I spent a good deal of my adolescence playing games on my C64, and while it got me into some trouble from time to time, I have nothing but the fondest memories of those days.
I have dozens upon dozens of favourite games that I used to play, sometimes endlessly. With simple (albeit still powerful for the time) graphics and a 3-voice SID chip for sound, game play and innovation were important for making a game great, which is in stark contrast from today's 3D behemoths, where everything is about better graphics, faster refresh rates, and the like.
Graphics and sound were very rudimentary during the early years, but became much more advanced as people began to discover the awesome power of the VIC-II and SID chips. Indeed, the demo scene was a great influence on discovering the true capabilities of these chips.
With the true power of the SID chip revealed, programmers and composers such as Rob Hubbard, Ben Daglish, Martin Galway, Maniacs of Noise, et al began producing incredibly complex and catchy tunes. Although the chip had only 3 voices, clever composers were able to create tunes that sounded like there were 4 or more voices. Truly a remarkable feat. Songs such as Thrust, Chimera, Trap, and The Last Ninja series have managed to stick in my head for YEARS after I last turned on my C64 and played those games and demos.
About a month ago, a friend of mine starts talking about this Internet radio station that is playing old C64 tunes. I type 'c64' into Shoutcast and come up with SLAY Radio. Intrigued, I tune in. What I discover, however, truly amazes me.
Not only do they play original music files (which they call SIDs, which can be confusing because the original SID format produced really bad music, yet was popular for some odd reason), they also play remixes. Yes, you heard me right - remixes. It turns out that there's quite a movement in Europe where people take original game music from machines such as the C64, Amiga, and NES and rework them. Sometimes the songs are only slightly tweaked, keeping very close to the original sound, but other times they are given major overhauls, sometimes without containing any of the original sounds at all. Not only are these remixed then played on internet radio stations, sometimes concerts are organized and they are played LIVE! Absolutely incredible.
SLAY Radio is VERY well done. The web site isn't too bad and, if you register, provides functionality to view the current song queue and even make your own requests (you search for the song, click the button and it shows up in the queue). The playing mechanism is also linked to an IRC bot (SLAYRadio) that hangs out on #slayradion on the EFNet network. It doesn't offer all of the same functionality of the web site, but it does offer some things that are not available via the site.
The live shows are scheduled fairly regularly and the DJs take their task very seriously. They know these tunes and their history very well. They've got great personalities and make the whole live experience really good. On top of that, the live shows are recorded and made available, usually shortly after the broadcast has been completed.
I first tuned in almost 2 months ago and I haven't been able to stop listening since. I stream the station all day long while at work. There are sites that contain all kinds of the remix MP3s and I've downloaded many of them so that I can lug them around on my laptop and MP3 player when internet access is not available. I've been travelling a lot lately and being able to play back the live shows has been a livesaver on the ridiculously long flights I've been suffering through, such as the 13.5 hour flight from Toronto to Beijing. (For some good fun, download the entire "24-Hour Fleming Show", which I'm currently working through, much to my delight).
- Mike
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