I know Winamp 2.x is kind of a dieing program considering how long it's been available and all the advances that have taken place (2.91 our favorite of course), but Winamp 5.x's integration of both "Modern" and "Classic" skins has revitalized my interest and breathed life into Winamp skinning once again. This is my tribute to the stand-out skinners of the "Classic" era in Winamp's (skinning) history.

As you can see on my page, I've recently decided to add all of the best Classic Winamp skins to my favorites list. You can check them out there, or conversely, you can check out these amazing artists as I present them to see what the top "Classic" Winamp skins really look like. This list is for both users of Winamp 2.x (2.91 for those in the know) and Winamp 5.x alike. Most importantly however, this list is for fans of Sci-tech, Organica/Cyborg, Industrial, and Crossover skins from the Classic era. Often artists sacrificed what was called "usability" for artistic integrity. For seasoned users of the Classic Winamp style this has never been a problem... so please, enjoy this list as it is meant to be an exhaustive best of the best list of the aforementioned styles.


intolerant3d (ALL SKINS!! this is my favorite winamp skinning artist of all time... check him out. his skins are FLAWLESS and just insane! this guy is skilled beyond anyone before him, and quite possibly anyone after him)

---He deserves a special mention from the rest, at the top of this list. If you need direct evidence of why he's the master of masters, check out the classic skins: Son et Lumiere, Transvector, and Umbilical Blisters... they are so fucking phenomenal it is just beyond my comprehension. Go see for yourself.

Anyways, when I think about it, those 3 skins would certainly be enough to put Intolerant3d at the top of my list, but no... he has other amazing skins that really let the user know who's the boss: Poison Tree, Nameless/Ender/Tanque, Aventurine, Remake (collab. with Loiden), and Venesections.

The fact that one guy's work could be so diverse yet so amazing, astounds me. I think it just boils down to a natural talent for skinning.. yes, the Michael Jordan of Winamp skinning has to be Intolerant3d. You just need to see his gallery to believe it, and even then (for me) it's almost questionable if you can believe what your eyes are telling you. Much love goes out to this artist for giving the world his unique and high-caliber vision of art.
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ViDA (Doomed! Top 3 classic skin of alltime!)
--- What an amazing artist, DOOMED really showcases this guys brilliance along with the other SKULL sci-tech wallpaper work in his gallery; FRIGGIN LOVE THIS GUY'S WORK! the only thing keeping him from overshadowing intolerant3d is... well, nothing. No one can overshadow Intolerant3d, but this guy is definitely one of the few who could come close to nipping at his heels.DOOMED says enough of his skill... Scorpion is another one of my favorites, though its a bit of a Hybrid... i'd call it an Organic Sci-tech in vein of Giger or some such artist. Mechamp is also veritable genius where wa2 skinning is concerned. A quality artist here, one of my favorites for his dark vision.

monaux (Rasterbation, Petrol Flange!, deviantamp!, SPORE & SPORE Dirtchamber!! and Lord of Landmines for good sci-tech/metallic measure... not to mention OEH3 for winamp Modern! WOW! - an industrial grunge/grit master like mikkeh, but so much more, this guy is truly brilliant.)
--- I'd say he has to be THEE best organic,sci-tech/gritty-industrial crossover skinner ever; Petrol Flange and Spore series just steal my breath away! Deviantamp just set the bar even higher for usable dark, industrial-tech skins. Not to be outdone anywhere, Lord of Landmines rounds out his array of skill with a pure sci-tech/metallic style. Of course OEH3 shouldn't count in the classic skin running, but it's a classic skin at heart (and top notch). Sheer dark brilliance from Monaux only!

h2o- (quality not quantity)
--- this mofo doesn't have much but its ALL quality. Call to arms and Epilogue (along with the scrap of it which maybe even better) are how perfect sci-tech/metallic skins should look like. Take note of his technique, he's a professional. Prototype 2 is bloody brilliant as well (would have liked some variety of colors/versions on this one though). Gaia happens to be no slouch skin either; in fact, everything he has done is quite spectacular! The skill he has amazes me, if only that skill was matched by boundless drive to create more skins... Alas.

(uber)bobo (antiga!, s12, xtrmntr!! and xtrmntr light!... legendary skins! Talk about style and awesomeness. Many hails here)
---- Xtrmtrs are dark works to behold, they set the bar for usable dark, gritty, industrial-tech pieces. Antiga is another beauty with clean usable lines and a dark sheen to it that is very powerful.

c-specter (when he does something good, its fucking awesome! TWS Sunburn, Red Cobra and MetalCon v2... nothing more needs to be said really. Red Cobra is unadulterated ELITE class! .. and so are those other 2 for that matter)
--- You have to be in awe of these three skins, especially Red Cobra and MetalCon. To not include him in the top elite class is just heresy.

mikkeh (nice style, really gritty and industrial. favorite skins have to be 'old school'!, 'blair razor project' and the stellar 'Vastus'!!)
--- Gritty, grimy, industrial. I love this guy's style. While not really "sci-tech" or 3d-esque, his industrial feel is still quite metallic but really worn-looking and dark. One of my favorite artists 'cause of his unique take on skinning. It was nice to see his evolution over time. Definitely showing skill around the time of TA Forever and Anxiety, his skill went to the next level with MIZ, naquilla and Lighthunter. Standout skin has to be VASTUS! But something about about 'blair project', and 'Old School' especially, that I love. His gallery is true inspiration.

loiden (i love nossral anirak -love, its a perfect gritty skin, a top 10 classic fav of mine! Both Aniik - adores (for Winamp2.x and Winamp 3/5.x) are totally stellar. I can't say enough about them.)
--- I would have to say most of his gallery isn't enough to make him Elite status, but you know what? He's too damn good not to be here. If you can't appreciate Nossral... - love or Aniik... - Adore in both versions, you're a damn fool any way you slice it.

Neville Dsouza (WOW! i know his work isn't on deviantart to my knowledge but he's a MASTER! His style is a clean, realistic Sci-tech; as well as brushed metallic/sci-Mech./transformer look).
--- You cannot mention Classic winamp skinning ELITE without this guy. He' one of my favorite mentions in this Elite Class. Top Skins: 'DesertStorm', 'Syndrome RED' v2, 'layshade' v2!, and the godly 'Trinity' (a perfect sci-tech skin!! it's as if you're at the helm of a futuristic spacecraft). groovegadget, hyperdrive, and wild glaze are cool ones too. The real beauty is that with skins like Syndrome RED and Playshade you have a brushed metal look, as if they could transform at any second! Desertstorm too. Be sure to check his work out, as I think he's fairly unknown, but trust me... this guy's GOLDEN.

neural (HAD to add this guy! Go check out the skin haloist because it is one of my top 10 classic winamp skins of all time! and is in everyway perfection! the dark tone, the metallic/industrial/tech look is not overly done and the damn thing is highly usable).
---- you can see quality in 'Decrepit Archived' and 'TMF', but his real skill comes in the form of his dark visions: 'Technical Violence', 'Anti-Laxative', and of course the mighty 'Haloist'. You can tell by the rest of his gallery, that this tortured soul's inspirations are bleak, almost depressive or suicidal. And I love that essence exhibited in his work. He is pure ELITE class and I'm sorry I missed his gallery the first time around. Not to worry, there is a beacon of light in Neural's grim vision of the world, let it guide the rest of you skinner hopefuls towards dark excellence.


---other ELITE mentions---

uriel (his gallery is a great example of growth and the evolution of a skinner's talent. Early on I'd say it was perhaps obvious he had talent with skins like: "The Plague" and "Slipknot...", but it wasn't until later with skins like: Candy, Inner Chamber v2!, the awesome Jealousy! and the uber-stellar Flow!! that his Elite status was evident. Well done, dude.)
kriptoner (amber!, canicule, noctis ferox, razorium!, cardinal [in blue! if you can find it], misanthrope II, X and X green... WOW. Lots of quality work... he finds a good combination between sci-tech and the gritty industrial. And he churns out skins like mad. Love the aforementioned work for sure.)
peacemaker (Probably deserves an earlier mention; Necro and Sophia are his standout skins; they're dark, industrial-looking, and scifi-inspired... but above all, they're fucking awesome! these skins are beautiful to see but they do have a small flaw in my opinion. The EQ bars look cluttered, ergo they're not perfect. That is a small complaint though. I wish I could say more for the rest of his gallery, but those 2 skins outshine them all. I just know this guy would have done better had he kept going on and creating skins after Necro & Sophia). Update: the work he has done with garet-jax also worthy of mention and puts him in elite class when added to 2 aforementioned works of art.
t-k (tough call, he could have been in the top list; he's prolific and well above average... skins are little soft for my taste (plus all seem to have this similarly strange and soft brushing/polish look to them.. almost like stone instead of metallic, which is a little off-putting.) He rounds out the elite class because works like Nero, Depthdicate, Crust, and 12Hours just cannot be denied, no matter how soft they may look, they are laid out brilliantly! (Other good ones include Metal Tragedy, Heavy Metal, Nightcrawler, Kironex, and well.. he's just so prolific he deserves elite mentioning).
jone (ahh, added in an update cause i almost missed him. It's pretty obvious Treehuggingfriends and Insomnia are pure elite class! Dark amber hues, lovely metallic looks, almost lcd like screen on the latter... anyways, Something Wonderful shows us his take on the Monaux formula, and for these three skins (mostly first two) he squeaks by into the elite class. Older work was rudimentary by not unlike something you'd see in Mikkeh's or T-K's gallery; it's just too bad he never made more skins... could have gone on to something even more stellar).


----and guys the list goes on with the following who are almost there (where ELITE status is concerned, IMO)---

FrezoreR (Bio-s!! one of the top classic winamp skins of all time; stellar. Bio-S is one AMAZING skin. it is as perfect as sci-tech gets. Check it out; it also showcases what this guy could of have done if he kept at it and tried to top Bio-S. His other skins don't come close to touching Bio-S, but... it's a great place to end one's career. Long live that skin!) Would be sacreligious to call him elite on 1 skin alone though. Too bad he didn't come up with more stuff.
883 designs (his work should be and probably is rated higher (over-rated a little IMO). He rests a bit on his laurels (i.e. it's like he has a few good skins, just colored 10 different ways to expand the gallery though)... That said, AlienAssault is one kick ass skin to be truly honest! It has a great look that seems almost cartoonish, yet it's very "industrial" and commands attention. Overall, I love that skin. Now Bionica_v2 is an example of a great skin, but I just can't use it. While I commend him for the unique color palette, it just doesn't go with any background or windowsblind theme I have, therefor rendering it unusable.
The real problem I have with him (and why he didn't make the top tier) is he needs more skins, not more color variety [color theme integration for Classic skins would solve this dilemma and probably let a good artist like 883 focus on what's most important]). When everything is said and done Alienassault is really something special, and 883 is more or less a victim of circumstances beyond his control I would have to say.
ice-hf (i love the 'SESSION' skin, everything else is average tho... one skin is not enough, but damn it's great!)
tydogg (colors are amazing! shows real skill but skins lack a Dark industrial edge needed. that said, Cobalt Coruscus and GMNL [both versions] are pretty good!)
jocpoc (pea oh, nightfly, paladin all rule... but he could use one stand-out piece that is on the next level. Pea Oh is close... damn close. He has ELITE potential but it hasn't been fully realized I feel.)
coy2k (has some nice skins; T4 in particular is nice, and the Kryptonite skins are cool I suppose. They're just missing a certain dark flavor, I guess.)
muer (aranae showed serious promise, but nothing else in his gallery. a mysterious guy, has Elite potential)
philipptr (mechanical evolution shows promise... but just not enough, bottom of the mentionables).

and that concludes it. hope ya enjoyed it. If there's anyone I missed, I'm sorry. this was all about the sci-fi/hi-tech/industrial/metallic/organic skins that we loved in the heyday of winamp2, and I got all I believe who deserved mentioning.