We can safely say that the "war of the systems" (Atari vs. Amiga) that was "raging" back in the day did breed a more fanatic devotion to its followers than today's PC-scene can offer. Sure, there's still a bit of Mac vs. PC going on but most of us HAVE grown away from the "PC is better than Mac" attitude and can by now admit that both systems have their pros and cons.
However, what still lives on strong from these systems is the unique sound of the music that was produced on these machines. Hundreds of Amiga and Atari songs are spinning every day on scenemusic.net. Is it purely for nostalgic reasons or because of the sound and spirit of these old machines? For me personally it's a little of both. They bring back good memories from a time in my childhood when I had not a care in the world, something most of us probably miss somewhere deep inside of us.
The machine that has gathered the strongest following because of its music is by far the C64. From the beginning Commodore activists who switched from C64 to Amiga "converted" their favourite C64 songs to the new platform. Hundreds of remixes in different formats are around, but nowadays the MP3's have taken over the "remix-scene" and it has become a scene of its own. C64 music fans from around the globe have come together for the past few years to share remixes, music experience and knowledge. Many demosceners are familiar with some of the names of these remix-sceners, such as Instant Remady, SoundWavers and The Dead Guys. But these are only a few of the enthusiasts. The cream of the crop some might even say.
Though the old Triad c64 MP3-remix page, c64audio.com and the R.K.O. archive distribution of quality remixes has been assured. C64audio.com has even turned into a record label (High Technology Publishing) run by Chris Abbott as a hobby, releasing C64 remixes in different styles on CD. The already classic Back in Time series (at the time out in three albums), Karma64, Instant Remady and Reyn Ouwehands (Galway Remixed and Nexus 6581) are either produced or distributed via c64audio.com.
We ask Neil Carr, organizer of the biggest c64 remix "portal" www.remix64.com, why he thinks the C64 music is still around and appreciated today. "Well it's probably because the SID chip was the first real chip that could produce what you'd call music, I mean can you really say the spectrum had music capabilities? So because the c64 had a great little chip inside of it, it caused quite a stir with programmers turned musicians. These musicians produced a type of music on the c64 that was never whitnessed before, and with it being the first computer to really have sound potential the music is remembered more than any other computer and that includes the Amiga", Neil says but he also believes it's because today's game-music is more of atmospheric music, like film scores, which is not as catchy as the old game music. "The days of Sanxion, Wizball type tunes have long since died, but we have never forgotten those strong melodies and pumping basslines of the c64. People love the music that much that they want to bring the humble sid chip into the newage, taking the strong elements of the sid and mixing it with modern style sounds. No one of us wishes to forget the sidchip, and remixing these classic c64 tunes is one way of keeping the memory alive."
The past two years have really been a prosperous time for the C64 remix community. The average quality of the remixes has increased enormously. This has caused some stir in the community as some people believe that many of the remixes on R.K.O. that are free have the same high quality as the CD-releases, and that the CD releases "harm" the community because not all can afford or want to pay for the listening. True as this might be, one has to think about the things that the income of the CD's has brought to the remix-community. For instance, the "Commodore 64 disco"-series Back in Time Live would never have taken place if it wasn't for the income of the CD sales. Back in Time Live 1 was for sure a historic moment as old music legends such as Rob Hubbard, Martin Galway, Ben Daglish, Fred Gray, David Whittaker and many more gathered at the same place for one (drunken) evening. Question is, how long will this remix-movement last?
"This is something I've thought long and hard about", Neil comments. "Unless c64 music becomes more mainstream and open to the public outside the scene, it hasn't got long. Whilst interviewing for remix64.com I've noticed that most of the remixers are aged between 25 and 35. This age group remembers the c64 with fond memories and I would consider this would have been the prime age group of commodore 64 users back in the 1980's. Do you think people will still be remixing c64 sids when they are 60? I'd be very surprised since most of us will have arthritis by then ;) But seriously 10 years is about the most hopeful."
For more information about the C64 remix-scene, head over to www.remix64.com and c64audio.com. And if you're wondering what C64 remixes to download, there's always the remix64-charts where the regulars vote and rank new releases.