Chiptune Artists at Blip
From: Associated Press via Technology Review, December 6, 2007: ‘Chiptune’ artists use vintage computers and video games to craft a new musical genre – NEW YORK (AP) – Haeyoung Kim, a classical pianist, took the stage at a hip Manhattan art space before a crowd of twenty- and thirty-somethings, many shaggy-haired and wearing T-shirts and glasses.
As her performance began, the room filled with electronic beeps and buzzes of a 1980’s video game pulsing to a danceable beat, as if Mario were hosting a rave. As heads bopped in the audience, Kim proudly held up her instrument: a Nintendo Game Boy.
The performance on a recent Friday was part of Blip Festival, a four-day celebration of music made with obsolete computers and electronics. So-called ”chiptune” or ”8-bit” music is building a cult audience among former Atari jockeys.
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