Retrovision is a semi-regular retro gaming event in the UK. Originally organized as a meet and greet for Jeff Minter’s fan forum, Yak Yak, it eventually became a public event. In the past, there have been several films set in a specific time period, from a 1970s haunted house horror movie, to a killer tyre film from the early 80s.
During the recent Nexus Lounge in Amsterdam, we had the opportunity to meet the DJ and producer behind the retro-styled music, RetroVision. The 21-year-old French producer has made a name for himself by creating a collection of retro-inspired tracks. His debut single, Puzzle, is currently featured on NCS’s Best of 2016 album, along with his fourth and sixth NCS singles, Campfire and SICC. He also released his eighth NCS single, Hope.
As a DJ, he has been able to put together a unique collection of tracks that regularly show up on XM, Sirius XM and SoundCloud. Hundreds of thousands of fans have listened to his music online, and he has received playlist support from a number of leading YouTube and SoundCloud curators. This has led to his tracks being played by some of the world’s most influential DJs, such as Future House Music, MrSuicideSheep, Selected, and AirwaveMusicTV.
He is also working on other projects, including an audio-visual piece called Iron Sky. He describes the project as a sci-fi pastiche that mixes modern special effects with 1930s expressionist black and white. Interestingly, he claims that 75% of the work has been completed.
If you’re interested in retro-styled movies, you might enjoy the new French-made “silent movie” The Artist. It’s a black-and-white Hollywood melodrama that doesn’t need dialogue, thanks to its use of retro-styled camera moves and effects. Although it’s a slickly produced production, it doesn’t appear to be a groundbreaking achievement.
There are a lot of retro-styled movies out there, from the 1970s-style haunted house horror movie, The House of the Devil, to a killer tyre movie, Rubber. Luckily, there are a few films to choose from that are actually well-made. One of the best is Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, a mock-vintage horror movie that had perfect retro-styled details. Despite its simplistic synth score and flimsy supernatural hospital soap plot, it was an enjoyable viewing experience.
Other movies that feature the tiniest of retro-styled details include Hobo With A Shotgun, another 1980s throwback. Featuring Rutger Hauer, it’s an homage to the era’s style.
HD Retrovision has been in the news since its publicity campaign began. Initially, the company misled some people, but it has since been clear that the company is being as open as possible. They have done their homework when designing component video cables. While they do not propose in-built upscalers, they do offer an RF and VGA output. They have also written their own testing suite. But the most interesting of all is the Dreamcast component cable. Not only will this cable allow you to watch a 720×480 Dreamcast image, but it’s not something that’s commonly available on older computers.
