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Danko's Busstrafik (nstlg-mix) - arranged by Vernest

Review by LMan, 14/02/2006

I can see where Vernest is heading with this, but this sounds just unfinished. The drum track is virtually inaudible and incomplete. The sudden ending adds to the impression that this is an incomplete piece of work.
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Parallax unplugged - arranged by Tokafondo

Review by LMan, 14/02/2006

A nice idea, and an impressive guitar play. A better tuning of the guitar, a better microphone and this would earn an "Outstanding".
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Lightforce 2006 (XOR's electronica remix) - arranged by XOR

Review by LMan, 14/02/2006

This would be a killer track, if it weren't for the really poor mastering. The lead sound needs more presence, and the panoramic centre is just empty. My advise: set all levels to zero and redo the mixing and mastering from scratch.

On the plus side, I just love the backing, and the care for details. This would make a fantastic soundtrack for an 80s SciFi movie.
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Turrican II Loader (LManic Mix) - arranged by LMan

Review by Chris Abbott, 11/02/2006

Addictive and tasteful. And that's just Pepsi Max. The tune is great as well!



Indeed, Maximum power output is acquired in sense of comparitive ease by LMan and his not-at-all motley crue.
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Ballblazer (feat. Beastie Boys) - arranged by Romeo Knight

Review by jgb, 10/02/2006

Technically this could do with another round of mixing and mastering. The synth chords and the bass are mixed too high. The kick is hidden somewhere in the background. The whole mix feels like it is lacking a bit in the bass compartment, but I'm a sucker for deep bass so this could be an artistic decision. Not enough space in the mix for the vocals.

Well chosen sounds and fx. The structure of the song is really good, though a bit too reliant on the synth chords/bass combination. That could be developed a bit more. Really like the synth solo! The vocals fit the tune perfectly!

The overall feeling of the remix is somewhere along Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and Rockwell's "Somebody's watching me". The 80:s feel is all over the song.

Nostalgic? Not a bit, haven't heard either the original SID nor the BB track.
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Sidology 2 Trinity - arranged by machinae supremacy

Review by zaphodchak, 10/02/2006

Oh my gosh! I love Machinae Supremacy, but I was always wondering why they never did 'Supremacy. ' Needless to say, my face lit up at the beginning of this track. Legend has it that Machinae Supremacy always had plans for Sidology 2, but after the realized how epic 1 and 3 were, they were afraid they could never live up to it. I'm thrilled to hear this one, and almost 13 minutes, too! I can only give less than perfect on nostalgia partly because I was never on the original C64 scene, and partly because Machinae Supremacy makes every track uniquely their own. And their new album is coming out soon!
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Ballblazer (feat. Beastie Boys) - arranged by Romeo Knight

Review by gibs, 09/02/2006

Romeo Knight strike again with a new style but it's not just to say "I can do this too" because it's perfectly done! he knows exactly what he's doing and this is why the rap performance fit perfectly with the main riff of the SID!
"this thing work with this one" and you will not find another C64 riff that could work better.
Of course he could follow the bass with his guitar to sound like many fusion bands but he prefer to let the SID screaming just to say "this chip is not dead, it still alive!!! "
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Ballblazer (feat. Beastie Boys) - arranged by Romeo Knight

Review by buzzard, 09/02/2006

Rap is not my thing, so I judge the track on my opinion of it's musical merits.
Marvellous!
Love the track, love all the samples and the composition of the tune.
One of the better technical remixes for quite a while.
I'd definitely like to see one of the classics remixed by these guys, something like the last ninja or rtype, because of the technical brilliance of this track.
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Ballblazer (feat. Beastie Boys) - arranged by Romeo Knight

Review by craigg, 09/02/2006

With the majority of C64 remixes being SIDs reworked with new instruments, it's great to hear something that wouldn't sound out of place in the charts - a genuine, high-quality mash-up. The Ballblazer riff is, of course, one of the very few available SIDs that have sufficient hook for pop tracks, and also to carry the kind of vocals in this track.

I'm no Beastie Boys fan, but I still rate this track highly anyway, partly because it's clearly a decent production, partly because it just sounds good, and partly because this is the direction C64 remixes really need to be going in for the scene to have a future - actual songs, not just SID "X" the orchestral version, SID "X" the "rock" version, SID "X" the "take the MIDI and assign some fairly random instruments to it" version.

Good stuff, Romeo Knight. More, please.
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Ballblazer (feat. Beastie Boys) - arranged by Romeo Knight

Review by the_jinx, 08/02/2006

Amazing remix.. Also love the non beasty vocals..
It's one of the most original remixes I heard in a while..
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Athena (Sweetness Of Being A Siren) - arranged by load_error

Review by bloomer, 08/01/2006

Galway's sparkly mantra for Athena is ideal for mixing in many a direction; sparse enough to complicate, simple enough for repetition, catchy enough for whatever you want, really. LoadError builds the mantra into a nice long piece of ambient electro. Repetition, strong temporal emphasis (IE length and atmosphere) and cycling, shimmery ambience are the name of the game. And it totally works for me. The bendy choral elements and the simple but very well chosen 3-note bassline create a happy but wistful tone as an electronic ocean swirls up and down in the background. This is what long tracks are for. If you look at the average track length for ambient electro from big gun labels out in the world like Warp, it's about 7 minutes.

If I was gonna ask for anything, it'd probably be a little more development and change on the microscopic level. But that doesn't detract at all from what this is, and that is - frikkin' nice!
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Armageddon Man ( Orchestra for a Cello ) - arranged by Endrõdy Gábor

Review by ms, 07/01/2006

It's quite obvious that Endrŏdy has the talent to score for an orchestra. I really like the beginning and the solo cello fulfills the tragedy of David Whittaker's melody, this instrumentation is wisely chosen. While I wouldn't use the harp as bass (2 players needed), I would have gone for the double bass, even solo. I needed to go further into the arrangement, but I believe the best choice had been a piano. At 01:41 the lead is assigned to the solo violin, while the cello plays a somewhat counterpoint part. Classic choice. The style changes a little bit at 02:19, introducing typical 'Tango' style. This is an interesting idea, anyway it doesn't made me musically happy since I expected something else. Anyway there's nothing wrong about. Sometimes I hear the 'machine gun effect', when using the same samples in repetitions but overall the samples are very good. I really appreciated the arrangement and dynamics Endrŏdy shows up here. It's quite classic, which is not everybody's fav, but I can really recommend to take some listenings. I'd like to hear more from him.
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Gloriously Slain (Buried in the Valley of Kings) - arranged by Larsec

Review by Skitz, 06/01/2006

I know this is an old remix but an advert that is currently on in the UK just reminds me of this SO much! I think this is definately one of Larsec's masterpieces… my only complaint is that it should be a lot longer… a full on 10 minute version please 😊
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Cauldron II - I am a Pumpkin Man - arranged by trauma

Review by poga, 02/01/2006

What a creative and well done remix. It's really a unique interpretation of the original. The production is great, and the structure keeps it interesting. The a cappella clips work well, and the theme that comes in after the introduction drives the remix forward with a simple but enjoyable groove. I particularly like the almost distant-/muted-sounding break section from 1:22 to 1:37. The guitar effects at around 1:51 also work well to thrust the piece back into its main theme. The vocal bends at 0:22-35 and 2:24-2:37 are very reminiscent of Mike Patton. With a professional sound, a wonderfully creative direction for the source material, and an overall feel that doesn't take itself too seriously, this is (in my opinion) one of the strongest c64 remixes out there.

I couldn't find the lyrics posted anywhere (and some people seemed to be curious about them), so I had a quick couple of listens and jotted down what I could make out. They're not official of course (as I'm merely a fellow listener), and I can't guarantee their accuracy, but I think they're correct for the most part. I couldn't make out most of the a cappella vocals, nor could I discern the 'low grumbling' from 1:30-1:37. Regardless, I have included them below:


I'm a pumpkin man
I'm a pumpkin man
I'm a pumpkin man
I'm a pumpkin man

a, a
[a cappella vocals enter]
I'm a pumpkin man
a, a
I'm a pumpkin man
a, a
I'm a pumpkin man
a, a
I'm a pumpkin man

(g-good day)

[repeats in background]

Aaaaowww…
Aaaaowww…

[following two stanzas in tandem]

I'll be jumpin' you
Just like pumpkins do

I'm a pumpkin man and I'll be chosen like a pumpkin because
I'm a pumpkin man and I will jump, jump, jump-jump-jump
I'm a pumpkin, I'm a pumpkin, I'm a pumpkin, I'm a pumpkin
Jumping, Jumping, Jumping, Jumping, Jumping, Jumping, Jumping, Jumping

Aaaaowww…
Aaaaowww…

I'll be jumpin' you
Just like pumpkins do

[break section with low grumbling]

I'll be jumpin' you
Just like pumpkins do

Aaaaowww…
Aaaaowww…

I'll be jumpin' you
Just like pumpkins do

Whoooaaa…

I'm a pumpkin man
I'm a pumpkin man
I'm a motherfuckin' pumpkin man

I'm a pumpkin man
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Artura(Dublin Delight Mix) feat. Andreas Wallström - arranged by Makke

Review by LMan, 31/12/2005

Kick-ass Irish Folk style remix! This is a truly innovative, funny and entertaining rendition of Artura. More of that please!
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Great Giana Sisters Opening Theme - arranged by Mauve Park

Review by quinch, 13/12/2005

I'm afraid that the best thing that can be said about this remix is that's it's not inherently bad, and the experience of listening to it, if not the remix itself, is made so much worse by the feeling of disappointment it brings in just a few seconds after start.

It starts promising - immensely so, with a kind of "children at playground" background loop as the Giana Sisters theme opens with an eerie xylophone-ish instrument I could swear I've heard before in some horror movie or other, and it was a genuine surprise how well the theme fit to the creepy mood. "Okay, " I thought, "it's a bit too fast, but I can live with that. " And after a short while, it delivered… nothing. Nothing at all. About half a minute of eeriness, the melody shifts into the "generic remix" gear and stays there until the end. A little beat here, a little variation there, and we're done. There is one or two noteworthy points, likethe little twist around 1:23, but it's not nearly enough to pull it out of mediocrity; it's briefly promising, but it doesn't last.
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Dope - arranged by Al

Review by booker, 11/12/2005

Don't get offended Ai, but you need to improve progression level with this one. Try to put more life into this, which actually is also a remix of a few 4ch tunes by Extend (Amiga).
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Green Beret (We Shall Never Surrender) - arranged by Hazel

Review by tdj, 07/12/2005

What an amazing piece! Just makes me want to lean back and remember WW2, especially the break with the samples of war, and the speech by Churchill. (hence the title of the tune). Love the way you mix between techno-like tune and almost a classical piece that could be played by an orchestra. This is on my playlist. Could have wished for a no-so-open ending. Maybe another part of a speech from WW2, slowly fading away?
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Armageddon man - arranged by Gibs offline

Review by 8bit_fan, 04/12/2005

Great arrangement - lovely voice and guitar.
I considder Gibs version to be more loyal towards the original SID version, than Mahoneys. Mahoneys interpretation is way more Jazzey.
Thanks Gibs.
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Last Ninja End Credits - arranged by Markus Schneider

Review by feekzoid, 28/11/2005

Well I really like this, and not just because Markus's rendition of my Ninja IV intro theme is present and makes the hairs on the back of my neck rise 😊

I liked this so much I tried to persuade Markus to do (or collaborate) a Ninja themed soundtrack album to an imaginary movie.

Ignore the naysayers, in the great scheme of things the Ninja series has BARELY been done with orchestral instrumentation, and I for one would love to hear more.
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Last Ninja End Credits - arranged by Markus Schneider

Review by gavin, 25/11/2005

First of all, technically this one is high-end, no doubt!
The quality of the orchestral intruments is just astonishing!
It starts very promisingly with a piece from last ninja 1, then changes into one of my personal favourites, the last ninja 3 level 1 tune from reyn ouwehand. But sadly the original character of this tune isnt captured very good in my opinion. Sounds like gladiator or a knights-movie… after that it changes back to a last ninja 1 tune i think, not sure… and this one now sounds like the score to a cowboy film. At the end it changes again to a last ninja 2 tune which also does not fit the mood of the original piece. For my personal taste its just too turgid, too much of everything. For me, musically theres no straight line..
So, sorry, i just cant share the enthusiasm of most others… i personally think markus should have concentrated on just remixing one tune. This would have been great!!
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Ghouls'n Ghosts Title Screen - arranged by Miguel F Ettema

Review by monty_mole, 25/11/2005

Ghouls N Ghosts is one of my absolute favourit's sid's. I think Tim Follin did a ungrateful job with his absolute brilliant music for Ghouls N Ghosts. The game itself get not the conversion which was it worth so the game stand in the shadow of his great prequel Ghosts N Goblins.
I think that's the reason why the music itself is not so populare as the Ghosts N Goblins tune from Mark Cooksey. I think it's great that someone have arranged this underrated tune.

The remix self is absolute brilliant. It comes near to the original sid but sounds technical more spectacular. The sound itself sounds a little like an old B-Movie. The atmosphere is great with the howling and screaming at the beginning of the song. I love it.

Absolutly great work.
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The Recovery - arranged by Glyn R Brown

Review by Tomsk, 20/11/2005

Errm, I don't know how to put this, but I'm not too keen on this. It's pretty good in places, but I don't think there's a great deal to the original tune - and hence an strange choice of SID to attempt to remix.
I always like to give tunes a 'spin cycle' in the car (i. e. hear them quite a few times) before writing a review, and all of Glyns previous work has blown me away. However, despite the excellent qulaity of samples I still found this remix quite standard up until about 4:40 when there seems to be an injection that brings it to life.
The guitar at 1:37 for example is just so plain and boring. I could predict the notes before they were played. There's none of the 'instrument excitement' from previous mixes. It's nice to hear the mandarin sure, but it's not inspiring in the way Glyn normally introduces an instrument. I really do think the original has a lot to answer for, and I'm suprised Glyn saw anything in the SID
This was a hard review for me to write, and normally when I'm not fussed with a tune I don't bother, but I know Glyn pretty well and if he does read this I know he won't have a problem with this. Nice to see a new direction, but this particular tune is not for me.
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Game Over - arranged by Westerling

Review by Tomsk, 20/11/2005

Wow! I really loved this remix - albeit slightly flawed as it is. Hyped up drums, brilliant sounds and a bit of SID pumped in there to add to the feeling. My only gripe is that after the brilliant opening (complete with blazing guitar and superb drums) and the superb way Westerling handles that awkward 'quiet' section of the original between 1:52 - 2:44 it all returns to being a bit average. None of the pumped up feeling that we were treated to at the start of the track. It just kind of returns to a pretty good remix of Gameover, and then fizzles out.
I still love this tune to bits though and have to say a huge well done to Westerling - I do hope you can see what I mean about the end part of the mix going a bit flat.
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Ghost'n Goblins - arranged by Kent Walldén

Review by gator, 15/11/2005

I really love this track. It's the best interpretation of the G G music yet. It's so funky and has an excellent trance feel while maintaining the slightly spooky sounds the theme is famous for. However I would have appreciated less of the original sound effects and they distract from the wonderful sound and feel the rest of the track creates. Kudos, my friend.
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Bombjack - arranged by nightwolf

Review by evilcensor, 11/11/2005

The only good thing about the game was the music - there's not enough of the melody here and it feels a little empty - rather disappointing.
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Street Surfer (OrganQuickstep version) - arranged by Ronson

Review by evilcensor, 11/11/2005

I have to say I like this made me smile nicely done.. not just a synthy mess like some other tunes I've heard.
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Gremlins II (The New Batch) - arranged by Nada

Review by gator, 09/11/2005

The Gremlins theme opens up soooooooooo much possibility for remixes. Yes, this does nothing for it. I really would love a great Gremlins remix.
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Monty of the run - arranged by o2

Review by Danceaway, 09/11/2005

On my first listen to this track I thought not bad, but when you take into consideration that the original sid track was so fast and full of life - then come back and take another listen to o2's effort then it really is nice and refreshing to take a totally different take on this top C64 track!!! what's the point of matching the original sid track every time!! after all this is a REMIX!!!!
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Cobra (Live Electric Guitar) - arranged by Gibs offline

Review by gator, 08/11/2005

I thought this sounded really good but it wasn't long enough. The 80s were known for their long, hedonistic guitar solos and I wanted one for this, but there was none. It would have been brilliant if it did. You should try it again.
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