MRC Italo challenge

by wolf_ on 12-09-2006, 15:19
Topic: MRC
Tags: Challenges
Languages:

Well here it is, the suggested Italo challenge! In this challenge you're invited to create genuine Italo music on your (emulated) MSX, using your preferred MSX soundchip. From an exeggerated MSX point of view, Italo could be seen as tracked MSX music, long before MSX users started doing so. This is quite stunning as most of us didn't realise this in our scene years! It appears however that Impact 'imported' the style to the MSX scene, other groups adapted this style, and so the MSX-Italo sound spread. Regardless of these roots, this Italo genre is now almost second nature for MSX composers.

Before you start, mind the following: this is an Italo challenge, not an MSX music challenge. While the MSX music from our scene could be seen as a subset of conventional Italo you're strongly adviced to first study a wide range of conventional Italo music. Artists like Koto and Laserdance are a good start.

Rules and things to keep in mind:

  • any soundchip may be used. While the MSX-Audio/Music Module was the de facto MSX-scene soundchip back then, a Moonsound is strongly adviced, production quality counts!
  • only original compositions are allowed.
  • a maximum of 640KB SRAM may be used for the Moonsound.
  • a maximum of 32KB sampleram may be used for MSX-Audio/Music Module.
  • you may present your song as part of a trackmo/demo, only the song will be judged however.
  • use any public musicsoftware or supply your song with its own player. If the used software doesn't do VDP equalizing while it uses the VDP for its tempo, then state for which frequency your song was made (50hz/60hz). MBWave uses the Moonsound for its tempo, so it always sounds the way it should.
  • MRC will create MP3's from all the entries for the jury and all of you, which will be recorded from genuine hardware. If you make your song using an emulator where for instance the Moonsound envelopes lack accuracy, then there's nothing we can do about that.

The jury consists out of poke -1,170 and wolf_. Poke being the one to bring his Italo enthousiasm to us and wolf_ being the challenge initiator.

Of course there's no challenge without an award, just like poke's earlier Airwaves challenge the top 3 will be featured on Enschede FM where he is a DJ. In addition, the 1st prize will be awarded with an MSX T-shirt!

The deadline for this challenge is the same one as for the MSXArt'06 challenge: November 11th, 2006, 23:59 CET. Send your entries to: italo@msx.org. Happy composing!

Comments (18)

By chaos

Paladin (809)

chaos's picture

12-09-2006, 15:56

Nice challenge, maybe I'll join..
Is it possible to post a few examples of Italo music?

By snout

Ascended (15187)

snout's picture

12-09-2006, 15:58

well.. you could start by having a listen to the mp3 I posted in this forum topic! I might join in in this one as well, ignoring Wolf's Moonsound advice of course :P

By wolf_

Ambassador_ (10109)

wolf_'s picture

12-09-2006, 15:59

well, Italo is commercially sold music.. and you know MRC .. do a wild guess ^_^

By chaos

Paladin (809)

chaos's picture

12-09-2006, 16:04

Maybe it's possible to add some Impact tracks? (mp3)
Or can't you create an example in 5 minutes Wolf? Tongue

By wolf_

Ambassador_ (10109)

wolf_'s picture

12-09-2006, 16:05

nah, I'll stay out.. moved out my MSX/mon/things anyway.. didn't use it since spring, and the OCM will be way smaller. My desk is small enough already.

By wolf_

Ambassador_ (10109)

wolf_'s picture

12-09-2006, 16:08

Maybe it's possible to add some Impact tracks? (mp3)

..and actually, try to listen to real Italo, the challenge is about real Italo, not so much about the Impact/MSX subset.

By meits

Scribe (6542)

meits's picture

12-09-2006, 16:51

This is all sooooo wrooooong ^_^ ^_^

*Joining with the thought: "I'll be laughing my ass off with what I make"*

By W76NearDark

Paladin (684)

W76NearDark's picture

12-09-2006, 17:42

Very nice! I like the Italo music! Bring it on!

By Jorito

Mr. Ambassadors (1790)

Jorito's picture

12-09-2006, 20:51

I will at least consider joining the competition Smile It'd be fun to give this style a shot, it has quite some nostalgic value Smile Bring out yer bad vocoders and eighties drumplers!

By AuroraMSX

Paragon (1902)

AuroraMSX's picture

12-09-2006, 21:11

Since there's always need for a last place in the score table of such a challenge, I'm very tempted to join in, too Wink
We'll see... (and I'm thinking of using MBFM instead of MBWave Tongue)

By wolf_

Ambassador_ (10109)

wolf_'s picture

12-09-2006, 22:10

By poke-1,170

Paragon (1783)

poke-1,170's picture

14-09-2006, 04:48

again, I also would toss in some vinyl for the lucky winner, some 7"es or 12"es,
or a cd if you win.

A good reference is : mixed up in the hague part 2,
you can easily find that for free on soulseek,
or download the entire album from the mixage section of the CBS,
the cybernetic broadcasting system website.
This compilation features some of the darker, more energetic and in
general more obscure italo, but definately worth it !

A must have for those who like italo.

also, track down kano or casco's "cybernetic love",
charlie's "spacer woman" and bwh's "stop" as
some more pronounced stuff.
Quite a bit of this stuff has also been covered
back in the days in synthesizer greatest, like
"the force"by the droids, but the orginals are
far more worth it...
But, it was giorgio moroder of course who set
the standard with his catchy basslines (the chase,
donna summer's "i feel love "etc)

By Manuel

Ascended (19462)

Manuel's picture

14-09-2006, 14:27

Woah, is "I feel love" Italo?? I love that song Smile I got the 12" version here, which is about 17 minutes Smile

By poke-1,170

Paragon (1783)

poke-1,170's picture

14-09-2006, 14:30

hehe yeah, I guess that's quite the blueprint for italo, that bassline at least is.
and the 17 minute version is the patrick cowley mix if I'm not mistaken

By W76NearDark

Paladin (684)

W76NearDark's picture

16-09-2006, 20:13

By meits

Scribe (6542)

meits's picture

02-10-2006, 14:56

Deceided to withdraw. Got several reasons:
- Total lack of inspiration
- Lost all my samples due to a partitionloss on my data hdd
- Since production counts, I'm not gonna try music module and/or fm-pac

Pity, but never the less all the luck to the other contestants and I'm very curious to all the results.

By Low_Profile

Champion (425)

Low_Profile's picture

13-10-2006, 18:03

i'm thinking about joining in in the Italo madness... i already made an Italo remake of a quarth song when I read about this...

now i need to get a tracker running in an emu and i'm good to go.... easier said than done though Smile

By wolf_

Ambassador_ (10109)

wolf_'s picture

13-10-2006, 18:52

\o/