For musician Remute, making albums for vintage games consoles and computers appears to have become something of an obsession - so much so that we’re a bit worried what he’s going to do when he runs out of new old hardware to compose on.
Following the release of records for the Nintendo 64, Sega Mega Drive, Sega Dreamcast and Nintendo Game Boy (among others), he’s now gone back to machine that he says is “responsible for pretty much my whole mindset,” the Commodore 64.
To The Bone is a 20-track album that ships on C64 cartridge, and uses the machine’s legendary SID chip to create all its music in realtime. As Remute says, “it doesn’t get any more chiptune than this.”
The record also comes with a .CRT-File that enables you to play it using your C64 mini/maxi console or emulator of choice. The player and GUI were programmed in collaboration with demoscene coder Kabuto and graphic artist Alien, while Mr Tentacle takes the credit for the custom PCB board design.
Discussing his long association with the Commodore 64, Remute says: "I was the kid that stayed in his room while other kids were playing soccer. I was happily surrounded by home computers and game consoles instead. They made me, educated me, entertained me.
“Especially one machine is responsible for pretty much my whole mindset - the Commodore C64! Got it when I was five and it was the beginning of my strong friendship with technology and my everlasting technoptimism. The look, the feel, the sound - it blew my mind and still does! It's the home computer I programmed and it programmed me… forever."
To The Bone is a true labour of love, then; you can preorder it now on Remute’s Bandcamp page and it’ll ship on 7 July.
