SID music player

Music

Rob Hubbard's International Karate and IK+ soundtracks, playable in-browser via the jsSID emulator. The IK+ score won the Golden Joystick Award for Best Soundtrack in 1988.

International Karate+ C64 box art - three fighters on arena floor
IK+ (1987) — Golden Joystick Best Soundtrack 1988

Rob Hubbard composed music for International Karate (1986) and International Karate+ (1987), both developed by Archer MacLean. The IK theme is based on a Ryuichi Sakamoto melody, rearranged by Hubbard for the SID chip. The IK+ main theme is an original composition. The IK+ balloon bonus subtune - played during the between-round shooting stage - is widely considered one of Hubbard's finest short pieces. For context on the games these scores accompanied, see the Flagship editorial.

SID files sourced from the High Voltage SID Collection (HVSC). All three files are in the MUSICIANS/H/Hubbard_Rob/ HVSC directory.

Select a track to listen

International Karate (1986)

International Karate - Main Theme

C64 SID - 1986 - Rob Hubbard - HVSC: /MUSICIANS/H/Hubbard_Rob/International_Karate.sid

Click to play in-browser · or via DeepSID · Sample Music variant

Based on a Ryuichi Sakamoto theme. HVSC Top 100 ranked - one of the most-requested SID tunes in the archive. Arranged by Hubbard specifically for the SID chip's filter and ring modulation capabilities.

Sample Music from I Karate

C64 SID - 1986 - Rob Hubbard - HVSC: /MUSICIANS/H/Hubbard_Rob/Sample_Music_from_I_Karate.sid

3 subtunes - click to play · or via DeepSID

Subtunes:

Alternate arrangements of the I Karate theme demonstrating different SID voices and filter settings. Three subtunes showcasing Hubbard's exploration of the material.

International Karate+ / IK+ (1987)

IK+ - Main Theme and Balloon Bonus Subtune

C64 SID - 1987 - Rob Hubbard - HVSC: /MUSICIANS/H/Hubbard_Rob/IK_plus.sid

3 subtunes (Main / Bonus / End) - click to play · or via DeepSID

Subtunes:

Golden Joystick Best Soundtrack 1988. Performed live at Symphonic Game Music Concert, Leipzig, August 2005. Subtune 2 (Balloon Bonus) is the piece most often cited by the SID community as Hubbard's finest short work.

SID Resources

The HVSC (High Voltage SID Collection) is the authoritative archive for C64 music. The three SID files on this page are drawn directly from it. For the complete Hubbard catalogue, including dozens of other titles, visit the HVSC directly.

Sources

  1. HVSC SID files: International_Karate.sid, Sample_Music_from_I_Karate.sid, IK_plus.sid - composer attribution confirmed in HVSC headers
  2. C64-Wiki - International Karate: c64-wiki.com/wiki/International_Karate
  3. Wikipedia - International Karate+: en.wikipedia.org
  4. HVSC Top 100: transbyte.org/SID/HVSC_Top100.html