Commodore Remix

maybe it's time for to me to pause for while....
after completing my 'last' remix and my 'Bitlive Compo' song....

so long my best wishes and respect goes to all at the remix64 crew, R:K:O:(jan), all remixer and all listerners of 64er remixes...




see you all in the foreseeable future...

words like violence break the silence
come crushing in into my little world


love & peace 2Klang

Pause? Why? Are you irritated with the voting? If so, don't stop because of that. Don't let it get to you. Personally, regarding Shadow Skimmer, I agree with Chris: it could have something to do with the the fact the the SID is fairly obscure. I haven't voted on SS yet as I'm still undecided as to 'Very Good' or 'Outstanding'... I'm not that keen myself on the SID, but the remix is very impressive... only problem is, I'm not that keen on the actual melody. Now, that's not Markus's fault, but that's just the way I feel. Voting for Glyn's Firelord was easy: I love orchestral AND I love the original SID...

By the way, I enjoy your remixes (you probably already know that), and I don't think they're weird at all.

Sorry about the convoluted nature of this post...

2klang ? where are you going, mate ? come back...

Yes, stay a while...

> stay a while...

Staaaay... nah, it's too cliche...

Chris Abbott wrote: Any particular CD in mind? Or is this a hypothetical CD?

The latter. With free C64 remix releases you can test the audience and find out what they like. If you found out that the average listener is not too enthusiastic about a particular arranger's remixes, would you produce a CD together with him nevertheless? Probably only if you saw unexplored potential and if his new remixes improved a lot. But the Remix64 charts are much more than a testbed.

In discussion threads like this I have mixed feelings. On one hand, it would be so interesting to get feedback from any listeners who may have voted Shadow Skimmer lower than "very good" (which I think has been the case). On the other hand, the reactions of some musicians are so strange, they threaten to impose sanctions on RKO or R64. The only way out would be to be dishonest and rate a remix higher to please the arranger, although you think another remixer did an even better remix. Is this fair? I don't think so. But would that be the price I had to pay to get free music?

In previous postings I have raised a few questions. Instead of getting answers, the fronts are hardening. Strange, real strange...


P.S: Look at Boz's "Thrust". I find it outstanding, but at present it is only at 69%. Oh, what a "plain idiot" I am to not realize how poor the arrangement is really.

> Instead of getting answers, the fronts are hardening. Strange,
> real strange...

Not really: you're dealing with musicians. We're a weird lot, and we're very proud of our little babies...

Chris

Shadow Skimmer is for the time beeing my last 'intended' work for RKO regarding the scale, BUT this decision is not caused in the actual voting AND i told this some people before SS was released on RKO.

I do NOT think these days there is some cheating, anti-voting, faking or whatever you call it.

I DO think that the votings are divided into mainly 2 groups, where based on SS the 'listeners ' voted in average 'Good' while the 'musicians/remixers' voted in average 'Outstanding'. Finally this results in an average of a clear 'Very good, if you assume 50/50 spreading. This at least is an aspect which of course influences my decision but doesn't lead it. In some situations I rate one group higher as the other, it always depends on the aim of the remix.

IMHO
some voting reflects taste
some voting reflects musical skill
some voting reflects the setting it where i want feature
some voting reflects an objective view
some voting reflects playing god for a minute
some voting reflects the original SID, some not
some voting reflects dislikes/likes for the remixer
...
everything from probably different voters on different remixes.
The mishmash from above voting reasons result in an average score. I think all reasons are humanly. And this is something noone can change.
Not only as a remixer you have live with that. Thomas Detert told me that 99% of the titles flop. Some no.1 chart hits are riven from a music company while another company bought it. So you'll never know.

I do NOT search for a reason, because this is an endless venture. One reason might be a not so well known tune, otherwise I read the opposite in many reviews. e.g. the 1000st Commando remix! But we might see soon.

The decision is caused in, let me say, cost-effective reasons. I am learning orchestration and instrumention since 6 months. Remixing IS a very good exercise for instrumentation and it helped me a lot to get better, to come some steps further. I do not regret remixing so far. But it is also intricate. While Human Race was done in 3 hours,which is acceptable for a remix, Shadow Skimmer was orchestrated in about 80-90 hours. Hours I stole my family, my friends and my work. I really untended those things and it could NOT go on in that manner. So putting altogether, the relation between the work, the feedback and familial environment let me decide to sniff into other applications, even professional ones. And the resonance is great so far.

Anyway the best thing I have had the last years was definately the remix scene, which brought me back to music again. And voting or whatever could not by far displace the friends I found here.

Musically for the time beeing I am off on RKO, but this is no apocalypse and some people may even clap their hands

All projects I started will be finished, that is something people can rely on me. And if everything goes well there will be a coop remix the next weeks between 2 musically lost friends

Thanks for your acceptance

I'm very suprised about the low marks of shadow skimmer myself, i voted it outstanding and ofcourse it made the news page too (only glyn's Firelord as previously done that). It's rare that i go to print on a tune, but this occaision i thought we had a massive hit! (not so). Tho 86% is a very good mark. (and btw, it's still early days yet!!! it hasn't been until reciently that mahonney's armagedon man has been a serious challenger to number 1!)

As for the voting? well la de da, here we go again!

I have already looked into the charts regarding the voting of this tune, and i can honestly say there's nothing dubious. Some of the bigger names on this scene havn't given it top marks.

special note to michael: Thanx for the support at least someone is listening.

k2lang: read the article about the voting, the situation hasn't changed!

Neil

Strange place for an introduction but; Hi guys

Couldn't sit still for this one. Even i as 'outsider' have the feeling emotions are heating up over this, which i trully believe is a shame.

I placed a review to 'defend' my vote. It's just the way i look at it. Nothing more, nothing less. The composer, as with all reviews and votes, decides what it's worth.

And just a thought. Placing a 'commercial' about something gets expectance up and maybe people 'punish' by judging harder when it doesn't live up to the hype in their opinion. More 'black and white' so to speak, 'it's not great, so it sucks'. I think it works so in movies.

Just moving though
And for this and all future posts; excuse for the poor grammar

The piece technically is superb. But it doesn't grab me as much as either of Glyn's two orchestral works. That is more down to the source material I suspect rather than Markus' ability as a composer

I did enjoy it... but the point about unfamiliarity with the source material is partially valid. However it doesn't stop me from enjoying something I haven't heard before. Hadn't heard the Gordian Tombs tracks before now for starters!

Howdy,

in my opinion, the power of the "Cult-Status" thingie has been overlooked in this thread. When Glyn released Firelord, it shook the people because it stood out in the crowd. Since then, a lot of great orchestral music has appeared at RKO, but still it will be very hard to beat Firelord - because it had gained cult-status by the time of its release.

There are 2 aspects that make it tougher and tougher all the time to score high in the charts with a new remix:

<li> Every new groundbreaking remix raises the bar for the judgement of future remixes
<li> There are more and more remixes, so to be at rank 50 of 1000 is better than to be at position 1 of 100

And there are a LOT of great mixes at RKO, so it's not at all bad to score at rank 200 of the c64 charts - and it's extraordinary to score among the top 30.

I'm certain, that if we'd erase everyone's memories of all remixes at RKO, and delete all votes, and let everyone vote again - the charts would look very differently from what they are now. There are also some cult-remixers who hold top ranks in the charts, who propably wouldn't be that high rated if they hadn't been among the first to release quality remixes.

Well, just an opinion

- Markus