Remixer of the Year 2006 Awards
Report by Warren waz
Pilkington
On Sunday 21st January 2007, the coveted awards for Remixer of the Year 2006 were announced. In a year that was a year of new direction and also development of the C64 and remix scenes (not to mention commercial artists blatantly ripping off the SID and claiming it as their own material) what stood out in terms of mixes wasn’t always necessarily the quantity, more the quality. And what’s definitely been noticeable in 2006 was the shift towards not just more experimentation in terms of the styles of music used, but also the choice of SID to remix in terms of the C64 mixes.
As some of you will recall, I posted a somewhat controversial article on Remix64 a few years back which stated at the time that it was time for the remixers to take a look beyond the bog standard game tunes, embrace more SID composers and take their vastly under-rated tunes on. Some took me up on that, but what’s been the most noticeable thing for me is that 2006 more than ever was a case of remixers spreading their wings and giving justice to not just the likes of Hubbard, Galway, Follin, Tel etc but also many a demo tune. This for me is a positive step and I have to praise all the remixers out there for contributing to that and for making the whole remix scene a place of diversity and vibrance.
This can be further shown in the very close vote for Remixer of the Year. In what can only be described as a very close call, Moog just about beat Dafunk, but there was hardly anything in it. What both of those remixers have in common is their willingness to experiment with demo tunes and make it their own. While several of their mixes appeared in the top C64 remixes of the year, it was the sum total of their quantity, quality and consistency that would win any a new fan over. A new mix by any of those two was a worthwhile download, and indeed one of my favourite Moog mixes Camel Funk
wasn’t even in the C64 remix charts despite it rating quite well. (For me, a sign of how good he was during the year.) For someone who only introduced his mixes during 2006, he certainly helped in a big way to raise the quality bar and that should be noted. Dafunk should deservedly get an honourable mention as well simply taking on relatively less well known SIDs and making them his own. His version of Wacek’s Cyanide
is dark, brooding and Industrial and for me is one of my own personal favourites that he’s done – and the variety of Dafunk’s creations cannot be ignored either, lots of styles, all executed well. It’s no coincidence either to note that both of them had a distinguished career making C64 music – their skills in that creation have come to the fore when doing their mixes and it’s also no coincidence that many great C64 remixers once composed on the humble beige box.
Rounding off the top five is Makke, Romeo Knight and Binster. Although Makke didn’t make too many mixes himself this year (although his ska-like version of Qix is great fun, well worth checking out) he did play an excellent vocal role in Dafunk’s Out Of The Dome
, another excellent rendition of a Wacek SID, and certainly his support for other remixers can’t go un-noticed. Romeo was fairly quiet in terms of releases too, but his recent version of Mutants as a co-op with Markus Schneider is an intriguing mix of styles that was so close to red territory for me but just failed on the fact it felt a bit disjointed. Whilst Binster only released one mix in 2006, it obviously had an impact on many of you as the awards themselves show, and more on that later on.
And in truth had Moog not won the Best Newcomer there would have been an inquest as to why. For many reasons already mentioned his quality and consistency was the order of the day, but also his warmth and friendliness to blend in the scene, exemplified by his co-op with Skitz in Final Groovin’ Synth Sample
, a beautifully warm piece (particularly with the cold weather at the moment). I would have to say as well that the second placed J Krafft thoroughly deserved his showing on account of four excellent polished remixes that he released over the year, and in his IK Hamburg Extravaganza Mix
the defining use of SID in a mix for 2006, and a standard-setter in how to correctly integrate the SID sound into a mix and enhance it, not detract from it. Several of you out there also found it impressive enough to be voted in the innovation category, an accolade it deserved along with his version of Terramex.
Ollas and Ziphoid’s third place was a slight surprise it has to be said. Although their mix of Combat Crazy is a solid all action all pounding beat-driven effort that you can’t help but like, I have a feeling that had they had the time to release more work, they may have even rated higher than they did. What wasn’t a surprise was when Amiga veteran Firefox turned his hand to remixing and immediately came out with a really nice rendition of the classic demo track Sleepwalk, which also happened to pick up the Amiga remix award. Lastly, an honourable mention has to go to GioVer, who created two stunningly original and innovative C64 renditions that not only took on immensely difficult SIDs, but made it his own. You can’t help but admire the sheer guts he put into Miami Vice for that reason.
It’s Binary Babyunder his belt also, a thoroughly deserved award in my view. Indeed any of the top ten could have rightfully lay claim to that, and DHS’s second place was also a testament to his work over the years. His sole remix of 2006 was a thoroughly enjoyable trip through Jeff’s
Hyper Zapper– much kudos to him for taking on that demo tune and making it his own. I don’t often give the red one out but for this it was as much the innovation as well as the trademark unz.
Sonic Wanderer has been a model of consistency, and 2006 saw the release of his version of Last Hero, a pretty good unz-heavy mix with lashings of Makke to top it off. Whilst not his best, it showed he still has the knack. Machinae Supremacy’s missing Sidology 2 mix was also released to critical acclaim and in many ways their version of The Great Giana Sisters is the definitive version of said tune as well as one of the best mixes of all time (I’d include them here just for that), whilst rounding off the top five was Mahoney, who not only for his solo work but for the excellent acapella versions in Visa Röster is more than worthy of inclusion here. In fact it’s a sign of the times that all of the top five are renowned in remix circles and suitably lauded with fan worship.
Moving on to what was the most wide ranging category, the C64 Remix of 2006. The fact that there were so many quality remixes released this year made it a very difficult decision to nail one down as my own favourite, never mind those of you who nominated in their droves. And in one of the tighest finishes I’ve seen, Moog’s Tristess
got the nod. For me, I was pretty pleased because Moog didn’t just taken on an underrated DRAX classic, but also kept the emotion and the feel intact, which to me is highly important. If I have one very very slight niggle, the lead in the second part isn’t as strong, but that’s me being pedantic (no offence meant Moog!) For pure enjoyment it scores very highly and in truth several of Moog’s renditions could have won, but this just snatched the award from Binster. I’ll come to his Ghouls and Ghosts mix in more detail in the innovation category as I’ve got plenty to say about it.
A highly deserved third is an example of how scene co-operation can work at its finest, with Andy Gilmour and LMan’s version of Robocop Title. I heard the first draft of this mix, and whilst the guitar playing was brilliant even then, it needed something more to add to the flavour and emotion of the mix. In came LMan, and between the two of them created for me the definitive remix of the game theme, so well done to them both. Romeo Knight’s version of tune 5 of Bionic Commando had such a summery salsa flavour to it that you couldn’t help but have a big smile on your face when listening to it, and that made it a really lovely mix, not least with those gorgeous acoustic guitars. And Visa Röster’s version of the Rambo theme just made your hair stand on end with the pureness and the emotions of all the voices in there.
A consistent thing in all the top five (and indeed all of the top ten for that matter) is that they developed on the sonic ideas that the original SID had, but didn’t lose their emotional feel along the way. That for me impressed me greatly. In fact, most of the remixes nominated did that to some degree whilst sounding fresh also. And if you still disagree with either Moog or Dafunk being the two best remixers of the year, the fact that they had four mixes each in the top 16 places shows their consistency and quality to a very high level.
Wow!back in the day. And listening to Firefox’s wonderful rendition only made you feel that some more, which shows how good his mix was. DaxxTRS’ breakdown breakbeats version of Xenon 2 Megablast wasn’t just a mix of the Bomb The Bass classic, but deconstructed with all those fantastic 80s samples thrown in and was an impressive piece of work. DaxxTRS was also very consistent with releases and quality and if there was a separate Amiga remixer of 2006, he’d have got my vote. Maybe something to think of for next year, have C64 remixer of the year and Amiga remixer of the year as well as an overall one?
Makke proved his versatility by adding lovely bits of ska and Rasputin to his arrangement of the James Pond 2 intro theme which segued together well and made for a thoroughly enjoyable listen, somewhat cheesy but very enjoyable. Also Anthony N Putson put a lot of work into his version of Odyssey Part 1 and you simply cannot fault the orchestral work whatsoever, well worth a listen if you’re into Amiga demo tunes. CZ Tunes’ Battle Squadron rounded off the top five nicely with some excellent work too and showed that although not as many Amiga mixes may be released, that certainly doesn’t mean to say there isn’t quality out there – far from it.
So, your runaway winner in the Most Innovative Remix of 2006 was Binster’s Ghouls and Ghosts Poltergeist Mix, and by a large margin too. I think in terms of innovation what is there is the fact that the tune’s been given an overhaul with plenty of killer bass and drums, almost Industrial sounding, but what it does keep is the dark and mysterious feel and yet make it its own. I am still yet to be convinced that it’s worthy of a red smiley, but I will say this: it certainly is different and challenging the norm, and for that reason alone I can see why so many of you love it. And I’m not going to argue with you – enough of you out there certainly love it. Keep up the good work, Binster!
As for other innovative mixes, Visa Röster’s Rambo makes an appearance and certainly I’d say is their finest acapella version out there, and Romeo Knight’s Ballblazer, although released early in 2006, showed enough innovation out there for you all to remember it. A perfect blend of breaks, Beasties and killer basslines as well as the original tune, a perfect way to mash up things and make a perfectly delectable mix which I have to say I enjoyed immensely. And whilst I wasn’t that big a fan of Mahoney’s Robocop 3 (Gonna Get You Mad) I can see at the same time that it was daring to be different, maybe a bit too out there for some as such, but it gave it its all nonetheless.
What surprised me was that Mixer’s absolutely brilliant rendition of Nemesis The Warlock came only fifth. For me, it’s now the version of said tune, and whilst several of you do have valid complaints about the somethat unrealistic sounding saxophone, if you put that to one side then what you’ll hear is the work of someone who strived to keep the emotional feeling of the original but put it into a completely new dimension. I think he succeeded. It should have also scored higher in the C64 remix category too, but certainly I guess if it was remastered with a better sounding instrument, it may convince you. Sometimes we get a bit too fussy over things like that, myself included.
Out of what else was voted in this category that I haven’t already mentioned, Moog’s Reyn TV Station (the Kramer tune from Dutch Breeze) certainly gave that demo tune its own dimension with plenty of clarity and scene setting, and Load Error’s Last Ninja 2 (Breaks on Level 4) is a real grower, so much so that after a few listens recently, I’ve actually upgraded my vote. On first listen it might sound repetitive, but listen again to the innovation and the darkness of it. Not quite Dafunk’s dark style but it did breathe new life into Last Ninja mixes and raised the bar at the same time. One final mention simply has to go to Nada for trying some very different styles in both his mixes of Paperboy, very laid back indeed that was, and Ghouls Rocksteady, which just had me searching the music stores for a Specials CD in tribute to his impressive ska version that he did.
Lastly, a brief mention of the Radio Personality of 2006 award. Ziphoid was a deserved winner, in terms of his shows and the presenting skills, but also because of the fact that he was prepared to contribute in a positive way to the scene in other ways too. Certainly his shows have the right mix of fun and enjoyment without being too stupid. And when Boz has done his thing, he’s still a great personality too and his infamous move to Sweden hasn’t made him any less great either (despite Slaygon’s intentions, hehe.) In fact all the radio personalities deserve a mention for giving up their valuable free time to give us the remix fans and masses something enjoyable to listen to and making the IRC channel #slayradio a nice place to hang out.
In summary, the 2006 awards not only proved that the remix scene has developed into a thriving hub of activity in terms of quality, but also shown that the scene is still alive and is a warm and cosy place to be right now. You see so many so called scenes and movements that are clearly up their own backside these days but I’m very happy to report that none of that exists here. I’d just like to thank everyone that had a mix released on RKO or AmigaRemix during 2006 for making such an effort to work meticulously on their creations and to give up their time to do so and for all of us for making an effort to listen to their work and to encourage them to do more. Exciting times are ahead in 2007 and I for one can’t wait to see what happens.
