Rediscovering Androids: A Remix Odyssey Spanning Two Decades

https://soundcloud.com/tornevall/androids-on-the-2nd-floor-find-my-android-remix

For a bigger player, see below – after the text.

First version

”Androids on the 2nd Floor” is a long-term project initiated in 1999. It features ”acid tones” typical of that decade, rediscovered and reimagined into a newer trance-based style. The title was improvised to ”sound good” and stands as one of Thomas Tornevall’s older, functional projects, serving as a flagship in his musical evolution. With ”acidic tones” being a strong source of inspiration both then and now, ”Seekers” is the new enhanced trance version. The original 1999 track was never officially released and remained archived on a website, which seemed sufficient at the time.

Personal and Unreleased

Historically, the absence of record labels didn’t halt the project. Much of the music was personal and intended for personal use, which is why official releases were never pursued. Additionally, the content wasn’t mainstream. Many more versions were created, including several remixes by a friend of mine, known as Miazma, who is currently active in the goth scene. You can listen to his work here.

Exact Dates

Exact dates are somewhat important as they help pinpoint the release periods for some tracks. Samples are dated from 1999-11-20 to 1999-11-22, suggesting a release date around that period.

History And Inspiration

Inspirationally, the track was one of many. With the help of his Finnish girlfriend, Thomas sampled phrases like ”Androids on the second floor” and ”I forgot my shoelaces in a fishbowl” to capture the right feeling, though the fishbowl phrase never made it into any new track.

In 2001, the ”Refreshment Edition” of Androids was created, featuring enhanced elements and new samples to make the track more powerful. Using heavier TB-03-based effects – referencing the Roland TB-03 Bass Line synthesizer – one of the final attempts to create a worthy remix was made. The effort was relatively successful, but remixing activities gradually ceased.

Challenges for the remix

Creating a complete track was challenging due to limited equipment and the loss of many samples and track files. A significant part of the track was made using Rebirth, with Cakewalk used for vocals and other elements. Without these tools, the track would have been more monotonous. However, having the tools but lacking the content and original files was another hurdle.

Instead of Rebirth, Thomas found a replacement in Audiorealism’s ABL3 for Reason. With most of the vocals still available, he attempted to rebuild them with better quality, thanks to Elevenlabs voice modeling.

The musical and cultural scene in 1999 was vastly different. At that time, techno and rave had broken through but were far from the categorically defined genres we hear today. Content-wise, Thomas never reached the same level as many of the artists who made it big and whom he listened to avidly between 1988 and 1999.

Over 20 years later, he felt a fervent urge to revisit this project while searching for missing old music. Much of the material for Androids had disappeared, with only a few scattered samples remaining on a hard drive. As he writes this, he realizes that the working title ”Find My Android” is fitting, given his ongoing efforts to locate remnants of the track without success. Recently, he decided to remix it regardless. Without the original files or ”Propellerheads Rebirth RB-338” – a software synthesizer that emulates classic instruments, including the TB-303 sounds – he began the process.

Ultimately, this remix project became a quest to revive a piece of his musical past, showcasing the enduring nature of creativity and the persistent pursuit of artistic expression.

The Tracks