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After listening to the Carrier Command Audio Cassette (curiously named CDDA on UnExotica) I started to take a look again at Dave Lowe, remembered the Starglider 2 tape too...
His son was searching the web, probably for articles about his dad and stumbled on this thread and the other I posted. He contacted me and pointed me to his sisters website where his dad has been PM'd.
alexh wrote:As you know XTC, Uncle Art has been found!
I didn't receive an e-mail from his son. If I did, it must have been classed as spam - ouch!
alexh wrote:His son was searching the web, probably for articles about his dad and stumbled on this thread and the other I posted. He contacted me and pointed me to his sisters website where his dad has been PM'd.
She sounds very good!
Did you notice down the left side of the screen it says UncleArt2005?
I see you've registered on her forum - would you mind checking if there are any references to David Lowe's website, or maybe see if he's willing to accept an e-mail with a few questions from either you or I please?
I had a look myself and although he's listed as typing over 100 entries it won't display any of them, probably because I'm not registered.
I sent him a PM, I see him logged on regularly. Lets see if that is a part of his life that he wants to re-live.
Hi Guys,
I was reading an old Exotica forum today -
I was just listening to the "Studio music" on the Audio cassette that came with the Speccy version of Carrier Command, and thinking, wow this isnt half bad.... looked up Dave's career and realised how widespread his music was....
Seems he quit in 1995, anyone heard from him since?
I met most of the Starglider team when I worked as a student at Argonaut in 1997/98 and he was one of the only ones not there anymore
Anyone?
Believe it or not, but I am Dave Lowe's (Uncle Art) son.
And yes I did sleep in a bedroom surrounded by my dads Speccys,C64,Amigas,ST's plus countless other bits of recording equipment. I actually remember on the day they came out (it was about 200 quid all those years ago!) and thought it was unbelievable.
Anyway, read that you were looking for him..... He is still a musician, and lives in Scarborough. My sister is also a musician http://www.hollyjazzlowe.co.uk - My dad is contactable on this site's forum.
Hi Alex,
I am amazed at how many sites are still dedicated to the original machines and games that were produced on them.In those days there was a real sense of challenge to get the music to the best quality possible using different coding and musical tricks and reading your post concerning Argonaut made me as smile as I remember myself and Jez in the back room of his parents house persuading his 520 ST to run the 15 sec.sampled music I'd done for the game. Its all come a long way since then, and I lost some interest in the games market when the innovation seemed to wane, the machines got complex enough to run sampled music from a CD and everybody and their mum was getting in on the act. But it was inevitable given the huge progress in processor power over the decades. Although I must admit I still miss it.
I'm flattered you think I had an influence on the industry, but in truth I think we all did in those days as the only way to survive in the business was to keep pushing the boundaries.
I remember doing a recorded piece ( 15 secs ) for Afterburner on the ST and I realised by composing it in certain keys and using code to play timed sections on the fly of different musical lengths I could create a sampled loading piece that didn't repeat for about 12 minutes. When I took it to Activision ( the games Publisher ) the whole office stopped and stood, mouths open, someone even thought I had a cassette player inside the machine and was trying to con them.( I just remembered they gave me a gold disk at some industry award for it ).Anyway,sometime after its release the first Dance records started to appear using the same techniques utilising sequencers and its always been on my mind that may have had an influence on producers working in that field,if its true, I profusely apologise.
I enjoyed doing the Cassette full length pieces for Starglider2 and Carrier Command as they did give me a chance as a musician to use the studio I was gradually putting together. The studio is now a full on Project studio and has been used to make the recordings on Holly's ( My daughters ) website http://www.hollyjazzlowe.co.uk for her forthcoming album
next year.
Glad to see the thread, as well as Dave's feedback!! I've been dieing to ask this, but no-one seems to know about a tape that came with Starglider 1 - te music was very similar to the Atari ST ntro, but I recall it being a proper song, with a girl also singing - it was VERY catchy and better than Carrier Command. Can Dave confirm it's existance, and if so, let us have it?????
Regards,
Ryan
P.S I have the starglider box in my garage, I will check it to confirm it listed a 'music tape', I'm pretty sure it did but was missing when I bought it on eBay.