Wow David. 21 years I've been coming to slash lurking on this site. Downloaded every SINGLE mix posted on this site between mid-2003 and mid-2009; like Hu said above, OC ReMix was absolutely the soundtrack of my high school and college years. I bought my first MP3 player years before the iPod to store more mixes than a CD could hold. This site has always been home to some incredible artists, and oh the memories. I remember when Jillian Aversa was Jillian Goldin. I downloaded Shariq's first mix the night it was posted... I was floored by Relics of the Chozo, had it on repeat for weeks. I remember unMod and I was there when it shut down. Years and YEARS of reading the Coop's 'Twas' every Christmas lol... Good times and bad lurking about for 2 decades.
But I want to say in no uncertain terms that I think you, David, personally, have done some incredible work to not only legitimize game music as the art form it is, but to create a place where hundreds could find like minded people to hone their craft with. Danny Baranowsky, Big Giant Circles, Brandon Strader, Joshua Morse, Andy and Jill... the list of folks composing or involved in audio engineering and games specifically goes on and on. Not that any of them wouldn't have been successful without what you created here, but you were responsible for planting the seed that began this amazing community.
I'm still not a musician, doubt I ever will be. But from the moment I downloaded your very own 'Sunken Suite' in 2002 and heard what could be done by musicians who loved a song as much as I did? That changed my life David, in some small way, it really did. Thank you for that. Thank you for 24 years of sharing your best with us, thank you for what you've created and the legacy you've started. Here's to you, your family, your free time and your next mix. We'll be waiting for it. Cheers brother. :)