So we just came across two artists that we’re pretty into. You know those moments where you hear tracks and straight from the beginning you know you’re onto something? That’s the impression we got with Lunice and Lazer Sword. More from Lazer Sword to come.
“Hood Rich [Chilly C]:”
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“Throw Some D’s [Rich Boy]:”
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“The Boss [Rick. Ross ft. T-Pain]:”
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“Lazers at Night [Lunice]:”
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“Ante Up [MOP]:”
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“Wamp Wamp [Clipse ft. Slim Thug]:”
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“Pop Lazers [Birdman ft. Lil' Wayne]:”
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So, if you don’t know what chiptunes are, that’s okay: you’re just not as nerdy as we are. However, we will say that the Amiga sound that is what makes chiptunes is still prevalent, even from mainstream producers like Timbaland and Danja Hands. We enjoy hearing some new 8-bit style or Amiga tracks and here’s one for your listening pleasure. You might not enjoy this on its own, but when incorporated into a full-on, studio-produced track, oh the awesomeness. We’re happy to see that this style is still around and that people are finding new ways to incorporate the old. That’s what it’s all about, really. Taking conventions and doing new things with what has already been done!
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Note there are even chiptune parties, like this one in philly we found the flier for on Geekadelphia.com. It featured entirely music like the streamable track above, no doubt.
Isn’t it funny how pop-culture has become so focused on the interests of kids under the age of 18 because they can convince their parents to buy them stuff? I mean, surely the phenomenon of companies marketing to minors has been going on for years. Thinking back, I realize that stuff was clearly being marketed to me and lots of that marketing was happening through television. It’s probably common knowledge that kids see stuff on TV and then they want it, right? Well, now there’s the Internet, and I think marketing to kids has grown even stronger. I don’t quite know how or why, but the whole High School Musical obsession and the popularity of people like Miley Cyrus are both marketing monsters that seem to keep getting stronger like a virus as it spreads. South Park even dedicated an entire episode to making fun of the former example of marketing aimed at kids from ages 12 to 16 or so. First off, for good measure, here is an old-school commercial for the Nintendo game the Legend of Zelda. This is the type of stuff that I was exposed to as a kid. That’s right, I’m from the Nintendo generation.
So, one of my favorite movies of all time is Donnie Darko. The movie to come closest to that since 2001 when it was released is No Country for Old Men, but the two could be a comparison of apples and oranges. Sure, there have been lots of other great movies released since 2001, but both of those are excellent and you should watch both if you haven’t seen them. One of the best things about Donnie Darko is the fact that it’s set in the 80’s, so everyone is rocking Hobie shirts and using dated expressions (kind of like in the Zelda commercial above). Also, the sheer contempt that Donnie (Gyllenhaal) has for his school and the world around him was just special. When you’re not a mainstream conformist, sometimes the world around you can cause disgust or seem absurd. I think Donnie Darko speaks to the absurdity of the world we live in, even though it was set in the 80’s. So, take this clip for example. I won’t go into much detail about it, but was just reminded of it with the forthcoming release of the movie Notorious (just because of the song being sampled, really). Sparkle Motion is really hilarious and whenever I think of minors I think of the absurdity of Sparkle Motion. No, No, Notorious.
We recently (well, a month and a half ago on November 7th) saw Flying Lotus (Steven Ellison) at a show at the EchoPlex in the Echo Park neighborhood in Los Angeles. Appearances were also made by The Gaslamp Killer, Kode9 and Daedalus (who performed entirely with a Monome: the simple but beautiful midi controller [but basically a box with a bunch of buttons that you can bind to sounds and hook-up to your computer via usb]). We’re really feeling the whole 8-bit vintage vibe coming from Fly Lo. You can’t stop the Nintendo generation.
Before we get started, here’s the track that put Lotus on the map for us. Heard it on Adult Swim. Had to have it immediately. Done deal.
Chiptunes are songs made with 8-bit sounds, inspired by the 8-bit Nintendo video game era. Of course, a lot of chip music was and is still featured in demos from the Demoscene but one new trend that has been emerging is chip music in popular culture. For instance, there are songs that sample these electronic songs with liberal arpeggiation to the point of intellectual property boundaries becoming questionable–as with Timbaland and Nelly Furtado’s song “Do It:”
Here Timbaland essentially ripped not only the sound but the entire musical structure of lesser-known Finnish artist Janne Suni:
At any rate, intellectual property chiptune drama aside, here are some cool covers and remixes of commercial music that you mind find interesting.
Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell – “Drop It Like It’s Hot (DatA Remix):”
Terry Poison – “Ballroom (DatA Remix):”
DatA – “Rapture Part II:”
8-Bit Rick Roll:
Rihanna – “Umbrella (8 bit remix):”
Katy Perry – “Hot N’ Cold (8-bit remix):”
Just because I like the original of the Katy Perry track too, here’s that:
Kode9 – “9 Samurai (Quarta 330 8bit remix):”
Even Machinedrum came down on a track with some 8-bit influence on his remix of “Me & U,” by Cassie… Observe:
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