Legends of the C64, Atari & Amiga scene

We in 8bit Legends are more than sad to report of the loss of Peter Clarke , the composer who is responsible of His tunes for amazing tunes like: Ocean Loader 3, Head Over Heels, Bubble Bobble and countless other Commodore 64 classics is not with us anymore. We say last goodbye because his music taught us that nostalgia is not just remembering, but feeling.
Rest in peace Peter Clarke. You music will live on forever with us

a very touch note from Remix64.com website:
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Peter Clarke – beloved SID musician, prolific remixer, and cherished friend – who left us today at the age of 66 after a long illness. Pete created many memorably tunes on the Commodore 64 back in the 1980s, both at Ocean Software and later as a freelancer. For the past 15 years he has been an active, passionate, and generous contributor of the Commodore remix scene, releasing several highly acclaimed remixes and albums. But above all, Pete was a good friend to many. His music and jovial spirit delighted us for decades, and his legacy will never be forgotten. We extend our deepest condolences to his partner, Rowena, and to his entire family. We at Remix64, and the entire Commodore retro and remix community will miss him dearly. Rest in peace, Pete, and may you delight the heavens with your harmonies.

Overview
Peter Clarke (1958 – 31 July 2025) was a British SID composer, arranger and engineer who left an indelible mark on the Commodore 64 scene of the 1980s and, in recent decades, emerged as a leading figure in the global remix community.
Born in Liverpool and raised on a steady diet of progressive rock, he began his musical journey as a guitarist and bassist in local pub bands, sharpening his ear for melody and counter‑melody.
When the home‑computer boom hit, Clarke redirected his creativity toward chip‑music, eventually becoming famous for his energetic game soundtracks at Ocean Software and later as a sought‑after freelance composer.
Alongside Rob Hubbard, Martin Galway and Ben Daglish, he is now cited by historians as one of the “big four” who defined the golden sound of the C64.

Early career – from cassette demos to Ocean
In 1982 Clarke bought a C64 “just as a games machine,” but the discovery of the SID chip’s three voice channels changed his life.
Unimpressed by the sparse early game music, he set about learning every editor he could find, eventually landing on Electrosound 64, whose waveform table gave him the control he craved.
He produced dozens of cassette‑based demo tunes that circulated at computer clubs in Manchester, catching the ear of programmer Paul Hughes at Blue Chip Computers.
Hughes introduced Clarke to the studio workflow of commercial game development, and together they completed the soundtrack for Repton 3 in 1985, a project that opened the door to Ocean Software and the wider industry.

Ocean Software years – “Loader 3,” Head Over Heels and beyond
Hired by Ocean in spring 1986 as the eventual successor to Martin Galway, Clarke absorbed the pressure of writing catchy loading tunes to entertain players during lengthy tape transfers.
His Ocean Loader 3 used rapidly arpeggiated chords and a trademark syncopated bass line that instantly became a bedroom‑scene classic.
With the adventure platformer Head Over Heels he delivered a fully thematised score whose playful motif changed subtly between isometric rooms, earning a rare “Gold Medal” in ZZap!64.
Clarke’s time at Ocean also saw him provide in‑house arrangement advice, teaching younger musicians how to squeeze clean drums out of the SID’s noisy channel three, a trick still copied today.

Freelancing at Software Creations – Bubble Bobble and signature style
Craving artistic freedom, Clarke left Ocean in early 1987 and joined Richard Kay’s Software Creations as a freelancer.
There he tackled arcade conversions and original projects in equal measure.
His three‑month labour on Bubble Bobble is often hailed as the most faithful arcade port on the C64, thanks to his meticulous transcription of Hiro Takahashi’s melody lines and inventive use of pulse‑width modulation for the “bubbling” effect.
During this era he also scored Denarius, Mission of Mercy, and contributed jingles to magazine cover tapes, further cementing his presence in British bedrooms.
Clarke became known for layering rapid vibrato leads over solid shuffle grooves, a sonic signature that fans can still identify within seconds.

Revival, mentorship and lasting legacy
After a quieter spell in the 1990s—during which he worked in broadcast audio—Clarke resurfaced in the mid‑2000s through the growing Remix64 community.
He produced orchestral suites of “Monty on the Run,” “Flimbo’s Quest” and “Ocean Loader III,” often performing live at Back in Time events across Europe.
Beyond arranging, he mentored young chip‑musicians, explaining SID envelope tricks in online forums and sharing source files from his personal archive.
Collectors prized his handwritten tracker notebooks, where every vibrato rate and duty‑cycle shift was annotated in blue biro.
Clarke remained humble, often crediting “the machine” more than himself for the magic.
His passing on 31 July 2025, following a long illness, prompted tributes from across the retro‑gaming world: demo crews dedicated releases, remixers launched memorial compilations, and radio shows broadcast hour‑long retrospectives.
Today his work stands not only as entertainment but as a technical masterclass in making limited hardware sing.