++ ukchill.com ++

Thalamusic revisited. A Commodore 64, a Zzap!64 cassette tape and a couple of synths I wish I had back in 1987. One for all the 8-bit geeks out there!

I’ve had a bit of spare time this weekend, and I’ve re-discovered some old Amiga stuff I had -- including a (rather lame) cover of Thalamusic I did many years ago. Firing up MilkyTracker let me export the nice’n'crunchy 8-bit samples that I originally made from a Zzap!64 cover cassette (an early computer games magazine), so I had to do the only sensible thing and rework the track using some of the (slightly better) gear I have around these days!

I re-implemented the classic bass synth line using the JP-8000 RPS feature, and tracked the swooshy noises from my Novation Nova, finally programming up a new lead sound on a Fantom Xa -- I tried to recapture some of Rob Hubbards airy choir sound he used on the tape version. I also kept a few sounds from the original C64 game, just for nostalgia!

An early cut of the visualisation for “We are the Mantra”. For some time now I have wanted to experiment with live visuals when putting on a gig -- unfortunately, the kit needed to do this used to be massively expensive and only really suitable for the big name bands. But now it seems that the technology has come on substantially in the last couple of years and VJ’ing is a thriving art at a reasonable cost.

I see no reason why the dance-headz should have all the fun using the same tools as part of a live rock performance seems like a great way to enhance a show.