Commodore Remix

http://www.remix64.com/?load=Remix64_CD

as Neil said in the NEWS read more by clicking the link above ....

here is my opinion:

first the good thing: the samples really sound GREAT!
but now the bad thing: i only know two of the original sids! the music you chose to remix is not so well-known. i think the "back in time 2"-cd had the same problem. while "back in time 1" mostly featured classic c64-themes, bit2 didn't. and i still prefer bit1 to bit2, simply because i connect memories to the tunes ... and isn't that the purpose of a remix-cd?

The main problem is this: the set of SIDs that everyone is guaranteed to remember (and which are regarded as classics) is actually fairly small, and even differs by country: for instance, except for Scarabaeus and Daley Thompson's, everything on BIT 2 was very well known in the UK: even Roland's Rat Race! But of course, the same wasn't true in some other
countries: as we have to diverge from the core Commando/Comic Bakery/Giana Sisters/Monty on the Run/Arkanoid kind of thing, it get progressively more difficult to hit the target with any one individual person: I thought BIT 3 was nothing but famous tracks (well, OK, except Armalyte and Agent X 2), but some people didn't seem to have even heard Phantom of the Asteroid: which is weird to me.

The most you can hope for in that case is that you've done a good enough job to make the piece likeable in its own right: after all, people hear other music they haven't heard before, and judge it on its own merits, and it's certainly the case that I've often heard a remix of a SID I haven't heard before, and it's made me like the tune (for instance, Mixer's "Anal-ogue" remix). I never got on with Nemesis the Warlock before I heard Marcel's
first attempt at it.

Chris

Chris Abbott wrote:(for instance, Mixer's "Anal-ogue" remix).

Hehe.....hehehe.....eeehhhh......he said "Anal".hehehe....hehe....ehhhh......

Chris Abbott wrote:The most you can hope for in that case is that you've done a good enough job to make the piece likeable in its own right

I think this is exactly right, even in the case of catchy dance numbers, as opposed to the filmic stuff on R64 2. I was somewhat surprised to see Rubicon on there - I didn't think Jereon liked his stuff being remixed by others...

Having rummaged through the tracks and listened to them a few times in iTunes, the CD sounds like it will be suitably filmic and a little akin to a chilled-out BIT3 in many ways. I'm not yet sure whether I'll but it - in many ways, this isn't really my "tea" - but if there's one track that will make me "break open" the wallet, it's the Fist II remix. That's a real "shivers down the spine" number. Barbarian also sounds good, although that probably has something to do with the clip being my favourite part of the track!

Looking through the tracklisting, I was surprised to note that I'm familiar with 12 of the 15 tracks - especially Shades, which remains one of my all-time favourite SID tracks.

The picture is that the tunes which you consider classics as already been done before on CD, and mabe several times over. I could do a millionth version of sanxion or another version of monty but in all truth its just not been part of my plans to over remix somthing. I certainly would get fed up with hearing the same stuff over and over again.

what is different with v2 is that we've took the theme (ok say it is Film esque) and found a sid to fit our concepts, rather than what would normally happen is we we find a sid and then work around it. In this case remix64 v2 differs and quite substantially. Anyone notice that the Clip from Armegeddon man sounded nothing like the original? The part we've included from the clip is a part we felt suited the ethos of the theme and it's made an nice little sid, into a great remix. Ofcourse at other parts of the tune it's more than obvious it's armeggedon man, but with this clip we've shown just how we've gone about creating a newer fresher and more creative remix.

V1 of r64 was very much a fun CD and should be taken that way too, however v2 explores a very serious side of remixing and a more creative and overall i think a better piece of music.

V2 will not appeal to purists, i mean those who wish to hear the sid sound like a sid (bit 1 and bit2). However it will certainly appeal to those who love music and wish to hear something more flexable and musical.

For those who loved bit 1 and bit 2, they could have issues with v2, but for those who like their music mind expanded further than just a straight cover/remix will find v2 very enterprising.

For example those who love Glyn R Brown and his ideas of remixing will certainly aprove of the CD, those for example who like a more siddy sound then they may not!

music or remix? which one do you prefer!

Well, like Chris said above .. some people know most of the tunes and some guys don't !
But what is the solution ?? Only releasing CD's with the standard sid-covers/remixes ??! I don't think so !!
I know it will be very difficult to get a real impression of the cd with an 1min.-128kb mp3-soundfile !
But a last word here, the remixers have all done a great job. All remixes are really clever arranged and produced and it will be a pitty if you'll miss this cd release

cheers
TOM::::..

btw: i never heard the sid versions of BLODD VALLEY,BARBARIAN and ARMAGEDDON MAN before , but they are great, especially ARMAGEDDON MAN thrilled me a lot

Unfortunately we can't force people to like our musical worthiness (god knows I try!): we just hope there are enough like-minded souls who have a musical ear beyond nostalgia.

It will be interesting to hear how the incoming "Martin Galway: The Perfect
SID Collection" double CD will go down. That will be released at the same
time as R64 Vol 2, i.e. BIT Live Brighton: though obviously R64 Vol 2 date
is completely up to Neil

Chris

arvirus wrote: i only know two of the original sids! the music you choose to remix is not so well-known. i connect memories to the tunes ... and isn't that the purpose of a remix-cd?

Well, i don't think that the tracks are not sooo well-known..
Please give some of the original sid files (which are provided for download,too) a listen and mostly then the <b>"AHHHH.." Effect</b> appears

Sometimes i do have the same problem.. I know many sids,really ,
but not all by their names and titles and normaly when I listen to the original sid-file of the <b>"unknown"</b> tune, I realise that I heard the sid tune many times before
But maybe this just work for me... yeah i know i am an oldschool-guy


tom::::....

Very well pointed out thomas.

My recomendation is to listen to the sid first and then listen to the remix. It suddenly dorns on you just how versatile and clever the remixes really are!

And right Chris, r64 v2 isn't about nostalgia only, tho by heck there's still enough there but it's also bringing the music forward, re-inventing it. The musicians have been very clever in doing that.

tom wrote: Well, i don't think that the tracks are not sooo well-known..
Please give some of the original sid files (which are provided for download,too) a listen and mostly then the <b>"AHHHH.." Effect</b> appears

you said "the original sid files" and that is imho another problem. when i hear a remix i want to recognize the original tune. and when i think of "orchestral" remixes this is often not the case. for example "war" on back in time 3 has very less in common with the original sid-file. don't get me wrong, i love this remix, it's even my favourite track on this cd. i think it's very good music on it's own but not as a c64-remix. what i want to say is: if on bit3 there only would have been orchestral-remixes of tracks i hardly know, i probably wouldn't have bought it. (i hope these were the right tenses )

remember, this is only MY personal opinion!

i think, if you make a cd, you also have to think about this: what kind of people will buy this cd? and logically following: how many people are these?
i think we all agree if somebody would release a good "last ninja"-soundtrack-cd, a lot of people would buy it. why? simply because "the last ninja" is so well-known!
so i think if you want to release a remix-cd (and want to sell more than 100 copies) at least half of the tracks have to be "hits". otherwise forget about the projekt and release the tracks on r:k:0.
okay, this was a bit provoking. but think about it!

you'd be right if you were aiming at purely the nostalgia fan. you'd be bang on! but since v2 isn't aiming at nostalgia purely then i have to disagree.

Volume 2 is aiming for another sector of sid fan completely, but not only a sid fan, but a music lover in general, those who apreciate diversity and want to hear something different than the normal run of the mill remixes.

now to say people don't go for diversity isn't exactly true. Galway remixed (Majority big hit tunes) and remix64 v1 (much like v2 in terms of diversity of tunes picked) sold near enough the same amount, give or take. So it isn't always the case.

but galway remixed is aimed deffinately at nostalgia, where v2 is aimed at something much more broader minded.

and i think theres 50/50 of big name tunes and not so buig names.

Rubicon, i think thats popular, Spellbound, Shades, Parallax, fist2, Times of lore, giana sisters, stormlord, Barbarian, all i would have thought huge hits!

hold on, scratching my head now... thats quite a big line up isn't it? or am i the only one who thinks so!!!!

actually imho, thats a bigger line up than v1!!!

one thing i'm certainkly not doing is more sanxions,montys, ect etc. We've all heard that! and i'm not about to fix something thats not broken!

arvirus, if you don't mind me asking, what sids that have not yet been covered by a CD would you consider bigs hits? i'm curious!

here's a great example of my thoughts....

lets look at Lazy Jones. Now before zombie nation got their hands on it, many people would be non the wiser about the sid.

Lazy who? is that a welshman?

now i bet everyone on this scene knows the sid or at least the remix. it's famous now, but why? cos someone had the balls to be different!

and thats me too. i will not follow what is classed as "The Norm", dare to be different, dare to be more enterprising. You get no favours in this world for being predictable and standing in the crowd. brave people take the leap and be different, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't!

guess we'll see

Tas wrote:now to say people don't go for diversity isn't exactly true. Galway remixed (Majority big hit tunes) and remix64 v1 (much like v2 in terms of diversity of tunes picked) sold near enough the same amount, give or take. So it isn't always the case.

i think remix 64 v1 had way more advertisement than galway remixed, but this could only be my impression.

Tas wrote:but galway remixed is aimed deffinately at nostalgia, where v2 is aimed at something much more broader minded.

okay, but how do you want to attract the people outside the c64-scene? or do you mean "broader minded" people inside the c64-scene?

Tas wrote:and i think theres 50/50 of big name tunes and not so buig names.

Rubicon, i think thats popular, Spellbound, Shades, Parallax, fist2, Times of lore, giana sisters, stormlord, Barbarian, all i would have thought huge hits!

hold on, scratching my head now... thats quite a big line up isn't it? or am i the only one who thinks so!!!!

i think that differs from every person and, like chris said, even by country.
from the titles you named, only shades, fist2, giana and barbarian are known to me. maybe i just know too less games
(btw: wasn't shades a track for the 64'er-mag-competition? or was it used for game later?)

Tas wrote:one thing i'm certainkly not doing is more sanxions,montys, ect etc. We've all heard that! and i'm not about to fix something thats not broken!

i can't disagree with you here but i'm still waiting for remixes on cd of turrican 1&2, x-out, the last ninja, katakis etc...
i would disagree when you say that all classics already are remixed (professionally).

Tas wrote:arvirus, if you don't mind me asking, what sids that have not yet been covered by a CD would you consider bigs hits? i'm curious!

a few i already named above. some more are:
r-type, enigma force, footballer of the year, grand prix circuit, hawkeye, krakout, myth, target renegade, test drive 2, yie ar kung-fu, bad cat, california games, spherical, robocop, rock'n'roll

like i said: this is my very personal selection. it is to be expected that my classics don't match everybodys classics

Tas wrote:lets look at Lazy Jones. Now before zombie nation got their hands on it, many people would be non the wiser about the sid.

That's the example I usually use, although it has to be said, that track had the marketing clout of the MoS behind it - something that Remix64 2 won't have. Therefore getting it "out there" to non-C64 fans won't be easy.

I certainly admire your grit and determination in being different, though, rather than going for the safer option and subjecting us to the Nth version of Sanxion...