obscurereality

The Chiptune scene is pretty big in Philly, and becoming more popular worldwide. I’m not sure if it’s due to Retro Gaming invading our homes… eager to play games with more soul than graphics, or if it’s out of a lack of new music, but it’s here, and I have to agree, it’s pretty cool.

I saw Cheap Dinosaur at Ignite Philly 4 and was not only impressed that they were using Gameboy’s to play their music, but that the VJ’s (Forgive me, I don’t know what you’re called) were also doing their work on Gameboys and PSP’s. There’s no lyrical talent involved, which is usually a large prereq for me, but it’s a lot of talent none the less.

Animal Style played at the Hive76 party this past Sat. I picked up his latest release while he played. I bought two, actually… One for myself to support him, and the other for my 9 year old son. 8bit music (most of it) is perfect for kids. It appeals to them, and for the mostpart, there’s no need to worry about lyric’s you wouldn’t let a stranger listen too given the choice.

All that said, if you’re looking for something different, something you can zone out too and get some work done, check out 8BitPeoples. I downloaded everything they had to offer, which is free, and had a better day at work because of them.

I’m a bit of a “Music Pirate”, but I will buy an artist’s work if I like them enough. These guys really do present something worth buying. You get an 80mm cd (Which is awesome all by itself) with kickass cover art. So, the next time you see an album in the form of a Nintendo cartridge, buy it. If not to support hardworking musicians, for the novelty and something your kids can rock out too.

Check out the 8BitPeoples.com site for some listening… and enjoy it. Not only for it’s music, but for the package as a whole.