All about chiptunes, a type of music created using vintage video game systems and sound hardware.
What are chiptunes?
Who doesn't remember the theme to Tetris? Your mom knows it. You're probably humming it right now. Anyone under 35 has probably spent more time listening to video game music than any other sort of music. Almost four years ago, Malcolm McLaren wrote an article for Wired, titled 8-bit Punk, where he declared chip music "a new kind of folk music for the digital age." Chiptune music, a.k.a. chip music, micromusic, or bitpop, is a category of electronic music created using the sounds of vintage computer and video game systems. The Commodore 64, Nintendo Entertainment System, and Nintendo Game Boy are the most popular systems, though there is music created on almost any system you can imagine, from the ZX Spectrum to Atari 2600.
The "chip" in the name comes from the unique sounds a specific chip is capable of producing. Quirks of manufacture and of design have made it difficult or impossible to exactly replicate the sounds of these chips in other ways. The qualities of the sound are inherently related to these defects and limitations and for this reason, most musicians only use the original hardware, though many sounds are sampled.
History
Video Games
The original chip music was video game music. With the birth of the home PC market, especially the Commodore 64 and Amiga, computer music took off as ordinary users gained access to programs capable of making music. The music files were small and could be exchanged via modem or disk. With the birth of trackers in the late '80s, chip music started taking the form we know today.
Demoscene
As video game music was growing, so was software piracy. Groups of software crackers began to add introductions to games and other programs that they released. At first they were simple static graphics, but they quickly grew more complex, including animation and music. The introductions became "intros" which evolved into separate programs and were called "demos." Some of the groups gained as much fame as the game makers themselves. Because they had to have intimate knowledge of the machines, the crackers often got more interesting sounds out of the chips. There is still an active community, collectively referred to as the demoscene, with annual gatherings, music compilations, and more. Chip music has grown apart from the demoscene, but still bears many of its influences.
Modern chiptune artists
Many of the artists making a stir are not connected with the older Commodore and Amiga scenes, though some were influenced by it. And, being modern musicians, they have myspace pages, so look them up if you're interested.
8bitpeoples:
The 8bitpeoples are a collective of musicians dedicated to creating music in the style of old video games. In the mission statement on their website, they describe themselves as a "collective of artists sharing a common love for classic videogames and an approach to music which reflect[s] this obsession."
The group is comprised of a steady core of members, with rotating guests that collaborate or contribute music. Some of the higher profile members of the group are Bit Shifter and Nullsleep. Both are based out of New York City and have played in any major New York venue that you can name as well as others around the world from Tokyo to Dublin. Both artists currently work primarily with Game Boys to create music.
8bitpeoples have done much to promote chip music, giving away a lot of music under a Creative Commons license that allows free sharing and (non-commercial) distribution. That means that they offer many songs to download and listen to for free. There are even covers and CD inserts, usually in a retro video game-inspired style. You can see a list of their releases and download tracks from the 8bitpeoples discography.
Role Model:
Role Model, the performing name of the Swedish musician, Johan Kotlinski, is listed as an 8bitpeoples guest artist, but his involvement with the chip music scene goes far deeper. He is the creator of the groundbreaking Game Boy program, LSDJ (Little Sound DJ). In addition to creating music, he now runs the label, Rebel Pet Set, whose goal "is to showcase some of the finest chip musicians from Sweden."
Mark Denardo:
Mark Denardo has been called "the Velvet Underground of the 21st century" by none other than Malcolm McLaren (in the Wired article linked to above). He is a classically trained violinist that sings songs about Street Fighter II. He has put out songs under his own name with 8bitpeoples and is also a member of OMAC, a combination of rap, hip hop, and chiptunes. And to bring things full circle, he is also does the music and sound effects for Pixel Jam Games, an independent game company that makes retro-style games.
Other articles about chiptunes:
8-bit Operators Release Kraftwerk Cover Album
