Author: Peter Swimm

But does chip music have a brain? I asked that question a few years ago on election day 2004  with the Toilville compilation 1984: Chipolitiks vol 1. The compilation, an attempt to showcase a new approach to how chip music might be made, had an amazing amount of creative depth, featuring the following lineup:

1<Mathletes – “The Price of Eternal Vigilance is Endless Struggle”.  endless

2<Karawapo – “Distance”. distance-1984

3<K9D and JONKIE- “Get Married”. gm-usa

4<Random – “Guards”.

5< Mark Denardo- “Drafted”. drafted-1984

6<Cube-C- “What the Hell is Freedom”.

7<Bud Melvin- “Forgiveness”. bud_melvin-1984

8<Anonymouse- “Christmas 1984”. christmas1984

9< Bit Shifter- “White House Ejector Seat”. bit_shifter_-_white_house_ejector_seat

Many auspicious events on there, Mathletes is actually me, before I started releasing even fewer tracks under my own name, A Bit Shifter vocal rack, a rare version of a later OMAC track by Mark Denardo. And it was received equally well, but here four years later has the comp has little impact on the chip scene, and is mostly forgotten.

Chip music is probably the most democratic of electronic music scenes. Most of the hardware needed to make the music can be fished out of the trash for free, and anyone with a net connection can share and be given equal opportunity to have the work be appreciated by anyone else, anywhere in the world. If you are perhaps a little older, you might remember when it was rare to hear of a band unless they were lucky/talented enough to be signed to one of the label fiefdoms, or managed to put on a show in your town. Yet this potential for worldwide distribution is diminished by perhaps an over saturated user base, an “too many chefs in the kitchen: factor where people are as concerned with how they are perceived, as the music they are attempting to comment on.

Some of you may counter that the chip scene is quite intellectual, what with its careful exploration of the infinite possibilities of the limited, and novel approaches at doing more with less. Others may say they prefer the fun fancy free chip scene that is max posi and filled with brightly lit chip parties.  Either way its something to consider, especially for those who do not “outgrow” the genre but wonder if deeper intellectual pursuits are possible as the scene grows, or if stupid is the new smart.

A week or so ago I made a call for some new political songs to add to the mix above, and got the following tracks. I realize it was very short notice, and thank those that did respond! As we stand on the edge of perhaps one of the most important US elections in my lifetime, it is important to think about certain issues that affect us all. Feedback or tracks you have worked on are welcomed in the comments

subway sonicbeat – em brasilia tempo nublado subway_sonicbeat-em_brasilia_tempo_nublado

sparkyboy – i believe obama sparkyboy-i-believe-obama

tristendo – change dream machine change_dream_machine

Feel free to post links to your own music in the comments!