Floptrik

Floptrik is an album with Commodore 64 electro/acid/funk songs available as normal recordings for download, and as executable C64-programs on a 3.5″ floppy. Everything can be downloaded from CPU Records. The floppy is available at bleep.com, but might disappear fast.

█ Stream and download at Bandcamp
█ Promo-mix at Soundcloud
█ YouTube playlist

– “Birds On Fire Note” captures what sets Carlsson apart from gimmicky chiptune artists. The heaving bassline on “Monday Night,” for instance, rivals any modern techno or dubstep track. Floptrik sounds like literal computer music. It’s not always easy listening, but it’s a fascinating extension of the CPU aesthetic.”
– Andrew Ryce, Resident Advisor

The programs are remixes and visuals, all contained in a 170 kilobyte disk image. They can be played on a Commodore 64 or in an emulator (instructions here). The remixes sound different every time they are played, by re-arranging the song and changing the instruments. The visuals are all in C64’s colourful ASCII-mode, PETSCII, and were made by Raquel Meyers, Linde, and Johan Kotlinski aka Mathman. See below. Originally released in the demoscene.

The audio recordings are in stereo, where the left channel uses the new SID-chip (8580), and the right uses the old one (6581). Both play the same 3 voices of the original song, but since the chips are different you get these cool hi-fi stereo lifestyle defects.

“Bet you didn’t know the Commodore64 could make dance floor jams like this.”
– Sedge808, including Floptrik in a Best of June list.