Where 8 bit music can go
Hello, nerds. If this post seems to arrive later than usual, just imagine me posting this one hour earlier if daylight savings didn’t take place.
You might, however waste some time either way with some of these videos on chiptunes which I found:
Volume 5: Overview
Volume 4: Mark Denardo
Sorry, the other three volumes are hard to find. But these are interesting enough. A point was brought up on where the chiptunes scene was going. And to some, this seems more as pure artistic expression rather than music, so it doesn’t need to move forward. Others believed it will only by incorporating live instruments.
I’ll admit, chiptunes is hard for me to enjoy as music. To me it’s more about the fact that I’m listening to sounds I heard years ago, put together with a rhythm. I want it to be more enjoyable as music rather than nostalgia, and I think including other instruments and sounds is the way.
Last weekend I heard a mix with old TV theme songs. We’re talking about Inspector Gadget, MASH, Charles in fucking Charge, and a whole lot more. It was awesome, and not in just a nostalgic way. Hearing those theme songs flipped around was a great listening experience, and I feel chiptunes can also go that way.
But do I really mean chiptunes, or old 8 bit video game music? I’m not sure. The original Zelda break remix is great. I have yet to hear much of chiptunes (original 8 bit compositions) going this way. But after watching the video, it looks promising.
I loved those videos, but like you I don’t find myself inspired to listen to chiptune often.
I find that most of the musicians are being controlled more by the machine than from their own influences. This to me is why most artists have such an identical sound. But there are quite a few artists that do stand out, especially those that fuse 8-bit sounds with other devices (8-Bit Weapon for example).
I love chiptunes used as a part of some kind of mix, but on their own it’s a bit like a tuba solo. Interesting for maybe a minute.
Of course, it may be that I just didn’t spend enough quality time with my Intellivision…
Why didn’t I mention Ytcracker’s NES album in that post? Some very good tracks on that one.
Speaking of expanding 8-but, have you heard Super Bario Bros? Kind of a YT NES vibe.