Stef Kors, a web developer, builds browser-based retro creative tools such as BassoonTracker, an Amiga-style music tracker, and DPaint.js.
HN commenters use his BassoonTracker site to play and share classic tracker modules in the browser.
I am really impressed by the responsive layout -- the UI adapts to different window sizes! Nice touch :)
Some favorite modules to check out. First link is link to modarchive site, second link is direct link to Bassoon Tracker with the module pre-populated so you can listen instantly! So handy!
Matrix Cubed - Fluff https://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_moduleid&query=145090 | https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.org%2Fdownloads.php%3Fmoduleid%3D145090
DeusEX - Joy https://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_moduleid&query=143186 | https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.org%2Fdownloads.php%3Fmoduleid%3D143186
Sybaris - Welcome to the Gods https://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_moduleid&query=151392 | https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.org%2Fdownloads.php%3Fmoduleid%3D151392
Mindwalker - Evoke '98 https://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_moduleid&query=169456 | https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.org%2Fdownloads.php%3Fmoduleid%3D169456
xerxes - hesse's sovesang https://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_moduleid&query=62901 | https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.org%2Fdownloads.php%3Fmoduleid%3D62901
"me and kenet" (unsure of artist) - Beautiful or not? https://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_moduleid&query=139336 |…
Nice to see Space Debris as a selected demosong. A few other favourites:
Oldschool classics:
heatbeat/rebels - street jungle https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.org%2Fdownloads.php%3Fmoduleid%3D60532
Banana/TeK - Echoing aka demosong.nst from the Sound Blaster 2 disk https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.org%2Fdownloads.php%3Fmoduleid%3D166351
4mat/anarchy - 4mat's madness (manic chiptune) https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.org%2Fdownloads.php%3Fmoduleid%3D66036
Game music:
Nation XII featuring John Foxx - theme from Gods (gods17/into the wonderful) https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stef.be%2Fbassoontracker%2Fapi%2Fmodules.pl%2F4276
Allister Brimble - px.bladswede remix! (theme from Project-X) https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.org%2Fdownloads.php%3Fmoduleid%3D37210
More techno-ish styles from the mid/late 90s:
vim!/mono - call me persephone (shimmeringly creaky mo'wax-style trip hop)
https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.org%2Fdownloads.php%3Fmoduleid%3D129036
twilight/mono - inevitable (junglish rave breaks subside into orbital-esque arpeggios)
https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.org%2Fdownloads.php%3Fmoduleid%3D121865
randall / suburban bass - in complete darkness (jungle/happy…
I was bummed when I clicked on "Space song" thinking "Cool, they have the demo tune by the Silents!" and got something else instead. Luckily, it took just a few clicks to get to the real thing by Jesper Kyd (who later scored Hitman and Assassin's Creed):
https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.org%2Fdownloads.php%3Fmoduleid%3D167096
And so's 4mat's classic 28KB chiptune, aka L.F.F.:
https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.org%2Fdownloads.php%3Fmoduleid%3D36874
Memories! All that's missing is a way to build a playlist, although, of course, a lot of MOD songs never end, technically speaking...
[I wrote a MOD player back in the day, IIRC it supported most of the standard commands and it was less than 8KB of 68K code.]
I'm just going to throw in my recommendation of virtually -anything- by Moby:
https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.org%2Fdownloads.php%3Fmoduleid%3D34026
Damn - this player is awesome; I was never someone who could make tracker music, but I loved to listen to it back in the day on my Amigas (both of which I still own). Getting new MODs from Fred Fish and other ways was always a treat.
Ah...and Octamed...this has brought a touch of nostalgia, etc - for me. Those times are long past, but a bit of them can still be enjoyed with this software.
So - thank you, exogeny.
If we're dropping recommendations, three talented artists from the early 90s here:
Bjørn Lynne - 12th Warrior https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.org%2Fdownloads.php%3Fmoduleid%3D59601
Jogeir Liljedahl - Suspiria https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.modarchive.org%2Fdownloads.php%3Fmoduleid%3D61816
Purple Motion - Shadowrun https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/?file=https3A%2%2Fapi.modarchive.org%2Fdownloads.php%3Fmoduleid%3D54299
If you want to try out a tracker in your web browser, there's BassoonTracker:
https://www.stef.be/bassoontracker/
Also, the amazing-but-curiously-absent-from-many-lists-of-trackers SunVox. Some of the demo tunes I've listened to over and over!
https://www.warmplace.ru/soft/sunvox/
Almost all the software on Alexander Zolotov / NightRadio's site is worth checking out, both free and paid. Virtual ANS in particular is amazing for making old-school Doctor Who-style background noises.