Bolstered by the success of their first release and back for a second helping, global chiptune collaboration group Chipmusic Heroes has released their second album, three months to the day since their self-titled debut. Reditum picks up where the debut left off and goes even bigger and louder. Thirteen different artists from countries as far-flung as Norway, the Netherlands, Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Russia, Israel, and New Zealand are represented here. With one exception, every contributor to the debut returns, as well as adding new blood like Octobox, Aimm, and Super Robotic Encounters.

The opener, “Side By Side,” sets the tone followed throughout the album, striking a balance of sounding like video game music without actually being that. This album showcases a range of chip as diverse as the contributing artists, though there are definite high points.

Kartmaze‘s nine-minute romp “Across the Nebula” gets my vote for best track, and that has surprisingly little to do with my obsession with lengthy songs. This track has a very story-like feel to it, as though the listener is flying through space visiting different planets, where the music shifts every so often to sound like it was inspired by video games as diverse as Castlevania, 2D-era Final Fantasy, Contra, and Metroid.

Several other tracks deserve specific attention as well. Grimmy‘s aptly-named “Arcade Nights” opens with a build that makes you feel like you’ve stepped into Flynn’s Arcade before kicking into something I would best describe as 80′s synth revival, like the Hotline Miami soundtrack with chip tossed in. “Pixelated Sunshine” by Freq is a joy, a jaunty and bouncy little tune that somehow evokes both old Mario tunes and old rap beats. “Worker Ants” by Same Type Attack Bonus sounds like someone attempting, with success, to give MegaMan a boss stage theme of his own. Finally, Mr. Lenix & Thunder Fox‘s collab track “Frustration,” complete with random angry soundbites sprinkled in, shamelessly throws what sounds to me like an elevator track into a chipstep song. And it works! It’s like “Welcome to Rapture, enjoy your wubs.”

Something that doesn’t stick out right away and – yet strikes me as incredible after giving the album a couple listens – is that this group is all fairly new talent. To name just a few examples: none of these artists have been on soundcloud more than a year, __twc is a mere sixteen years old, and Octobox is a newly-minted Calarts grad.

Overall, the album is solid from cover to cover, with every track worth listening to and offering something fun and enjoyable. The video game influence on Reditum is very prevalent, with most of its tracks sounding very much at home alongside arcade and 8/16-bit era music. But as I said above, this album never sounds derivative or uninspired, which I think is its greatest strength, and why I would highly recommend it. This is a great starting point for anyone thinking to themselves “Just what the blazes is chiptune anyway?” or any long-time listeners looking for a reminder of what got them into this in the first place.

Danwich is terrified of The Man and does his best to minimize his online presence.  But you can reach him through his email or his radio show’s page.

It is with great pride I post this embed code. Anamanaguchi the four-piece chiptune rock band from Brooklyn played a featured set on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. These hard-working dudes recently became Kickstarter’s most successful band and deserve all the success they’ve seen. I recently got to see them in Philadelphia with the show they put on with 8static, it was awesome. Check out the video below

Amidst the commotion of fast-paced 21st-century life, 80s-inspired record label Telefuture reminds their listeners of a more optimistic time, when we could only just begin to glimpse at what technology might become. Over the last year, Telefuture has strived to keep alive the ideals and sounds of the 80s.  A celebration of the label’s first anniversary, One: A Telefuture Compilation Album is an hour-long musical ride that pays homage to the golden age of wayfarer sunglasses, hairspray, and video arcades.  The eleven songs showcased in this album re-imagine 80s auditory tropes for the listeners of today by capturing neon-lit nostalgia through the use of classic analog sounds and samples.

The album leads off with “Gemini,” an exquisitely introspective track by Nashville-based Makeup and Vanity Set. The song draws us in with its subtle buildup of atmospheric synths coupled with delicate percussive pops, while also sparking Cosmos-like visions of exploding stars and faraway galaxies. Moving on through time and space, the album next invokes the era of the Brat Pack with Le Cassette‘s “Tonight.” No album inspired by the sounds of the 80s would be complete without a throbbing vocal ballad and Telefuture’s inclusion of “Tonight” definitely does not disappoint. Flashing back to an electronic love affair long gone, “Tonight” shines bright as the only song on the album with vocals at the forefront; the track blends buttery backing synths with smooth vocals into a delicious sonic simulacra of an 80s-style ballad.

One leverages the combination of different musical artists to great effect; the songs combine old and the new to the point where it is difficult to tell where one era stops and the other begins. With its bouncy, upbeat synths and delightful underlying rhythms, Arcade High‘s “One Year Ago” summons up an especially jubilant acoustic throwback to the coming-of-age films of the 80s.

While there are many bright moments to be savored on this album, not every song completely hits the mark. Planted squarely in the middle of the album, Swedish musician Linde‘s “M.Y.S” clocks in at just over eight minutes. Wading through the track’s psychedelic echoes and ethereal arpeggios, though they are at times gripping and always interesting, constitutes an exercise in patience. By the seventh minute of languid electro synths, there exists an almost palpable desire for a jolt of musical rejuvenation. Thankfully, this jolt comes in the form of the track that follows “M.Y.S.” – lpower’s “Passage.” “Passage” recovers the album’s energy and recaptures the spirit of chiptune as it draws upon the power of bassy and driving melodic synths to pack in an energetic, addictive blend of dance beats, chip harmonies, and an intense boss fight wrapped up all in one.

The end of One does not impress as much as the beginning; this is not to say that the latter songs on the album do not deserve as much credit, but in the wake of the earlier musical heavy-hitters they remain at an auditory disadvantage. Overall, the album is a fantastic and thoughtful tribute to the sounds of the 80s, where the sincere efforts of the musicians on the album pack a punch as powerful as He-Man himself. With one ear in the present and the other in the past, any listener will find Telefuture’s first anniversary compilation to be a memorable musical marvel.

Find out more about Telefuture on their Facebook page, Soundcloud, or bandcamp.

Jake Kaufman has easily become one of my favourite modern videogame composers. His work on the Wayforward games such as Shantae, Double Dragon Neon and Mighty Switch Force has earned him, in my opinion, a place among the greats such as the likes of Nobuo Uematsu, David Wise and Yoko Shimomura.

Kaufman’s latest album FX3: Remastered is a cleaned up version of his 2006 project FX3, a self described Chiptune metal concept album.

What I enjoy about FX3: Remastered is that it was one of the first chiptune albums that told a story without lyrics. The only semblance of story you get is off of Kaufman’s bandcamp page where the story is summed up in three sentences.

What makes this album special is that it is the second album to tell a story through music alone. Before you accuse me of disregarding albums such as The Wall, American Idiot or Pinball Wizard, what I mean that there have been few, if any concept albums in the style of FX3. It paved the way for other albums such as Ben Landis’ Adventures in Pixels, showcasing that you don’t need lyrics to tell a story.

As I said earlier, the story for FX3 is simple. It is about a young man who is trapped between two warring nations. He stumbles through a rift in time and discovers a terrible conspiracy that spans the generations. There he meets someone who promises to help him find a way home, and perhaps to open his heart to love once more. I am not going to call the story deep despite its simplicity because it is not. The story here simply sets up the music so you can imagine what is happening.

Due to the fact there is no lyrics to the story, the listener can visualize their own story. Each song on the list gives you a theme in which you follow and it is up to you to imagine what is happening. In a way it is reminiscent of the old Choose your own Adventure books. You choose how the story plays out. Does the hero find a way home or does he stay in the past to avert the chaos in the future. Does he find love or does his heart remain closed off to the world? The listener himself tells the story, even if he isn’t aware of it.

So how is FX3: Remastered? A fantastic album that many artists should strive to be like. There is an underlying beat to each of the songs which help bolsters the accompanying track. Is FX3: Remastered worth a pick up? Yes it is. Jake Kaufman is easily one of the best composers of this generation. He seems to have this innate ability to utilize different genres to their fullest potential, making unforgettable and catchy tunes.

You can find FX3: Remastered both on Kaufman’s Bandcamp Page and as an in-game Radio Station in Retro City Rampage. You can also find the original album over at 8Bit People.

This is Daimo Mac and I am lost in the music.

The Digital Audio Work Station is the core application for music producers and sound engineers. This is where you build songs, master them and do everything in between. Most of us can’t afford all of them, so this article will help you make some decisions on which ones work best for you.

Cubase

Price: $249.00

Trial: 30-day free, no restrictions.

Pros: Feels like Pro Tools and Logic pro. Very user-friendly and intuitive interface. Works great with most VSTs and third-party plugins. Scales well, meaning it can use SSD drives, load massive samples and other high-end things like that.

Cons: Cubase is a little dated, sometimes you’ll find it lacking in some newer features. Real exotic VSTs sometimes are not compatable as well. It’s also quite pricy if you want the version that comes with everything you need.

Cubbase has been around a long time and expanded from an Atari tracker released in 1989 up to a full blown digital audio workstation. It’s great for recording stuff live, running VSTis and is an overal stable and familiar environment.

There are some games out there that had incredible music, but just missed the mark in some other ways. Here’s a list of games that you definitely want to pick up the amazing soundtracks for, but might want to skip itself.

Awesome NES Rock but…It’s Impossible

Silver Sufer just bumped into a wall, or a tiny rubber ducky (not kidding), or maybe he just found out about this game….

Silver Surfer has some excellent NES music. Check out that level one guitar noodling! It’s Epic!  However this Gradius-clone fails in almost every other way. The level designs are impossible, often leaving you little space to maneuver your giant silver surfer board. It’s also unclear of what is in the background and what you’re going to crash into. Oh yeah, touch anything and YOU DIE instantly.

It’s hard for me to fathom how the programmers thought this game was ok. It could have been better if they had just given you a life bar. It’s a pretty sub-par side view and overhead shooter but the fact that your board is humongous and you can’t always tell what’s a wall ruins everything. But seriously, get the soundtrack, it’s amazing.

K.K. & Friends: The new remix album from GameChops remixers Ben Briggs and ectogemia.

Video game remixers Benjamin Briggs and ectogemia have produced a nine track remix album in honor of the new Animal Crossing game. It is now available from GameChops, the Philadelphia-based record label specializing in licensed video game remixes.

Download the album from KKandFriends.com!

Animal Crossing, the beloved video game franchise from Nintendo is getting its first full-length remix treatment be remixers Ben Briggs and ectogemia. The new album K.K. and Friends is their first collaboration, and is professionally mastered and released by GameChops.

Animal Crossing featured a unique approach to its music; depending on what time you played the game different tunes would play. K.K. and Friends contains nine cover songs found in the Animal Crossing series, organized by the time of day they’re presented in the game. Starting with an upbeat “Bright and Early”, taking us through “Rush Hour,” a “Rainy Day,” finally settling with the mellow, “Moonlit Memories.” The progressive arrangement and polished mixing makes it clear that Ben Briggs and ectogemia are two promising young musicians in the vibrant video game remix scene.

The album runs over a half an hour long, and is currently available for pre-order from KKandFriends.com. The album releases on June 9th, the same day as Nintendo’s newest game in the Animal Crossing series, New Leaf.

GameChops is the first record label to specialize in electronic video game remixes with high production quality and licensing.

Download the album now – KKandFriends.com

To download this press release as a txt file, click here.