According to Wikipedia chiptunes are music written in sound formats where all the sounds are synthesized in realtime by a computer or video game console sound chip, instead of using sample-based synthesis. Everyone needs to go check out the Wikipedia entry as well as checking out the following Youtube videos:
Blipfest 2007Happened this past December at Eyebeam in Chelsea (NYC). I had the privilege of attending.
VIEW VIDEO
The artist who was talking about his influences coming from the punk movement goes by the stage name Nullsleep. You can check his stuff out HERE.
The Sidtunes Jukebox is an online music player that plays Comodore 64 tracks. Many chiptune artists download these onto floppy disks and compile set lists to be mixed in a similar manner to the way a DJ mixes and scratches records.
COLOR_CAVES is a chiptune project that has been written and programmed for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The audio was done by Alex Mauer along with a Norwegian composer named Phlogiston. The programming was handled by No Carrier. According to Mauer this is the second ever album released solely on a Nintendo Cartridge. The first was also done by him. Here’s a demo of the NES Cart:
8.bit.weapon is a kid that makes chiptunes. Here is an interesting (kinda at least) video from G4TV on exactly what he does:
Goto80 is another artist worth checking out for sure. This Youtube video is in Spanish but you can listen to the chiptunes regardless…
The next post will be concerning making music on the gameboy platform. The #1 software choiceamongst gameboy Djs is LSDJ, “AKA: Little Sound DJ”. More chiptune stuff can be found at VORC.ORG. Obviously this is just a quick overview of the chiptune scene. If any of you have questions, comments, etc. please post them in the comments section here.
Get your own copy of the LSDJ .ROM Free, Here.
You can run it on a gameboy emulator, such as KiGB, which you can get Here
You can learn how to fool around with the LSDJ .ROM: Here
Showing posts with label Nintendo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nintendo. Show all posts
29.1.08
9.1.08
Paul B. Davis (Beige)
A founding member of the Beige collective, Paul is a nerd and a gentleman trapped inside the body of a 29-year-old from St. Louis who's lived in London for three years. Like most creative types, he has a range of projects on the go, including some Vice-related music bits. He also teaches Fine Art at Goldsmiths College, London. Did you know he once released a record called "Enter The Mystical Faggot"?
Vice: When you get up in the morning, how do you decide whether to do art or music?
Paul: Usually I get worried about which one I'm sucking at. I worry that I do too many things not that well, rather than doing one thing really well, which is easier for a career. So I guess it depends if I need to finish a music project or if I have an idea for an art piece, then I'll do that. It's best when the two come together.
Like with your acclaimed album, The 8-Bit Construction Set?
Exactly. With The 8-Bit Construction Set I was able to merge conceptual stuff with a usable tool because there were weird art bits on the record. So I'd get emails back from DJs saying it's great – Mixmaster Mike was playing it – and then I'd get an email from a museum saying they wanted to exhibit it. In terms of the art/music thing, that did both.
Sounds smart. Where did you go study?
I went to Oberlin in Ohio. Basically all the people that I still collaborate with now went there. Two of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were in my class, Brian and Karen. I saw Brian last time I was in Chicago and he showed me his tour bus and he was excited because the previous group that had used that bus was Journey.
Video art and computer art – what's the difference?
The market for video art is 20 years ahead in terms of artist recognition and sales. When we were exhibiting our first shows, if we said it was new media art or computer art, no one cared. But if we called it video art, using the computer game as a readymade, then they'd love it.
What's with the B?
The B stands for Benjamin. There are so many Paul Davises and the B is for Google searches.
video interview:
text based interview via VICE
Vice: When you get up in the morning, how do you decide whether to do art or music?
Paul: Usually I get worried about which one I'm sucking at. I worry that I do too many things not that well, rather than doing one thing really well, which is easier for a career. So I guess it depends if I need to finish a music project or if I have an idea for an art piece, then I'll do that. It's best when the two come together.
Like with your acclaimed album, The 8-Bit Construction Set?
Exactly. With The 8-Bit Construction Set I was able to merge conceptual stuff with a usable tool because there were weird art bits on the record. So I'd get emails back from DJs saying it's great – Mixmaster Mike was playing it – and then I'd get an email from a museum saying they wanted to exhibit it. In terms of the art/music thing, that did both.
Sounds smart. Where did you go study?
I went to Oberlin in Ohio. Basically all the people that I still collaborate with now went there. Two of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were in my class, Brian and Karen. I saw Brian last time I was in Chicago and he showed me his tour bus and he was excited because the previous group that had used that bus was Journey.
Video art and computer art – what's the difference?
The market for video art is 20 years ahead in terms of artist recognition and sales. When we were exhibiting our first shows, if we said it was new media art or computer art, no one cared. But if we called it video art, using the computer game as a readymade, then they'd love it.
What's with the B?
The B stands for Benjamin. There are so many Paul Davises and the B is for Google searches.
video interview:
text based interview via VICE
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