The People
Jeroen Tel and the Music on Noise collective that changed what chip music could mean in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Jeroen Tel
Jeroen Tel was born in 1972 in Eindhoven, Netherlands. He encountered the Commodore 64 in his early teens and, through the Dutch demo scene, discovered that the SID chip - three oscillators, a noise channel, and a set of filter modes - was capable of something approaching orchestral expression if you pushed it hard enough. Under the handle WAVE, he became one of the most technically accomplished SID programmers of his generation.
In 1987, Tel co-founded Music on Noise (MoN) with Charles Deenen and others. Through MoN, he scored commercial games for the UK publishing industry at a rate that would become legendary: Hewson Consultants, Ocean Software, System 3, Thalamus, Virgin Games. The breakthrough came with Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine in 1988 — a Zzap!64 Gold Medal title whose soundtrack stopped reviewers mid-sentence. The following year, Cybernoid II: The Revenge raised the bar further still.
Tel’s compositional approach on the SID is characterised by polyphonic
complexity and a strong sense of melodic structure. He exploited the SID’s
voice-stealing capabilities and ring modulation to achieve textures that seemed
to exceed what three voices should be able to produce. The HVSC credits him
with 176 SID files under /MUSICIANS/T/Tel_Jeroen/.
As the 16-bit era arrived, Tel transitioned to Amiga MOD and tracker composition, scoring Supremacy, Golden Axe, Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge, and RoboCop 2. In the 2000s he worked in casual and mobile game audio, including a period at Funcom. He later formed the pop duo Tess & Tel with singer Tess Jonker.
Tel remains active in retro gaming events and live performance. His 2024 concert performance of Cybernoid II — available on YouTube — demonstrates that the work transcends its original medium. The Retro Hour has featured him in episodes EP114 and EP496 (“The SID Chip Was My First Love”).
Music on Noise
Founded c.1987. C64 and Amiga commercial game music for the late 8-bit and 16-bit eras. Documented at CSDb (group 448) and Demozoo (group 950).
Charles Deenen co-founded Music on Noise alongside Jeroen Tel and is one of the most prolific C64 and Amiga composers of the era. His credits span dozens of commercial game releases through MoN. After the 8-bit era he built a distinguished career in the professional game audio industry, holding senior positions at studios including Electronic Arts and others.
Marcel Donné was a core MoN member and contributor to the collective’s C64 commercial output. His credits appear on multiple releases through the group’s most active period, documented at CSDb and in HVSC Creators.txt.
Reyn Ouwehand is best known within the C64 community for the Lemmings C64 soundtrack (1992, Psygnosis) — one of the most celebrated late-era SID compositions. He remained active in orchestral and concert performance work beyond the chip music era, appearing at retro gaming events. His HVSC archive is substantial.
Barry Leitch is a prolific Scottish C64 and Amiga composer closely associated with MoN during the era. His credits include the Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge and many Gremlin Graphics titles. He later moved into professional game audio in North America and continued composing across multiple platforms.
Danish C64 composer Johannes Bjerregaard is known for influential demo scene music and commercial C64 work. His technical approach and melodic style made him a significant voice in the broader MoN and C64 music community. Documented in CSDb and HVSC Creators.txt.