This makes me remember getting a Nintendo for christmas when I was 5 or 6. All I did was sit and play video games alllllll day. posted by flipyourwig at 3:16 PM on December 25, 2008
Chiptunes is one of those wonderful genres that really needed the internet to exist. Check out Game Music 4 All for more 8 (and 16) bit goodness. posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 3:33 PM on December 25, 2008 [1 favorite]
Chiptunes is one of those wonderful genres that really needed the internet to exist.
yeah. except for the dozens of thousands of video game soundtracks made between 1980 and 1995. also the commodore 64.
and amiga stuff. and the rest of the demoscene.
oh yeah, and the other home computers that had music making software. IBMs with AdLib, etc. MSX in japan.
there are reasons people are nostalgic for this stuff, and one of them is that it's been around longer than grunge rock or gangster rap. posted by tumult at 4:44 PM on December 25, 2008
I heard someone calling me, I came as fast as I could. posted by 8-bit floozy at 5:53 PM on December 25, 2008 [3 favorites]
I <3 Octorok posted by grobstein at 6:16 PM on December 25, 2008
Tumult, clarification: I wasn't saying chiptunes needed the internet to exist at all, but rather to exist as a genre (i.e., known beyond its practitioners and their friends.) C.F. Nerdcore.
The original videogame composers operated in a different space. They were the avant garde making do with what was then available. The reverse hackery of chiptunes artists is a different thing. As is the porting of the original (limited) tunes to traditional instruments (See VGM.)
The demoscene, from what I've seen (sorry,) is more audio-visual, which puts it in a different category, IMHO.
And making the terminal type to the beat of your school's fightsong is a different thing still.
"Kraid, Rest Ye Merry Mother Brain" in particular is just phenomenal; such a perfect blending of both originals! posted by tocts at 6:50 PM on December 25, 2008
posted by flipyourwig at 3:16 PM on December 25, 2008