Author: Peter Swimm

When I first got into the scene in a level any more than a dalliance, VORC was an essential news site. The cnn of chip news for a long time, it was mine, and probably many of yours home pages and its shift in focus to its (awesome) chip label roots was bittersweet. Hally himself is responsible for a great many achievements, whether it was organizing his local scene, or branching out to artists world wide, to kicking ass on his own as an epic performer. Always brimming with positivity yet with a strong sense for talent and creativity, TCTD would never exist unless it was for his shining example. With great honor and humility I offer him the TCTD Lifetime Achievement award.

Vorc Records

The best music software seems to be made by musicans, and none prove that better than gwEm and his awesome maxYMiser. Combining ease of use, in-depth power, good use of hardware, and various versions for users off all manners of Atari hardware, this app has lead to some great releases, both in code and in music. Here’s looking forward to more of the chip world discovering one of the most powerful and lowest barrier of entry chip platforms, all thanks to gwEm.

maxYMiser

Another group of strong contenders, but what gave Powerpak the edge was it basically becoming the only game in town for easy playback of NSF files and demo roms on true hardware. A hard working community, lead by Loopy, added and continues to add features that make this a tremendous tool for all kinds of NES development.

powerpak

Sheer volume and consistancy of quality carried II music over a sea of worthy contenders. With numerous nominees for best release and some of the best artists around on its roster, this is a label that  promotes the kind of all killer no filler aspects of quality that will carry chip music forward for years to come.

II music

In a category loaded with winners, it took a stunning depth of complexity and raw punk rock infused live performer like starpause to rise above the pack. Sneaky beats and inventive live techniques all lead to the decision to acknowledge one of the scenes most riveting live performer.

starpause