Brightest Young Things

Chiptune (n) - 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. (Wikipedia) If you follow the weekly exclusives on Pitchfork.tv, you may have noticed a little documentary called Reformat the Planet, on a little-known genre of music called chiptunes. It was the first weekly feature that was extended for an extra week by popular demand. You probably have seen mention of a fellow named Adventure here once or twice. You may even be familiar with some musicians like Dan Deacon who use glitchy electronics to their advantage, enslaving you to their spectacularly spastic rhythmic drone-ings. These are but the tip of the iceberg known as chiptunes. The genre is a fantastic repurposing and exploration of some of the iconic elements of our generation's childhood: video game and home computer systems. The genre has truly become fertile and fresh ground really stretching the boundaries of what can be done with the hardware and truly making it a viable medium beyond the initial nostalgia draw. It has been continuously expanding to include nearly any imaginable piece of video game hardware and a multitude of more traditional instruments found in rock or electronics, and recently has ventured into the world of live 8-bit video.

I honestly can't think of a better way to spend Saturday Sept 13th than attending the First Baltimore Synth DIY / Circuit Bending / Chiptune Festival (what a mouthful), and taking the time to really explore everything the genre has to offer.

During the day, gather up all your old electronics, soldering irons and packs of breadboards and assorted circuitry components, because from noon to 7PM, there is a DIY workshop / show n tell portion of the festival! RAD (I hate that word but really, I can't think of a better application for it)!

Come see and be amazed at someone else's monstrous and impressive creation while failing miserably at creating your own, possibly burning yourself and increasing your risk of lung/nose cancer 5-fold while inhaling burnt silicon fumes at close-range to your empty breadboard.

If you are more inclined to visit Hampdenfest, then drop by the Hexagon around 9 for the night time dance shenanigans which will feature some of the leading artists in the genre including Bit Shifter, Bubblyfish, GLOMAG, noteNdo and NULLSLEEP (many hailing from the 8bitpeoples collective based in NYC). A true audio-visual feast, especially for those of you who have been repressing your inner video game nerd.

I took some time to chat with noteNdo (Jeff Donaldson) on my website Aural States. You can read more on the chiptune genre, hear some of noteNdo's work and even win free tickets to the dance party here. Hope to see some fresh faces at the Hexagon this weekend!