Blip fest 2011, NYC. I’ll be honest, without really being deeply devoted to the Chip music scene that has been growing steadily underground since the 90’s, I had a pretty specific idea of what this all meant. Video games, cross-eyed youths with well defined thumbs bobbing up and down, and a deep sonic sea cresting distorted square waves pretty much paper bag’s my thinking on the whole affair. After the will call I entered to find a cozy space filled with pretty much just that. However, what I didn’t expect was just how much fun that meant.
I arrived to the festival just as Stagediver, of Milwaukee, wanted to show everyone how hardcore chip music could be. The music was pretty good, but in what I could only guess was the excitement of the moment, he seemed inspired to talk quite a bit and complain about the life’s suffering and individual torment. This is actually just my translation of the man’s ubiquitous F-bombs, and but I’m sure suffering and torment sucks was what he was trying to say. Fortunately, a band of German philosophers worked that out for all of us some years ago, so this shouldn’t frighten you. In the end more music, less talking was the order of the day.
The next act up quickly recovered the vibe. Bit Shifter, a New York City native and home run hitter on the scene, showed up with multiple Gameboys and rocked the house. It was exactly what we were there for. Electronic music stripped to the basics and just some good straight up fun. The music has a professional confidence that was lovable and entertaining. This was aided by some excellent backing visuals reminiscent of James Bond vignettes. You could tell he was having the time of his life up there sharing his passion for chip tunes. Giant Sounds From Small Machines.
Bit Shifter was a tough act to follow, but no problem for the Exile Faker, another NYC native. This music was quite elegant somehow. It delivered the exact amount of Nostalgia and forward thinking energy that I was really after coming to this festival. All those intimate hours spent mastering video games in my past came flooding back. Only now my feet were dancing and my thumbs could relax. Hunting down some Exile Faker tracks online after the show proved interesting as well, as it seems the man is pursuing a PHD in Philosophy. This explains the elegance. Be Better studios wishes him the best in his studies!
To wrap up the evening Australian native and chip sound elder, cTrix, showed up with his Guitari. If you didn’t know this already, a guitari is a traditional Australian instrument made from a board shaped like a guitar with an Atari, a Joystick, and some effects pedals glued onto it. Unfortunately for cTrix and the crowd, this did not seem to survive the flight as well as hoped, and the thing failed to work. After reinserting some cables and some dirty looks, the Guitarri finally did growl in tune, but the sails had little wind. Overall the set was pretty ok though, and the awkward since of the Guitarri failing at first was forgiven by some amusing cackles from the crowd (my favorite being “D.I.Y!!!”). Had we all been in a time machine transported back to 1994, it could have been even better.
So that was it, my first encounter at Blip Fest. This event has been going on for years and I’d say I’d go again. Just seeing the spotlight on this fun little subculture is worth the $20 no questions asked. I am sad to have missed Saturday’s performance, I feel like this festival is the kind that would pickup steam. I was also encouraged by the diverse crowd that was there. It goes to show that in the end, it’s really all about the same thing. These people came to Blip Fest for their own reasons, much like why they fell in love with Commodore’s, Amiga’s, Gameboy’s, or any other gaming machines decades ago. It’s a good culture to be a part of.
New To Chip Music? Check out these sites:
- http://bit.shifter.net
- http://www.exilefaker.info
- http://starscreamband.com
- https://8bc.org -> The subculture itself online
- http://blipfestival.org -> Event details for your calendar
- http://www.plogue.com -> Make your own Chip Sounds with your new computer!
- http://eightbit.me -> 8-bit your avatars
- http://www.8bitwood.com ->Um… 8-bit works for your home, made from wood