Christmas Special Editorial: 20 years of RKO (The charts revisited)
Published: 24/12/2020 by Neil Carr
In the year 2000 Jan Lund Thomsen's RKO (remix.kwed.org) was born. Finally, a resource that enabled remixers to uploaded their remixes for the world to enjoy. Before that time the remixing scene were made up of several websites spread around the internet. Finding these sites and jumping around from one to another was a painful and a somewhat chaotic experience. Over the years RKO would establish itself to be the one stop shop to get your c64 remix fix. In this Christmas editorial special we go back through the years and present the top 3 remixes voted by our readers from each year to the current day. So grab a cuppa sit back and enjoy whilst we take you on a nostalgia trip. Oh! and if you haven't voted yet on these remixes here's a chance to do so. Happy Christmas everyone.
*Ratings are correct at the time of publish. Ratings subject to varience should votes be cast.
YEAR: 2000
Dumper: Beautiful tune, great choice of instruments.
Bjorn H.: One of the first C64 remixes I ever heard. Went with me on numerous travels. Two or three thumbs up.
Nebdar: Very good atmosphere build up and orchestral arrangment. Brilliant play and great work
92%
Zilog: This is AWESOME!
soppa: Absolutely stunning remix, so simple (as the sid) but yet so eerie and deep feel to it, also love the selection of ambient sounds in this.
t0ester: Brilliant!!
93%
Nebdar: How such a small tune can be so much beautiful
condor: Agreed with ommoroca - wonderful!
eliot: Very very very outstanding 😊
92%
Year 2001
machinae supremacy - Great Giana Sisters
kokakoda: The best guitar rendition of a SID tune, ever. Period.
james_mcl: Greatest guitar work EVER!
zjebur: Excellent!
96%
Tonka - Last Ninja - Palace Gardens (Loader)
migu: This popped up from my RKO playlist on random. Hadn't rated this and couldn't believe it's from 2001 (it's dec 2015 now). Amazing work!
germantaz: As it already says: OUTSTANDING!!!
Heshan: I LOVE this version and play it loud in my tesla
93%
DHS - Max Headroom (Orbital 3241 Elevator Mix)
plokolp: Love this. 2 tunes in one.
NecroPolo: I think it's the best tune pack of Whittaker. The first section doesn't really cut through for me as much as the following parts - but that's just a subjective footnote, the remix is very cool all the way.
madrigal: Wonderful remix, DHS is a guarantee for quality!😉
90%
Year 2002
Glyn R Brown - Firelord - Symphonic
fraspras: A bit old sounded but great
Ryrynz: Outstanding, such an epic improvement over the SID. One of the best remixes on RKO without a doubt.
RebornOnline: A great version of my favourite C64 tune! Thanks Glyn!
96%
Mahoney - Armageddon Man (Vocal Jazz feat. Karin Öjehagen)
koroner: Superb!
EricF: Man, this is a haunting remix with some awesome rhythm in the second half.
damax: One of the best remixes Mahoney ever produced. And Karin Öjehagen just rulez!
95%
Glyn R Brown - Gordian Tomb Adventures
Ginjirou: Absolutely amazing. Required entry on any mp3 player I own. Simply sublime! Could be from a shaolin monk stage show…?
Nebdar: When you listen you think thats some movie trailer music. Outstanding 😊
inqisit0r: Glyn brown, nuff said
95%
Year 2003
Lagerfeldt - Dutch Breeze/Robocop 3 (Progressive Uplift)
zera: I hear the song already for years. And I will hear it still many years. Ingenius.
Wilfred: Excellent work!
aricz: Haha, YEAH! One of the best remixes I've ever heard. The. Sid too, Jeroen tel rules!😊)
93%
Thomas Detert - Supernova (the slow tune)
Zilog: Conquest of Paradise / Vangelis samples or else I'm mistaken => very nice!
Supergrobi123: Ooooooutstanding, man!!!
Mordi: Awesome! I had no idea this tune was on this site. Wtf!
93%
exo: Simply a great song.
Gildan: Sit back, put your feet up and enjoy!
Mordi: Lovely rendition of a nice tune
91%
Year 2004
97%
eisei: Wow… I mean… Oh, wow…😊
Gildan: Cant fault this, another great mix of this tune and when that guitar kicks in it sounds just perfect… Fantastic work by Marcel, always a joy to hear something by him
Haldor: One of the best C64 remix ever!
97%
DHS - The Human Race (Bando alle Seghe)
aker: Great, delectable music!
Breadbox Bill: Fantastic remix!
aricz: Mmmmmmm, smooooooth and beeeeautiful! Soothing stuff, yummie😊
94%
Year 2005
Makke - Artura(Dublin Delight Mix) feat. Andreas Wallström
infamous: Irish folk dancing ahoy, never really much liked the original but I cant help but smile whenever I hear this…
karter: Woooow… This is it…
mfe: Clever, but just missing something that completes it…
95%
Marcel Donné - Something Stranger Remake
XxDUSTYxX: This is really an outstanding and very catchy Remix! Thumbs up, man! - P. S. Grytulf: Release a better Remix… That would be the REAL surprise!😉
Skitz: I can admit to cumming when I heard Feekzoids original remix - and this just had the same effect… A new pair of shorts please!
_steve_: A piece completely worthy of the outstanding vote. Extremely atmospheric with amazing ambience and instrumentation.
92%
infamous: Total change in style for glyn… Gone are the orchestra's replaced with sultry synths and plonk noises and aint it just beautiful 😊
dafunk: Sooo beautiful! In places reminds me of enya and enigma…
Gildan: Glyn has been harking on about this tune for well over a year now and what a welcome return, fekin awesome I tell ya!
92%
Year 2006
Andy Gilmour & LMania - Robocop Title
zajos: I've never heard a remix in this 80's style. Excellent! It's a missing puzzle piece.
Caboose: Amazing! I just signed in to vote on this incredible track!
Ph0B1uS: A really good remix. I LOVE the guitar in this one, a defininite faviourite
95%
moog (Sebastian Bachliñski) - Tristess
snorski: Excellent
omoroca: Don't know the original, but I love it. More of that, please! Added to my collection.
chilli_uk: Its ok for a POLAK! LOL Gratuluję ;- Moog as you see my polish is getting better - this is my fav tune of yours Na Zdrowie
93%
machinae supremacy - Sidology 2 Trinity
LMania: Yes, they obviously still know their shit.
DMC: Pheeew. What can I say? This one is dope! 8:17 - 10:22 kicks ass!!! Mixing is sometimes a bit messy but nothing I can´t live with. Outstanding vote for outstanding work!!!
Fozzee69: Brilliant in every way!
93%
YEAR 2007
Reyn Ouwehand - Green Beret (live at The Church)
Twinbee: I never fail to request this one when listening to SLAY… A Classic.
hillsman: Nothing short of phenomenal.
8bit-army: Perfekt!
97%
Dafunk - Destruction - The New Beginning (rmx)
Peter W: Here's that dreamy sound again with a taste of a melodic trance breeze, great stuff!
_steve_: Fantastic sounds. Absolutely brilliant track
Waz: Now this is lovely. Not only does it really have that flow and feeling of the original but it develops on it without being too obtrusive. Another winner from DaFunk.
93%
feark: Heard this on C64 take-away and after that I had to get this tune.
LMania: Very decent trance tune!!!
Jax: This can sit on repeat forever without you getting bored of it. Very varied, great all round, and definitely one of the best mixes for a while - I LOVE it! 😊 Even sounds a bit like Above and Beyond in places!
93%
YEAR 2008
Mordi - Plastic Pop (I Miss You mix)
modman: It works really, really well. The vocals work beautifully. I like it.
Dr-Duke: Very well done Mordi! *takes hat off* And here comes the red one from me… *click*
Zilog: Beautiful!!!!
93%
Dafunk - Hardcore Power (We Believe In Goa - Remix)
Ishma: Excellent!!!
zajos: I did not listen to Slay Radio for half year and now I checked back and this tune made my day. Great!
Agemixer: Nicely advancing one, good development since the original which is awesome aswell! I just love all the melodic silent moments in the middle and especially all those dafunk style, strong low modulation sounds… Kickass!
93%
Peter W - Stargate (Not As Trancelucent As)
Zilog: Simply PERFECT
exo: Once again you deliver, Peter. 😀 Effortless flowing musical energy.
L0rd3vyL: My second favorite Peter W tune.
92%
YEAR 2009
Firestorm - Commando (Sound of SceneSat Edit)
mfe: There's perhaps just a couple of samples that are just a bit flat and lifeless, but given the brilliance of the rest of the mix, how can this not get a red face? Bravo!
Mayhem: Back in time for Xmas again… Wasn't quite sure what to expect, but this certainly ranks as one of the best of 2009.
hornza: Absolutely awesome, great arrangement and fantastic use of the instruments.
96%
Jogeir Liljedahl - Synth Sample - The Stationary Ark
Codetapper: Simply beautiful!
Waz: Deliciously good and sounds smooth and clear throughout.
Mayhem: Take one fairly unknown SID. Go in a different direction to how Mixer made his (superb) remix of it. Produce something sublime that matches it in quality. Welcome back Jogeir 😊
95%
Tomsk: Still one of my favorites… A class act!
Danceaway: Best oceanloader remix I've heard… Very nice
horizoner: Speechless…
94%
YEAR 2010
95%
Chabee - Baboon (Skydive ReMix)
_steve_: I can't add anything that hasn't been said above. Fantastic remix!
C64ever: Really good this, nice and mellow to listen too.
Karmar: Beautiful
92%
SIDrip Alliance - From First to Last (AROK12 tribute mix)
hillsman: Some of the leads aren't great, but this is an otherwise awesome compendium of some top LN tracks. Not a huge electric guitar fan, but it sounds great here!
weasel: Wow! Truly _outstanding_, indeed!!! Thank you _very_, very much!! 😃
maindrian: Makes me want to dry hump my speakers. It's THAT filthy. The lead does feel a little flimsy over the top of all that crunchy guitar, but boy, oh boy, does that guitar crunch.
92%
YEAR 2011
moog (Sebastian Bachliñski) - Jazzcat (007)
LMania: The name's Funk. Moog Funk.
nettuno: Excellent, melody, arrangement and a style unique. WOW!
Melaure: What a wonderfull piece of Jazz. Sax, guitar,. … Not far from perfection!
93%
soppa: One of my personal favorites, could listen to this all day long.
Ryrynz: Once again Mordi delivers us beautiful sounds.
hillsman: An absolute screamer!
93%
Peter Clarke - Ocean Loader 3 (Cinematic remix)
YogibearRenoise: This sounds really great and is now one of my favs of RKO! Could you please make an orchestral version of song 1 in HVSC of Tai-Pan? That's my fav sid of you! Thanks for this!
hillsman: The best Ocean Loader? Check. The original composer? Check. Win! Win!
_steve_: Fantasitc. Like the slower pace of this one
93%
YEAR 2012
Rubenbeer: Great. Just great.
finnr: Love it. Funky as the original, all the effects added are spot on. One of my fav sids, and now one of my fav RKOs.
Melaure: D'ont understand schallmaeur, it is only the fourth remix, Wanna compare with Giana sisters? Well, great work, pure music.
94%
Andreas Wallström and NecroPolo - DMC demo IV 2 (Celtic Mission mix)
DHS: Wow! I mean… WOW! Fuckin' WOW!
werdy: Until now (and the SIDrip) I wasn't a rock fun. BUT NOW I AM. This tune is awesome, rock on!!!
truck: \m/ worthy comment I'm just not coming up with right now here
93%
bordeaux: Great tribute, awesome guitars - thanks a lot!
Zilog: Powerful & Sweet as always, a masterpiece!
LMania: Thank you for pointing out the tragic fate of Armand, his outstanding SID, and this outstanding remix.
93%
YEAR 2013
mfe: Rich soundscapes that whilst emulating Jarre's work also rivals it and surpasses it in a couple of ways. Great!
chilli_uk: Mix between kreftwork and jarre - so so clever - love it
Jojje70: Never heard the original SID but the melody and chord progressions are just fantastic! Beautiful and atmospheric, it's an amazing tune that gives me goosebumps! Great work!
93%
LukHash - Supremacy (youtube vid)
Volkans80: Very good
eisei: Love the video too
DSMarine: As the vote says… Simply Outstanding!
93%
BeeZerk - BeeZerk - Blasphemy (Feat. Pallaso & Kage)
JLD: Amazing remix!!
Danceaway: TOP track and agree with above… This is nice and I can play in the car with Summer time by will smith…
Lclhstr: Not my favourite style by any measure, but man 😊 put your HENZA-henza-HeNzA!😊
93%
YEAR 2014
Slaygon - Platoon (Inexperti belli)
Nightmare23: Great one, the speech at the end was a bit sloppy and could have been better.
LMania: Killer track.
Mordi: Very nice soundscape! Not familiar with the original tune.
94%
Robert Engstrand - The Mansion Gardens (Last Ninja medley)
DJNutzZ: YES!!!
Neo-Rio: Deus-Ex: Human (or ninja) Revolution? I'm not sure if it was a deliberate homage to that game, but I loved it. Perhaps if SID lead sounds were a bit lower, it'd be perfect. As it is, send it to Eidos Montreal and see what they say!
Wolf1982: Killer!
93%
Markus Schneider - Enlightenment - Druid II
infamous: Markus has always been a fantastic musician and all thats changed over the years to me is the increase in production values, great stuff as always.
LMania: Markus Schneider is back, better than ever.
NecroPolo: Man I must admit that in general I greatly dislike orchestral remixes. At least the ones that are not created with so much expertise like this one. It blasts the rest out of the pool (sorry guys). Kudos Markus!
93%
Year 2015
Slaygon - Never Die (Skitz lives forever)
GlenBenton: Brilliant!
k_rostoen: I've always loved Lover why by Century, but this one is right up there with it. Brilliant remix!
Ziphoid: Nice twist compared to the original SID which still can be recognized in this very enhanced state. Too bad it's a bit short, but I think this requires a play in a Cozy Corner in the future. 😊 Well done!
96%
Dr Future - Fist II - The Legend Continues
Aule: Atmospheric Masterpiece!
Ahriakin: Great version, fantastic mix.
omoroca: Wonderful! Added to my collection.
95%
MRT - Eagles (Easy Flight mix)
mfe: Takes a few too many liberties with the melody for my liking, but it's well mixed.
LaLa: Very chillax. Clean and refined, unique and personal. Me like!
Ryrynz: Wow, that's quite the remix.
93%
YEAR 2016
spavatch: Excellent remix, wonderful in every way!
DSMarine: I never liked the dance places back in the day… But maybe I just needed tracks like this one. D
symbols: Most Excellent Sir! Bodayshus!
96%
Johan Andersson - Out Run - Splash Wave (surf mix)
hillsman: Loving these Surf remixes! I really like this one and its perfect for Johan's style
vurtx: Just perfect in all areas.
symbols: So Pulp Fiction! 😃
94%
NecroPolo: Despite that I hate dancing and dreamy stuff to quite a high degree I'd be a fool not to see the values of this quality track. Great work and a floor filler contender on a demoscene party.
LaLa: When listening to this tune I'd like to stand on a hilltop and yell out: This is what the scene is about!!! Kickass 80s feel coupled with a kickass demo tune.
verm71: Exquisitely produced thumpy dance track!
95%
YEAR 2017
SIDNIFY - Supremacy (Overprime mix)
XxDUSTYxX: That's so dope! |m|
MORBID: Oh yeah!
Sascha Michael Theel: Outstanding!!! I love it!!!😀
97%
94%
96%
YEAR 2018
FastLoaders - Commando High Score
The Breaker: This is some one Awesome Top Gun, Commando Retro Remix for sure. 😃
_steve_: Simply amazing. Love the improvisation around 1:28-1:50 - very Hans Zimmer Top Gun Anthemesque
Jojje70: Crisp and very well produced with nice improvs!
96%
Tas: WOW! Love the angry yet calm feel. Markus, this is sooo good. Thank you for sharing this.😊
KoYamaRo: Nice Arrangement and Mix, a Masterpiece!
nous: Amazing!
95%
FastLoaders - Ghouls and Ghosts
LaLa: Straight off their Progressive 64 album. Superb there, superb here.
LMania: Perfect.
symbols: Seu Geuuud!
94%
YEAR 2019
Peter Clarke - Firelord - Symphonic (a nod to Glyn)
_steve_: Love Glyn's original - this re-imagining of that is very well put together and is a great addition to it. Not sure omoroca is hearing the same tune as eveyone else.
bastard: Absolutely wonderful arrangement!
Poppykuk: Great arrangement. Keeps the atmosphere of the original but sounds huge.
96%
Glyn R Brown - Firelord (from 8Bit Symphony)
Grigul: Is there anyone who can beat Glyn R. Brown? No, only Glyn himself - and he did it. He took one of his greatest Remixes - and improved it to a higher level. The old one is still epic - this one here is (my opinion): The Most Epic Track Ever!!
speedy: EDIT: Great stuff after several listenings and better than first one.
celina w: This remix is really amazing!
97%
aix: I don't comment very often, but when I do… Whoa.
rnuls: Fantastic song from Jogeir
Mordi: Dane meets Liljedahl! Highly enjoyable!
97%
YEAR 2020
Blackstar: Great love boat remix of SH 😉
Walter12: Best… remix… EVER!!
hillsman: A worthy best remix winner IMHO - very special indeed.
96%
Peter Clarke, ziona & Slaygon - Tales of Boon (The Collaboration Mix)
Poppykuk: Another musical journey with peter clarke. I hear the other players and it all works beautifully together. I love the way the soundscape changes.
tw1l1ght: Wow! You guys better be careful not being 'asked' to get a permit from the community before being allowed to submit more entries in that trio -> Puts each of your best sides into a complete package of awesomeness! ❤️ @3:30 - SO Slaygons part!😉
Marcus: I can't remember the game but wow what a score!. If this great track is 3rd place what is 2nd and 1st in the remix competition.
94%
SIDNIFY - The Last Ninja - The Wilderness
Mordi: SIDNIFY = Quality. Punchy track!
MatrixRevolution: Amazing!
Mano: Solid, Well done.
94%
People, we should considder ourselves lucky to be part of a community diverse enough to cover everything from the solitary hobbyist with a copy of Fruityloops to an 80-piece symphonic orchestra. The solitary remixer can afford to be out of pocket on a remix since the music isn’t his/her day job - the professional musician doesn’t have that luxury. Dismissing one over the other isn’t a way to take the hobby in new directions. If you prefer the freely available renditions, that’s fine by me - but don’t knock commercial efforts simply for having a cost. No one is in this to get rich.
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