Chiptune Friday: The Mega Man 9 Mixtape
Wow, we’re just on a Mega Man streak right now, aren’t we? Far be it from me to break up a good thing.
Regular readers may remember back in April when I posted the mashup of Memphis Black’s “Like That” with Mega Man 4’s Skullman theme off of Tae K’s impressive Mega Man mixtape. Well less than a month later Tae K came back with a new mixtape using samples from Mega Man 9 and the results were more often than not fantastic.
I had a hard time trying to figure out which track to feature here; the opening theme with Lupe Fiasco, Hornetman with Eminem, Splashwoman with Q-Tip, or Jewelman with Kanye? Hitting an impass with this decision, I’ve decided to post the whole damn mixtape instead. Enjoy! Continue reading »
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Tags: capcom, chiptune friday, derrick sanskrit, eminem, kanye west, lupe fiasco, mash-up, mega man, mega man 9, mixtape, q-tip, t-pain, tae k
Upcoming Weezer Chiptune Tribute Will Be Awesome
If you grew up in the 90s, then it’s likely that you’re fond of Weezer: their music was by nerds and for nerds–and odds are, you were a pretty big nerd. (Don’t worry, we all were.) So, what with Weezer’s anthems of teenage awkwardness, it’s only natural for their music to have another layer of dorkiness gently poured over it like warm maple syrup. This is where Weezer: The 8-Bit Album comes in. Don’t act like you didn’t see it coming.
This upcoming album features some of the chiptune scene’s brightest stars taking on Weezer’s best tunes–and a few from their 2000s albums. Straight from the project’s blog, here’s the album’s final track listing, along with the songs’ respective remixers:
1. Island In The Sun (Belmont’s Revisal) - videogame orchestra
2. Holiday - Anamanaguchi
3. El Scorcho - Tugboat
4. The World Has Turned And Left Me Here - Bit Shifter
5. You Won’t Get With Me Tonight - PDF Format
6. Hash Pipe - seal of quality
7. In The Garage - OxygenStar
8. You Gave Your Love To Me Softly - : (
9. We Are All On Drugs - Rabato
10. Jamie - Unicorn Dream Attack
11. Come To My Pod - Mahamajama
12. Why Bother? - I Fight Dragons
13. Buddy Holly - nordloef
14. I Do - arcadecoma.
Check out a song preview from Weezer: The 8-Bit Album after the cut.
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Tags: :(, anamanaguchi, arcadecoma, bit shifter, bob mackey, chiptune friday, i fight dragons, mahamajama, nordloef, oxygenstar, pdf format, rabato, seal of quality, tribute, tugboat, unicorn dream attack, videogame orchestra, weezer
Chiptune Friday: Starting Over with Chipzel
I’ve already accepted the fact that I’m enjoying the work of actors, directors, artists, writers, and musicians younger than me. It’s a terrifying transitional phase wherein one realizes that they are getting old. If I need to be out of my prime and no longer on the cutting edge, though, at least Chipzel will soothe me through this distress with her smooth Game Boy beats.
Chipzel, aka Niamh Houston from Northern Ireland, is seventeen years old. She just put out her first EP. It’s sweet. Continue reading »
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Tags: chiptune friday, chipzel, derrick sanskrit, game boy, ireland, little sound dj, myspace
Chiptune Friday: Double Your Nostalgia as the Offspring Go 8-Bit
Let’s all take a trip back in time, shall we? Remember the 1990’s? The confusion and unease? The baggy t-shirts and white dudes with dreadlocks? It was a time before quicktime events and iPods. It was the time of the Offspring.
Remember the Offspring? 1994’s hit singles “Come Out and Play” and “Self Esteem” up until the unfortunate 1998 single “Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)” and their even worse cameo in 1999 comedy-thriller Idle Hands? Sure you do, but I want to talk about their 1997 single, the incredibly rock radio hit “All I Want”. If it didn’t set your brain on fire on your FM Radio, then it surely did as the opening theme for Sega’s Crazy Taxi.
Twelve years later, “All I Want” is back, and this time it’s being played on the Sega Master System. Continue reading »
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Tags: chiptune friday, crazy taxi, derrick sanskrit, nostalgia, Otobeya, sega master system, the offspring
Chiptune Friday: The Perfect 8-Bit Drug
One month ago today was April Fool’s Day, the day when the entire internet falls apart every year, and I think we can all agree that the best prank this year was pulled by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. It was refreshing to see that a man who has built such a massive career on being heavy and gloomy has a sense of humor (though it should have come as no surprise, as his last three albums were jokes, amiright?).
So I like to think that Trent would be just fine with this 8-bit cover of his classic anthem “The Perfect Drug,” which has been hilariously mixed with video of Dr. Mario. Wait, let’s check his Twitter. Yeah, he’s cool with it. Gotta love this modern technology: Continue reading »
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Tags: chiptune friday, derrick sanskrit, dr mario, nine inch nails, trent reznor, twitter
Anamanaguchi Friday: Dawn Metropolis
Anamanaguchi were one of the first acts I spotlighted in Chiptune Friday last year and with good cause, those kids rock. To celebrate the first Chiptune Friday on our shiny new WordPress blog, please accept this double-dose of Brooklyn bleep-bloop rockin’.
So a little over a month ago the boys from Anamanaguchi finally released their long-awaited sophomore EP Dawn Metropolis. It’s twenty-six minutes of ’80’s glam metal with super-happy lasers shooting out of its eyes and Street Fighter stickers all over its combination jetpack/lunchbox. And much like Truckasauras did when their album Tea Parties, Guns & Valor was released last year, Anamanaguchi have seen fit to release the record both for sale online and as a free streaming player. The difference here being that Dawn Metropolis’s streaming player includes full animation for all seven tracks, all tying together for a story about a boy flying around and saving a mermaid…or something. Who cares, the colors are bright and the tunes kick ass. Continue reading »
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Tags: anamanaguchi, chiptune friday, dawn metropolis, derrick sanskrit, music video
Anamanaguchi Friday: Wavves’ “So Bored”
Anamanaguchi were one of the first acts I spotlighted in Chiptune Friday last year and with good cause, those kids rock. To celebrate the first Chiptune Friday on our shiny new WordPress blog, please accept this double-dose of Brooklyn bleep-bloop rockin’.
It’s no secret that Anamanaguchi are the chiptune band to break through to the hipster indie rock scene. So what happens when front man Peter Berkman decides to use his NES composing skillz to cover one of the most blogged-about and critically acclaimed indie rockers on the scene right now? You get this sublime version of Wavves (Nathan Williams)’s “So Bored”: Continue reading »
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Tags: anamanaguchi, chiptune friday, derrick sanskrit, teen angst, wavves
John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself. 
Derrick Sanskrit is a self-professed geek in a variety of fields including typography, graphic design, comic books, music and cartoons. As a professional hipster graphic designer, his recent clients have included Nerve, Pitchfork and MoCCA, among others.
Amber Ahlborn - artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.
Nadia Oxford is a housekeeping robot who was refurbished into a warrior when the world's need for justice was great. Now that the galaxy is at peace (give or take a conflict here or there), she works as a freelance writer for various sites and magazines.
Based in Toronto, Nadia prizes the certificate from the Ministry of Health declaring her tick and rabies-free.
Bob Mackey is a grad student, writer, and cyborg, who uses the powerful girl-repelling nanomachines mad science grafted onto his body to allocate time towards interests of the nerd persuasion. He believes that complaining about things on the Internet is akin to the fine art of wine tasting, but with more spitting into buckets.
Joe Keiser has a programming degree from Johns Hopkins University, a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, and a fake toy guitar built in the hollowed-out shell of a real guitar. He writes about games and technology for a variety of outlets. One day he will stop doing this. The day after that, police will find his body under a collapsed pile of (formerly neatly alphabetized) collector's edition tchotchkes.
