In previous forums, I've commonly found a "post your fav MODmusic tracks here!" thread. However, they always all ended up being YouTube videos. Those ain't module tracks, they're just recordings!
In this thread instead, we surf TMA, open our fav player, and download good tunes! I like to make a big folder in my comp with all these tracks to launch all together with MODPlug Player and avoid YT entirely.
How to listen to module music? My player of choice is MODPlug, which is compatible with all the usual formats of tracker music: mod, xm, it, s3m, and whatever else.
You can get it here! :3
https://www.modplug.com/How to discover module music? The Mod Archive is my go-to place for new and old tunes! It's been active since 1996, so its repository really is endless! There's always good artists and tracks you may have never heard of before even after scouting pages day after day. Oh, and it even has an online player so you can try out tracks before saving them!
https://modarchive.org/And now for the reccs... these particular ones are already a staple in my playlist and lifelong personal favourites, so I feel it's just right to open the thread with them. I hope they can be a good introduction for new listeners!
https://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_moduleid&query=35280Dead Lock, by Elwood. This is, for many, the quintessential tracker tune. An epic space synth pop melody with hopeful, uplifting vibes. It's been around on the net since 1997 and has touched many communities, among which Jazz Jackrabbit, which has used it as soundtrack for several homebrew levels. That's how I came to know about it (JJ in general has introduced me to Mod music, but that's another story). Bottom line if this is your very first Mod track, then you have an amazing introduction to this world. XD Enjoy!
https://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_moduleid&query=62274Sweet Dreams, by Elwood. Elwood has been a rather prolific Mod artist and their music is very high quality. This is another personal fav of mine, very energetic and dance-like. I always imagine wonderful adventures unfolding with this one playing in my headphones!
https://markuskaarlonen.com/space-debrisSpace Debris, by Captain. This one I had to fetch from the author's personal site, because it was composed before TMA opened its doors to the public! (That's okay, you can still download the track from that link). I feel like space synth is one of the best genres for Mod music and this initial selection clearly shows! Space Debris is another staple of this format. A must listen!
https://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_moduleid&query=55696Point Of Departure, by Necros. This is a slow track at the beginning but it really ramps up afterwards. PoD has always fascinated me for the use of voice samples.
https://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_moduleid&query=191789Aryx, by Koch. This one is a classic instrumental trance/hard electronic tune, very much in line with the demoscene. It totally feels like opening a key gen program when listening to it!
https://modarchive.org/index.php?request=view_by_moduleid&query=38860Congo Nights, by pOW. Totally different genre compared to the previous tracks, more mellow and natural, dreamy and full of mystery. This song is very dear to me, it's the first thing I heard when starting up Kyodai Mahjongg. I think it's more obscure/undiscovered compared to the other classics, it's a pity!
(I'll come back later to post more!)