Forget gaming, what you need is a Nintendo 64 techno album – if you can get hold of it, that is.
German musician Remute has announced the release of his latest album as a Nintendo 64 cartridge (or vinyl, if you prefer). However, the Nintendo 64 release of the album has already sold out.
This follows previous releases on Sega Genesis, SNES, PC Engine, and the Nintendo Game Boy. Incredible as it may seem, there is no trickery involved, either. As Remute says:
No tricks – this is not an embedded MP3-player, terribly compressed WAV-files on a microSD-card or other cheating: as with all previous Remute cartridge albums the sound on this cartridge gets generated and played back in realtime and it’s all happening within meager 8 Megabytes! With ‘R64’ the Nintendo 64 console is your very own synthesizer and happy to serve you every time you turn it on and press play! 93,75 MHz, baby!
For this wizardry Remute cooperated with genius Nintendo 64 dev Rasky, who is not only responsible for the sound engine and player-GUI, but also managed to put together an amazingly trippy 3D-experience accompanying Remute’s music – you will…uhmmm… fly.
The cartridges are region-free and will fit and play flawlessly on all models of the Nintendo 64 console – no matter if NTSC-U, PAL or NTSC-J.
Here’s how the album was announced:
Of course R64 will also feature some trippy 3D eye candy while you listen to the tunes. We're talking of 64 bit here. 🙂
— Remute (@remute) January 4, 2022
Just think of MTV Party Zone.https://t.co/mhQ0jph66I pic.twitter.com/k1YDL7LTY2
You can also get the album – “Remute’s most diverse and playful album so far” – on vinyl. The release “contains 15 brandnew songs ranging from ultra-catchy electro pop reminiscent of Yello, Kraftwerk or Yellow Magic Orchestra to sinister techno and house excursions beaming you right back to foggy 90s warehouse raves.”
To play the album, simply plug the cartridge into a working Nintendo 64. if you can find a copy, that is – released on March 25, 2022, you can now only pre-order the vinyl album on Bandcamp as the cartridge version has sold out. Wil more cartridges be released? Probably not.
(NME)
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
