Category: Chipmusic

Toons from various consoles.

  • Open Thread quote of the day/Comment Wars DX 07

    http://www.cokemachineglow.com/record_review/4386/anamanaguchi-dawnmetropolis-2009

    It’s* chiptune—a genre based on elite black t-shirted boffinry—going beyond the highs of nostalgia and pointing to something doubly engaging.

    Have a great weekend kids.

    *The FUCKING RECORD GLOMAG

  • Claps and Leads by Mr. Spastic

    8bp096One of my favorites in the whole “MIDIFY Chip sounds but make the kind of music I want to anyways”  zone of the chip music scene, Mr. Spastic is extremely underrated and hopefully this is the release to get him on the map.  Having had one of the best Blip ’09 sets, he is sure to be killing it at this weekend’s  Dutycyle II show.  With its killer pixel art from UI, this may be hands down one of my favorite e-ep’s so far of 09.

    This is non-optional download. GRAB IT NOW.

    “Claps and Leads” marks Mr. Spastic’s triumphant return to the 8bitpeoples catalogue; five deft exercises in virtuoso programming, balancing intricate technical skill with a warmly organic sound, all delivered in his signature bold-yet-delicate tech-soul style. Jazz, deep funk, disco, R&B, and full-on techno inflections collide and merge into an astonishing stylistic cocktail, all topped off with a shimmering pro-grade production sensibility. Dazzling artwork by Ui completes the package, sealing the deal on a certain future classic.

    via 8bitpeoples.

  • Outside the Box: PS2 as cheapo sampler

    [kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/5-tddsxHZ3g" width="425" height="344" allowfullscreen="true" fvars="fs=1" /]

    You could get two decks of pstwos, one running this and one running PS24vJ for some lofi blurry beats. I have a copy of the older mtv generator and it was fun, but kinda slow in composition. Hows the sequal?

  • joystiq: SXSW 2009: Datapop tuneage

    While we’re scampering around GDC in the hunt for gaming goodness, we thought we’d drop a bootleg tune from last week’s Datapop concert party at SXSW, which went exceedingly well. The venue was packed with sweaty chiptune lovers, and it actually rocked a lot more than we thought it would. Check out the gallery below from the event, and bounce along to the song from Sievert — embedded at the bottom of the post.

    via SXSW 2009: Datapop tuneage for your Tuesday.

  • Review: Thy Name is Adventure – Oxygenstar

    Wmogon001_cover-largee covered its release some time ago, but having gotten a copy of this unique record (and quantities are now very limited), I thought it was time to give it a shake at a proper review.

    TNIA is a cassette only release, and at first you might be inclined to think this is merely a gimmick. Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes obvious that all of this linearity makes sense in the greater scheme of the release. Its always dangerous to assume intent in what is mostly a collection of instrumental tracks, but with the linear play order dictated by its medium, its quite easy to fantasize and find yourself swept up in an engrossing narrative.

    Oxygenstar is a multi-instrumentalist, but his main instrument is drums ,and the release is resplendent with an abundance of playful and funky rhythms.  For most chip artists, whom groove is merely a tracker parameter,  the lesson learned from the sunny springtime swing of tracks like ‘Melinda..”, or the RPG village funk of  ‘Apple Pickin‘ should be that the supposition that simple sound design must beget simple song composition is a dangerous fallacy.

    Through the first few tracks on Side A, the listener will come to see that Oxygenstar is not content to rest on his musical heels with the abrupt stylistic left turns of minor-staby-chord filled ‘The Most Climatic..”, the winsome journey balladry of “Less Talk” , or the rabid ewok anthem “March of the Marsupials“.  As the listener reaches the end of Side A, with the throbbing dancing saberdisco of  “My Favorite Forest“, its apparent that this is no mere dalliance in retroism for retroism sake, that Oxygenstar has transcended the medium and discovered an entire new galaxy, sitting like a million angels on the head of a pin, frolicking inside what you come to expect from a chip music release.

    Side B keeps the narrative rolling along with the determined yet melancholy “Look How I Go“, the plodding anxiety of  “Disaster Avenue“, and by the time the angelic lead vocals of “Save Me” kick-in, you’ve stopped anticipating the surprises and come to terms that in the quirky imaginary world of ‘”Thy Name is Adventure“,  novelty is status quo.

    Perhaps the most striking element of the collection of tunes seems to be the effortlessness Oxygenstar has in combining his fertile imagination within the restraints of a limited palette. In the hands of of a lesser artist, or an equal with a less restrained sense of taste, the delicate balance of success could just as easily shift from the congenial to the cloying, from the charmingly exuberant to the hyper-actively disjointed. If one must consider a successful release as a kind of blueprint for magic in a bottle, one could do far worse than use TNIA as your stylistic road map.

    A lingering question in the chip music community is whether or not there is a place for commercial releases in an community where the great majority of its release are available for free.  Considering the total package, cassette, high quality tunage and affordable price, this is a strong vote in favor of the affirmative.

    Another bonus of the cassette format? As the jovial coda ‘Let’s Stick Together” comes to close, you’ll come to the realization that all you will need to do is flip the tape, to start the adventure anew.

    Order here.

    oxygenstar-thynamead