An Interview with Bart ten Brinke
Who were your Favourite composers?
Well, I don’t really listen to music because it is of a certain composer. But looking at the SIDs I like, Rob Hubbard and Jeroen Tel. these are probably my favourites.
Which c64 sids did you enjoy listening to?
I usually just scroll the HSVC zipfile and play whatever title I like, but my favourite sids are probably these: Myth, Turbo Outrun, ACE II, Skate or Die (slow version).
What are your hobbies?
Composing music is one of my biggest hobbies ofcourse, but I also do a lot with computers.
What equipment do you use?
For Myth I used just my CS1x synthesizer and Cakewalk, but currently I’m looking for ways to expand my equimpent. I’m looking for an XP-80 or an RMx1, but I just don’t have the money at the moment (I’ve just started to study Information Technology at University) so I’m trying out different softsynthesizers and other cheap sollutions😉.
Why did you start remixing c64 sids?
When I was a kid (I know that wasn’t that long ago), my dad bought me and my sisters a Commodore 64, and I loved it! I played loads and loads of games on it, and made my dad buy me a diskdrive and a cartridge. On the commodore itself I never really did anything with sound, I just played games and programmed basic on it. I started making music when my family got our first PC. Playing and editing Mod files on a 386 with a PC-Speaker! Later came MTM, XM and I even tried IT, but I didn’t like it. Because a friend of mine owned a synthesizer and I got more interesten in playing. I bought myself a keyboard and a short while later (because I didn’t like the standard MIDI-table) I bought myself a Yamaha CS1x. Then I found sidplay on an old CD full of S3Ms I once bought and with that sidplay came a few Sids…. And one of them was Myth! I rembered this song from the Commodore 64 and I liked it back then, so I remixed it, just for fun. About one and a half year later I signed on to Commodore 64 Remix e-mail list because I was looking for a Commodore 64 Softsynth. There I discovered that a lot of people were making mixes of Commodore songs, so I posted mine… and a lot of people liked it! And so, because of all the nice comments I have received there, I’ve started to make more!
Are you surprised that the scene still lives on?
Well, I knew that the Commodore 64 games scene was still one of the biggest on the Internet, but I was surprised about the amount of people that were making C64 remixes!
What are your likes/dislikes about the scene?
I really like all the feedback that is given on songs through the C64RMX mailing list. And the mixture of proffessional remixers and hobby remixers (like me).
The excellent Myth
remake, is so far your only cover? Will we be hearing more from you?
Myth is my only Commodore 64 cover. Ofcourse I’ve composed a lot of more songs, but Myth is the only one based on a C64 song.
Did you ever compose on the c64?
No, I played tons of games and programmed gigantic basic programs, but I never composed on the C64. It’s also probably because I was too young back then.
Your use of Stereo is excellent on the Myth
cover – Do you pride yourself in getting the most out of your equipment?
Because I don’t have a lot of equipment, I try to get the most out of what I have, and Myth is pushing my Yamaha CS1x to it’s limits. But also, I think a lot of songs these days don’t really use stereo at all. And I think composers should, because with stereo you can create some great effects!
What influences you when arranging a mix?
I think a mix should add something extra to the original song, but it also has to re-create the original atmosphere of the song.
What are your fondest memories of the c64?
The hours I spend behind it playing games with my friends playing games.
What do you look at when creating a remix?
I look for ways to improve the song. The start is usually pretty easy, you add polyphony, nicer instruments and chords. But then I always try to add something extra to the mix, to try and make it special and fun to listen to.
If there was a tune you could claim as your own, what would it be and why?
It would probably by Turbo Outrun, because of all the memories I have playing it. I even took the song to junior-high once (every monday a kid had to bring a tape with his favourite song and then the entire class would listen to it). Ofcourse nobody like it, but hey, I didn’t care !
What other arrangers of c64 music do you like?
As I said before, I don’t really have favourite arrangers, I just play the entire HVSC and if I don’t like a song, I skip it. But to give a bit more concrete anwser, I think I like a lot of the dutch sid composers. Probably because I know a lot of the dutch songs they cover and ofcourse because I like it that dutch composers played a pretty big role in the C64 music-scene back then. (If it ain’t dutch, it ain’t much 😉 !)
Who do you think, gives the scene the biggest boost, and why?
I haven’t heard that many songs yet (busy busy), but I really like Puffy, because he makes his remixes really accessible to someone that never heard of a C64. I also like Press Play on Tape, because they really re-create that Commodore 64 atmosphere, excelent!
You have told me that you are working on Outrun and Maniac Mansion remixes – what styles will they be, and how do you feel it’s progressing?
A friend of mine is making a 3D-render of the intro of Maniac Mansion and he would like some sound in it, so I promissed him to make a Maniac Mansion Dance remix for him. And as for the Outrun remixes, I’m currently working on Splash Wave. I always liked this song very much because it’s very catchy and I noticed that nobody ever made a remix of it. I’m still not sure about the style I want to put in Splash Wave. I added some gitars to it yesterday and they seem to work out pretty good. It will probably be finished shortly!
After these tunes, what does the future bring?
Who knows! I’m gonna continue making songs… and probably an occasional commodore remix.
Is there a tune that hasn’t been covered that you would like to hear?
Well, I really like one of the level tunes in Top-Gun, but I can’t seem to find it in HVSC. I remember the song started with an explosion or something. Anyway, I’d like to hear a new version of that one and I would like to hear a good cover of ACE II.
What in your opinion makes a good remix?
The song has to be original. The remix has to add something to the original song and it has to re-create the atmosphere of the game.
Lastly do you think c64 music has much of a chance of making it into the commercial world?
I think it allready has. If bands like Bastian, Les Rytmes Digitales and Daft Punk use Commodore-ish sounds to make their songs sound really fat and yet are very accessible to normal
listeners. I think a lot of composers will follow them, especially because everything is retro these days (cars, furniture etc.) so why not music?
Bart's use of stereo on myth has been excellent. He seems to be a firm believer of stereo, and thinks that the scene often overlooks using stereo to it's entirety. I agree with this entirely. It's a shame that many remixers don't look into this as it seems many c64 tunes would benefit.
- Neil
