nightfall (nightfal.mod)

Posted by dysamoria on Sat 4th Sep 2021, rated 8 / 10.

This is a classic module to me. It was in my first collection of mods when I started collecting them from dialup BBSs, shareware catalogs, and computer shows. I discovered trackers late, as I wasn’t an Amiga owner. When the (fairly flawed) Trakblaster player arrived on PCs, this module was probably in the package. Therefore, I’m biased toward it for nostalgia’s sake.

But nostalgia isn’t the only reason I like it. After its otherworldly and genre-defying intro, it has a very intense and aggressive sound that, like many early modules, sounds more like experimental synth soundtracks, rather than dance music.

In fact, it could even be from a game, as it seems designed to be played in a continuous loop. I’m only recently exploring Amiga gaming, and can’t play most older games due to incompatibility with Amiga 1200 and me using a C64 video monitor for output, so there’s little chance I’ll accidentally stumble on the game it belongs to, if that’s the case.

This module is from a mod golden era to me. It doesn’t go down the dance music path, and is not trying to be chip-music, the sounds of which can get on my nerves and, I feel, end up making so much music sound too much alike (despite different authors; strong adherence to genre is a negative IMO). There’s no “screaming cat” lead! Yay!

Musically, it fits in with the likes of “Crystal Hammer” and “Demon’s Revenge”. It’s structurally complex. Nightfall is also able to combine spooky and energetic. Nice trick.

If I did a remix, I might change a few sounds but, I’d leave the intro sounds and structure intact.