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SID, Paula and the Masters of the Warble (Early Computer Game Music)
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----Dawn----
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Feb 21, 2006 21:35
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I was gonna add this to one of the 'pioneers of trance' topics but i think it deserves a thread of it's own.
When we talk of pioneers of modern trance you will always hear the usual list of famous names - Kraftwerk, Jarre, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis and all the others who followed in their wake. However, in addition to these more well known electronic pioneers, i think that modern trance music, and especially psychedelic trance, also owes a debt to computer game music of the 1980s.
A lot of today’s eletronic artists (and the artists who inspired them) grew up in the 80s playing 8-bit computer games and listening to music by the likes of Rob Hubbard, Martin Galway, Ben Daglish and Fred Gray. These guys did some truly ground-breaking stuff considering what they had to work with. Out of these, Hubbard is probably the best well known and for good reason too... he did some genuinely outstanding tracks. A lot of his work was also incredibly psychedelic in the true sense of the word... anyone remember his music to 'Sanxion'... or 'One Man and His Droid' (also used on the 'Invade-a-Load' thingy)?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Hubbard
This is his Wiki biog but if you have never heard of this guy and are interested you should google him and the other names mentioned above to find out more.
Over the past few years a nostalgic cult has grown around the old 8-bit music scene and while the original music itself now sounds truly awful by today’s standards, many of these great old tunes have been reworked and remixed using the latest equipment and software to bring them bang up to date.
Additionally, but perhaps to a lesser extent, a debt is also owed to all the great mod writers back on the old Amiga demo scene. This was an ideal place for budding electronic musicians to show off what they could do.
It really is worth remembering that these early home computers from the 80's and early 90's where inspiring people to start creating music at a time when the only PCs around were number-crunching business machines and cost a bleeding fortune. For me anyway, it was hours spent arsing around with programs like 'Soundtracker' that got me into making my own music and i know that i'm not the only one.
It would be interesting to hear if anyone else on this forum was inspired by these unsung pioneers... or just have fond memories of the music.
Surely i’m not the only one who remembers these guys. Any favourites?
  Am i the only one who believes in solipsism? |
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Mr.Hanky
Ace Ventura
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1088
Posted : Feb 21, 2006 22:20
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No idea about these composers,but more or less on the topic,i grew up on the music of the SEGA MASTER SYSTEM(also 8 bit but a console,not a computer).
Games such as WONDERBOY,OUTRUN,SPACE HARRIER and FANTASY ZONE had really awsome music with very catchy tunes.
Last time i was in Tokyo i found a killer Cd called SEGA GAME MUSIC with the soundtracks of OUTRUN,SPACE HARRIER and ALEX KIDD.......
all in theire original 8-bit form but with cd quality!
Priceless stuff. |
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Surrender
IsraTrance Team
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506
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Posted : Feb 21, 2006 22:23
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i use to record stuff coming out of my speakers on my commodore 64 with a tape recorder and listen to it in my free time for some reason.....
c64 also used the sid tech.
"On the other hand, you have different fingers."
http://myspace.com/gadimon |
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----Dawn----
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Feb 22, 2006 00:21
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Quote:
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On 2006-02-21 22:23, Surrender wrote:
i use to record stuff coming out of my speakers on my commodore 64 with a tape recorder and listen to it in my free time for some reason.....
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I can remember recording the music to a game called 'Parallax' by Martin Galway.
That track was really trippy... it went on for ages and there was a bit towards the end that used to make the hairs stand up on your back!  I seem to remember Fred Gray calling it 'LSD for the ears'.
A fair but accurate version (remember this tune is 20 years old)...
http://remix.kwed.org/download.php/898/Michael%20Briel%20-%20Parallax.mp3
Lots of remixes (some are really good)...
http://remix.kwed.org/index.php?search=parallax
Also, hundreds of Rob Hubbard remixes if anyone is interested...
http://remix.kwed.org/index.php?search=hubbard
Btw, talking about Outrun... after all these years i still love 'Magical Sound Shower'...
http://www.outrun.org/xboxMagicalSoundShower.mp3
Makes me want to jump in the car and smash it into something... like Kenny G! 
Peace! 
Am i the only one who believes in solipsism? |
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Surrender
IsraTrance Team
Started Topics :
506
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Posted : Feb 22, 2006 00:40
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haha! outrun... how much money i wasted there.
it is duely noted though that i finished the arcade game "Contra" and "Ikari Warriors".
"On the other hand, you have different fingers."
http://myspace.com/gadimon |
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s0ft
IsraTrance Junior Member
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825
Posted : Feb 22, 2006 05:39
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Dennis the menace
DevilsDennis Sparris McHilton
Started Topics :
128
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2899
Posted : Feb 22, 2006 11:10
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ozric
Logic Bomb
Started Topics :
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Posts :
18
Posted : Feb 22, 2006 15:52
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Yeah, chipmusic is TEH shit.
Take composers as Rob Hubbard, who wrote classic pieces such as Delta, Monty on the Run and many more..
And ppl like Firefox & Mantronix (check out the amiga demo Enigma and you'll know what I'm talking about)
.. so much great music was made back in the days, using such primitive equipment.. awesome stuff, really.
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----Dawn----
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Feb 22, 2006 23:09
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Anyone remember the LSD demo 'Jesus on 'Es'? Now that was a great Amiga demo! 
Forgot to mention Chris Hülsbeck.
He is still producing trance and his soundtrack to the Amiga game 'Turrican 2' was really bloody good!
Am i the only one who believes in solipsism? |
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Acidhive
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
76
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2014
Posted : Feb 23, 2006 00:13
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Quote:
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On 2006-02-22 23:09, ----Dawn---- wrote:
Anyone remember the LSD demo 'Jesus on 'Es'? Now that was a great Amiga demo!
Forgot to mention Chris Hülsbeck.
He is still producing trance and his soundtrack to the Amiga game 'Turrican 2' was really bloody good!
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Yeah, Jesus on E's rocked. Hehehe, with all the samples and the simple though trippy visuals  State of the Art and the follow-up to that were also good, especially visually, but musically Jesus on E's remains my fave 
The C64 music is cool too, I grew up with those games and music and it still is nostalgic to me today. Deathwish III from Ben Daglish is great stuff... Ben Daglish is one of the best on the C64 if you ask me. Anyway, Amiga had some cool demos in the demoscene, that's for sure. And also great music for some games, Pinball Fantasies anyone?? Or who could forget the intro to Perihelion?? Great soundtrack that one too!! Oh, those were the days!
"Subconscious unravels at the point of death, and all time it has known erupts into a moment. As death extinguishes us, so we become it."
[Esoteric: Subconscious Dissolution Into The Continuum] |
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Dennis the menace
DevilsDennis Sparris McHilton
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Posted : Feb 23, 2006 09:43
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----Dawn----
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
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Posted : Feb 23, 2006 23:44
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Quote:
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On 2006-02-23 00:13, Acidhive wrote:
Pinball Fantasies anyone??
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Yeah... Pinball Dreams/Fantasies had great music!
I used to really like the stuff Psygnosis used to do!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psygnosis
Usually disc one of their games was a demo in itself and they always had first class music. The 'Shadow of the Beast' series (forgot about David Whittaker), 'Blood Money', 'Killing Gameshow', ‘Leander’, 'Agony' etc.
A few others i remember well are the music to 'Cannon Fodder' (first time i ever heard full vocals in a piece of game music), 'Alien Breed' (great synth sounds) and 'Hired Guns' (sounded very similar to today’s progressive style).
While i'm posting... this is a very clever remix of Rob Hubbard's 'One Man and His Droid' that i found...
http://remix.kwed.org/download.php/2180/Marcel%20Donne%20-%20One%20Magnetic%20Field%20and%20his%20Droid.mp3
Not the greatest version but definitely one of the most well done! It fits seamlessly with Jarre's 'Magnetic Fields'! The guy is a genius!
... and that brings us to the end of today’s episode of ‘Nostalgia Time’.
Peace!
Am i the only one who believes in solipsism? |
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TrancEisT
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Feb 24, 2006 00:03
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s0ft
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Feb 24, 2006 01:06
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Aesthetic Entity
Started Topics :
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Posted : Feb 24, 2006 21:27
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