Biography / Trivia

Tim Follin was born in St. Helens, UK. If his name doesn't ring a bell, you definitely need to learn more about Western VGM, since he is one of the most popular composers in fan communities. Tim is renowned for having pushed the limited sound chips of retro systems like the C64 and NES to their limits, while coming up with highly energetic and memorable music. He has two older brothers that have been involved in the gaming industry: Geoff (composer) and Mike (programmer). They often worked on the same games, under the same companies (Software Creations, Malibu Interactive, etc.).

One of Tim's main hobbies is to write and make films. He has done two short films so far: "Body Counting" (2004) and "The Sun Circle". The soundtracks were also done by him.

He is currently working as a "TV commercials director/producer, as well as producing programme branding packages, title sequences, animated graphics, corporate videos and multimedia. While Tim announced his departure from the VGM business in early 2006, he has since made another statement that he is back as a music composer, although he hasn't worked on a new game project yet.

• The systems he liked writing the music for the most were the Commodore 64 and the SNES, along with the CD/digital format of later systems. It's interesting to note that he mentioned despising synthesized music in favor of real instruments.
• He did some programming, for example on the game "Future Games". He also programmed a number of the sound drivers he worked with.
• Tim can play the violin, guitar, bass, piano and penny whistle. Has been part of two bands; he played the keyboard in the first one and the bass in the second.
• Some influential bands/artists include Electric Light Orchestra, Rush, Genesis, Yes, Vangelis, Quincy Jones, Jethro Tull, and Stevie Wonder. Classical music was also an influence.
  
• He mentioned in an interview preferring to reach other levels of consciousness through dreams rather than drugs.
• Demo: "Star Tip 2" (ZX), "Music Demo 1" (C64)

Albums (5)