Back in the early days of computing, when I used to connect to bulletin boards, I downloaded a music MOD called alive.mod, as I sort through my digital history and write about what and why I collected something an what it has meant to me.
While sorting through some old files, I found E:\Data\oldstuff\MODS\alive.mod. According to the timestamp, it was created on June 5, 1990, at 7:38 AM and was made by Alive part of Atomic Intelligence.
You can listen to the song below:
What is a bulletin board (BBS)
Well a long time ago before the internet, our first taste of connected linked computers was dialling into the a The Bulletin Board System (BBS), at that time you would connect to a server with other people and download and upload files to the BBS was great to download walkthroughs for games like Kings Quest, Space Quest, Police Quest, it many BBS providers would eventually become internet ISPs, in fact Adam’s BBS (founded by Greg Hicks) became Adam Internet they did well and in 2013 sold their company for $60 million to iiNet.
What Alive.MOD meant to me
I made up lyrics for it at the time, so while it is called alive.mod to me its called with “It’s Broken and its all Gavin’s Fault” being a bit of an inside joke about my brother. It was so catchy that even my dad would randomly sing it around the house, and im sure today he would remember it as well.
It’s Broken and It’s All Gavin’s Fault
Based on alive.mod Listen here
Broken…. Broken…. Its Broken Broken…. Broken… Broken… Broken… Broken… Broken… Broken
And it’s all Gavin’s Fault
What is a MOD File anyway
An Amiga MOD file is a type of music file format that originated on the Commodore Amiga computers in the late 1980s. It was created using tracker software, like ProTracker or SoundTracker, which allowed users to compose music using sampled sounds.
Imagine a spreadsheet where each row is a moment in time and each column represents a different sound channel. Each cell contains a note (like C#4) and an effect (like vibrato or volume slide). The Amiga plays this sequence back, looping and layering sounds to create a full composition.
Because of this very little space is required in order to compose a song in fact that alive.mod file is only 56K.
Who Were Atomic Intelligence?
But what really stood out to me was its connection to Atomic Intelligence, a name that carried weight in the Amiga demo scene of the late ’80s and early ’90s.
Atomic Intelligence was known for creating an Amiga demo showcased at Bamiga Sector 1 and The Warfalcons Party in 1989 in Fredericia, Denmark. Their demo is archived online:
🎞️ Watch it here: Atomic Intelligence Party Demo 1989
This group, like many in the Amiga demo scene, crafted digital art, music, and effects to push the limits of hardware, often embedding their work within cracked software.
| Member Name | Task(s) | Known as Member in Year | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alien | Coder, Texter | 1989 | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
| Deature | Coder, Texter, Modem Trader | 1989 | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
| Deflex | Texter, Packdisk Editor, Series Publisher | 1989 | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
| Flexy | Graphics Artist | 1989 | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
| Garfield | Texter, Swapper | 1989 | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
| Ice Lord | Texter, Graphics Artist, Packdisk Editor, Series Publisher, Organizer | 1989 | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
| Icronite | Coder, Texter, Graphics Artist | 1989 | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
| Mask | Coder, Music Artist, Texter, Graphics Artist | 1989 | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
| Milkshake | Texter, Graphics Artist, Packdisk Editor, Series Publisher | 1989 | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
| Rookie | Texter, Graphics Artist, Swapper | 1989 | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
| Shock | Texter, Packdisk Editor | 1989 | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
| The Fcf | Texter | 1989 | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| Zenix | Coder, Music Artist, Texter, Swapper | 1989 | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
Atomic Intelligence Team List Source
A Lost Track in the Cracking Scene
It seems “Alive” was part of a crack demo screen, which was common in those days. These screens often featured pixel art, scrollers filled with banter, and custom music to accompany game intros.
Some other demos from that era:
🎵 More MODs and demos from Atomic Intelligence:
The Mystery of “Alive”
The MOD file credits its composer as Alive of Atomic Intelligence, but who was Alive? Was this a well-known Amiga musician, or an alias of someone who made a handful of tracks before fading into obscurity? My search for more information led me to an old text scroller from Shock of Atomic Intelligence, which gave insight into the group’s members and scene connections.
In the scroller, a member named Shock mentioned his excitement about getting an Amiga and joining the crew. He even provided an address and a phone number (likely long outdated) for hot modem trading.
Connecting the Dots
Looking at the old Amiga scene, Atomic Intelligence seemed to have operated within the vibrant European demo and cracking culture. Their demos spread through swap networks and early digital bulletin boards. Finding a track like “Alive” from that era is a reminder of how much creativity was packed into a few kilobytes of memory.
Still Searching for Answers
I recently posted about this discovery in an Amiga Facebook group: Facebook Post. I’m hoping someone remembers Thomas from Shock, Alive, or other members of Atomic Intelligence who might have more details on this mysterious MOD file.
If you have any leads or just want to reminisce about the golden era of Amiga modding and demos, drop a comment!
Conclusion
The rediscovery of “alive.mod” has been an unexpected journey through time, connecting me to my early computing days and the vibrant Amiga demo scene. Beyond the nostalgia, it’s a reminder of how creativity thrived even with the technological limitations of the era. Whether it was crafting music, pixel art, or clever programming tricks, these creations left a lasting impression and, for me, a personal legacy in the form of “It’s Broken and It’s All Gavin’s Fault.”
As I continue piecing together these digital artifacts, I’m reminded that every file, every memory, tells a story. And in sharing these stories, I hope others are inspired to look back at their own histories and appreciate the creativity and ingenuity that brought us to where we are today. If you’ve stumbled across your own treasures from the past, I’d love to hear about them too!
🎶 Download and stream “Alive” here: ModArchive Link
