The shape of the scene 10 years on

[Razmo]

About real life activities.... yes, of course that is something everyone in here has, some more than others of course, but I don't believe that this is the overall cause of this place's lower activity, because I'm certain that when this place was more alive, people had real life bussiness too

I believe that the reason things has slowed down is that those who have been here for a long time, do not find most stuff new anymore, there is not much to debate besides new releases really, and it seems like if everyone is sitting, waiting for everyone else to bring up the next breaking C64 subject... but no one have anything new to the scene themselves, exept for new releases and the odd happening once in a while. Remix64 is surviving on the heartbeat of RKO in my opinion.

What if this forum (Remix64) was more integrated with RKO in some ways? ... If what makes people "stay around" is the relatively large amount of remixes comming out from RKO, then maybe more talk and debate could be formed around the actual release pages on RKO?

As things are right now, you can leave a shout, or write a review... there is no way of starting a debate thread anywhere on RKO on the remixes. As things are now, the remixer him/herself has no way of getting into a debate about their creation unless they start a new thread about it on Remix64 themselves... only problem is, that if most people are only interrested in the remixes, they may only visit RKO, download, shout a few comments and then leave again... this tendency breaks the link to the scene at Remix64 which is then slowly dying away in activity.

I think that you could make Remix64 more alive, if it was integrated better with RKO so that peole could start debate threads directly from RKO's rating pages, leading potential downloaders to the forums on Remix64.

I don't think that even RKO could survive in the long run by itself, simply because it does NOT provide enough feedback for the remixers alone or a chance to debate, and remixers do not have a way to interact with the comments you can see there...

[Analog-X64]

Real life got in the way last week. On July 15th I drove 6 hours out of town to help setup a subsidiary office, I was scheduled to come back on July 18th, the ISP goofed up and so I had to extend my stay till Tuesday July 20th when the modem was delivered.

While there I worked 75 hours, the longest day started at Sunday 8:30AM and ended Monday 1:30AM (17 hours).

I had no time to do anything, when I got back to the hotel I just went to bed.

So no chance of making any music, or working on any graphics.

This is not a long term ongoing thing, but its does get in myway and my C64 / Retro Obsession and any fun that I'd like to have.

But I log on here and try the best I can in the little time that I do have.

[Ferrara]

@Analog-X64: I too have Chris Abbott to thank, for the same reason back in 1997/1998 when all this was new and highly interesting.

@Razmo: Real life indeed. I was shocked to notice that this is probably the first time this year I've logged on here, and actually digesting new threads and discussions. And I'm doing this at my work as I don't have the time anymore to do this on my sparetime. (Just checked: I've last logged in 26/01/2010)

About myself, I have to admit to be guilty, and feeling the "guilt", of "moving on" to doing my own music and other retro-related projects such as fixing my coinop's and pinball (wife really wants me to get The Shadow working and playing ). As our first child will be born in October, I probably wont have any time nor energy to do anything creative for some time. That, in a way, is unfortunate. Back in the end of the 90's I had nothing but sparetime as I was unemployed and still living with my parents.

But to stay ontopic, I have to quote the remix64 interview from 2001 as, after almost 10 years, I still feel the same.

Do you think that the scene has a life span?

Scene is made of people and as people live their life, the scene is modified accordingly. The life span of a certain scene is always determined by it's members and so I believe that there is a certain type of lifespan for a certain type of scene. A scene as such doesn't die, it lives forever but it's nature and content has a lifespan which is directly in connection with it's member's lives. There will always be people who make covers and remixes. More or less in number, but still...

-fer

[Chris Abbott]

Looks like I cast a long shadow Or is that a fat shadow?

Actually, I've lost over two stone in weight recently. (103kg -> 86kg, and still going). Ask me how! (it was the Dukan Diet, thanks for asking).

Chris

[Sidman 64]

Thats great Chris.....
It just goes to show what happens when you get the keyboard out and have a good old work out m8

[Analog-X64]

@Analog-X64: I too have Chris Abbott to thank, for the same reason back in 1997/1998 when all this was new and highly interesting.

About myself, I have to admit to be guilty, and feeling the "guilt", of "moving on" to doing my own music and other retro-related projects such as fixing my coinop's and pinball (wife really wants me to get The Shadow working and playing

-fer

OH WOW!!! Ferrara posting in this thread that is great!! Your early remixes from R.K.O are some of my favourite.

I've got a Street Fighter Alpha 2 Cab which was converted from X-Men Children of the Atom, I've got a few Cap-com B-Boards which probably by now are dead. Damn Capcom suicide boards!!!

I'll post pictures soon.

[Analog-X64]

Looks like I cast a long shadow Or is that a fat shadow?

Actually, I've lost over two stone in weight recently. (103kg -> 86kg, and still going). Ask me how! (it was the Dukan Diet, thanks for asking).

Chris

Long Shadow indeed Chris, according to google, distance between myself and England is about 5,709.61 kilometres (3,547.8 miles).

I'm working on the weight thing as well.

[Sidman 64]

Interesting to hear what people are saying,
I agree that most of us have lived the dream over the last 10 years, listening to remixes, going to the live shows, meeting the legends etc etc,
I think the scene will still be around in some sort or another because the people who started it all, along with the new arrivals over the years come around here and RKO for the same reasons, they love the 64 & SID

Things in life do change, hell I have 5 kids, damn I knew I should of kept playing on my 64 but because of my old flame with the 64 I will find time to do stuff and come here etc,
I recently got my 64 out, set it all up and loaded up DMC V5.0, wow it took me right back
I then remembered I done newer stuff that isn't on sid voltage collection, I loaded the tracks up and was suprised that I actually done these, oh memories, done around 2000 - 2001 i think, anyway I've now got them on my pc and at somepoint will post for the old farts to listen to


I think next year we should look at doing a live event somewhere, we have the old talent along with new talent like SIDrip Alliance and 6581,
plus we can open it up more and invite some of the guys who do other 8bit stuff live,
It may be that we need to intergrate with the other 8bit people and have a bigger community to expand and keep going,
I wouldn't mind it, it would also give all the remixers old and new something new to remix, Megadrive, SNES, Gameboy, etc etc, plus the remixers from them scenes will grasp the 64 love train.
If you look at some of the other live events that go on, they have remixers from all over the world turning up, and the places are rammed with people like us, so it may be time to intergrate with the rest of the 8 bit world and do a mixed live event

As people have said its also about the people and live events are great for catch up's etc, just a few ideas and guys..


Paul

[RobinsonMason]

What can liven things up? One way is to get more people to play old C64 games so they hear the SID tunes on a regular basis and yearn for remixes based off of them.

I try to accomplish this through my blog and podcast - introducing and re-introducing people to gaming on the C64, primarily (but not only) through emulation. Whenever a remix exists for said game I'll try to mention it with a link to RKO.

I've taken Jan's advice and am returning to a weekly podcast that is based on game/gameplay "walkabouts". I'm leaving the remix and SID podcasting to the experts. An old game one week, a new one the next. This week it was Realm of Impossibility (1984), next it will be Knight 'n' Grail (2009) and looks like Kenz will be joining for some commentary!

Anyway, doin' my part on the gaming end, so I hope that drives more interest in the music! (though no one has remixed RoI to my knowledge -wink-wink-hint-hint)

Oh, and if anyone wants to help me with a spiffy podcast intro I'd be eternally grateful!

[Zzr]

Even though i am surely not the greatest poster or the most productive remixer, i wont leave the remixing scene since its so close to my favorite musics. no drive-by and go on for me. i'm still as fascinated in the retro music as i was 2005 when i first showed up here thanks to awesome-a. have been doing it before 2005 and i am very sure it will stay this way. we'll talk again in 20 years :>

cheers, Zzr

[Wonderboy]

This scene will certainly not completely die, but rather move to other interests. Making a remix from C64 or Amiga tune will be not so attractive for our descendants as playing in a big orchestra of game titles wich has expenditures of several million dollars. I think the scene will even mentally grow. Most childrens of many remixers will probably not do the same mistakes as their parents, even with regard to some inhuman behaviour of many remixers here still thinking like in mediaeval times; people who don't have any respect for projects and people staying behind the project which keeps the scene alive, even if they're never work as C64 musician or beeing a part of the (at that time illegal) cracker scene. This also contain some disgusting procedure against a very well-known german webradio station which is in fact a conducive part of the scene even if some people still don't accept that. It's sad to realize that exactly those people crying here acting so contradictory and digging his own grave. I really hope that your children will not do the same. You should be even grateful if they don't follow in your steps. Let them decide oneself what they like or dislike, even the people they want to do with. Maybe it's the only opportunity to keep at least a piece of your history. Otherwise there will be nothing left from your scene in 20-30 years expect some stale remixes and already yellowed C64 manuals in the attic.

Period.

[Dumper]

This scene will certainly not completely die, but rather move to other interests. Making a remix from C64 or Amiga tune will be not so attractive for our descendants as playing in a big orchestra of game titles wich has expenditures of several million dollars. I think the scene will even mentally grow. Most childrens of many remixers will probably not do the same mistakes as their parents, even with regard to some inhuman behaviour of many remixers here still thinking like in mediaeval times; people who don't have any respect for projects and people staying behind the project which keeps the scene alive, even if they're never work as C64 musician or beeing a part of the (at that time illegal) cracker scene. This also contain some disgusting procedure against a very well-known german webradio station which is in fact a conducive part of the scene even if some people still don't accept that. It's sad to realize that exactly those people crying here acting so contradictory and digging his own grave. I really hope that your children will not do the same. You should be even grateful if they don't follow in your steps. Let them decide oneself what they like or dislike, even the people they want to do with. Maybe it's the only opportunity to keep at least a piece of your history. Otherwise there will be nothing left from your scene in 20-30 years expect some stale remixes and already yellowed C64 manuals in the attic.

Period.

Sounds like (name removed) is back.

[Infamous]

Im strangely honoured he'd pick my thread to resurface in too lol.

But anyway all opinions accepted.

I remember a thread by robinson mason where he challenged us to have a go at more obscure sids and even started to push them up for us to listen (waz also did this with similar results) and largely it was ignored which I think is a shame, I think that could do with a resurrection and maybe give little rewards for it too. Like if you go look over at the retro remakes page oddbob started doing "thing of the month" where you did a remake or a demake in a seasons theme or a months theme ... ie December people would make christmas related games or July it would be a summer game .. with bunny rabbits and stuff. We could do similar maybe to keep things interesting.

[Ziphoid]

As long as there are creative people with ideas and a drive to develop things further, I believe the scene, in this case our dear C64/Amiga remixing scene, will prevail, but as has been said before - we need to look in all directions to not just repeat what has been done already. Not that there's anything wrong with keeping a working way of doing things, but to develop, you need to experiment.

What we are looking into is indeed to make things more integrated with each other, to make use of the fact that many people are contributing with gathering various data and collecting all sorts of things. This will hopefully be noticed later on this year especially at RKO and AmigaRemix, but also here. We'll see how many things can be done since the manpower is always a bit limited with the restraints of real life dealings.

Keep the ideas flowing, at least. We need to all help out to keep the scene alive.

@Infamous: Indeed you should be honored. However, some things are eternal, and Manuels stubborness is one of these things. He will simply never learn. Period.

[Analog-X64]

@infamous: I've mentioned about doing a monthly challenge before where a theme or style is picked and people have a month to produce something and then we vote for the top 3, and the winners get bragging rights and maybe a trophy icon next to their user name.

@Everyone: I do post a lot here but I dont feel I've contributed enough, I've only posted maybe 4 or 5 work in progress pieces but never finished any. So I've got to improve on that.