61 Frames Per Second : chiptune friday

Chiptune Friday - Mega Man vs. Memphis Bleek

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Hip hoppers love video games, there's no denying it. More than any other genre of music, the hip hop community outright loves video games. Sure, Soulja Boy might not be the spokesperson we all want for either form of entertainment, but at least he's being open and honest about our shared nerdery.

This is why Tae K's Mega Man Mixtape should come as no surprise to anybody. Released online just over a year ago, Tae K takes the popular medium of the hip hop mixtape - wherein DJs provide their own beats for a variety of well-known vocal tracks - and used nothing but samples from the library of Mega Man games on the NES for his beats. This form of mashup mixtape is nothing new, having risen to prominence a few years ago with Danger Mouse's "The Grey Album" and Greg Gillis's Girl Talk project, but it's still damn fun and worth celebration. So crank up the volume, hit play, grab a drink and get your dance on while you think about busting up some robot masters, because here comes Memphis Bleek's "Like That" set to Mega Man 4's Skullman music:

If you dug this, you can download the whole 14 track mix, including some Nas, Outkast, Beastie Boys, Lupe Fiasco, 50 Cent, Kanye West, Ciara, the aformentioned Soulja Boy and more on Tae K's blog. I particularly enjoy the final track, Young Buck's "Shorty Wanna Ride" set to the end theme from Mega Man 3.

Related hip-hoppery:
Ludacris Presses The Start Button
You Got Soul, But You're Not A Soulja Boy
Chiptune Friday: Super Mario vs. M.I.A.

Chiptune Friday: Game Boy Hero

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:30:00 GMT

Last month, Game Boy musician Cornbeat finally released his long-anticipated EP Chip Hero through 8bitPeoples. As the name implies, Chip Hero presents itself as a concept extended play, the soundtrack to a future video game where the player simulates the live performance of Chiptune music with synthetic controllers resembling the vintage game consoles the songs were originally recorded with. Sounds familiar, no?

As would be expected for the soundtrack to such a game, the five tracks making up the twenty-minute soundtrack are great fun and you might just find yourself wanting to press buttons in time with the bleeps as well. Here now, for your week ending enjoyment, my favorite track from Chip Hero, "Backseat Driver":

Download Chip Hero from 8bitPeoples here.

Related Chiptunes:
Twilight Electric's "Razor Blades"
USK's "Little Sound Disko"
Anamanaguchi's "Helix Nebula"

Chiptune Friday: 8-Bit Daft Punk

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Third Daft Punk post this month? Clearly March is all about robots dancing as far as I'm concerned.

You may have seen around the 'net that a new bit of NES homebrew was released last month in D-Pad Hero, a game that mimicked the now all-too-familiar Guitar Hero/Dance Dance Revolution style of tapping buttons in rhythm to a scrolling bar of icons, only it replaces the guitar controller/dance pad with a traditional NES game pad and high quality song recordings with size and medium appropriate chiptune. Gameplay is expectedly challenging, but the songs are divine, especially the chiptune version of Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger".

Something about those clicks and warbles just seems... appropriate.

Even though the original "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" was popular when released back in 2001, it rose in popularity again in 2007 when Kanye West sampled it for his hit song "Stronger". You can download the ROM for D-Pad Hero here (you'll need some form of NES emulator). If you like it, click "support us" and PayPal them some cash to make a sequel. Maybe we'll get some chiptune Toto next time!

Related tunes:
NES Radiohead
Game Boy Postal Service
MIA vs. Super Mario Bros
RAC vs. The Legend of Zelda

Chiptune Friday: Spring Into Spring With Sonic

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Though it's been feeling like Spring here in NYC for a couple of weeks (global warming has its occassional perks), the vernal equinox actually hits us at 11:44 am today. As the ice stages thaw, making way for beautiful fire flowers, should you happen to feel the urge to go outside and enjoy the world, we here at 61FPS are of course enouraging. However, since you're clearly somewhere with internet access, let's make this just a bit brighter and sunnier to get us all in the mood for months of sunshine and gaming. I can't think of a better way to kick the season off than with the theme to Spring Yard Zone from the original Sonic The Hedgehog:

(this loops for ten minutes, so feel free to hit play, jack up the volume and go for a good solid strut)

Oh yeah, that's the groove right there. You can practically hear the robot sunflowers in bloom.

Have a happy Equinox, everybody!

Previous Chiptune Holidays:
Christmas
Halloween
Independance Day

Chiptune Friday: Spring Is In the Air With Okami

John Constantine — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Two truths. Today is March 13th. It will not be spring for another eight days. Also, the original soundtrack to Okami is not chiptune. At all. In fact, it is fully orchestrated and entrenched in traditional Japanese composition, a far cry from the heavy metal and pop roots of the blissed-out blip songs composed on the NES or similar consoles.

Have you gone outside though? It is freaking gorgeous out there. It may rain, it may be cloudy, but the bitter miasma of late winter has lifted, washed away as if by… a celestial brush! Given, it’s likely that the fine weather is a result of the Earth’s natural solar orbit and axial spin, but I like to think that there’s a sun goddess wolf out there making it nice outside. I’m going to find her. We’ll go to the park and play fetch. Beautiful women will be all, “Oh your dog is beautiful!” And I’ll be all, “Check dis.” Then Amaterasu will make a bushel of fragrant botanicals grow at our feet.

Here are three selections from the Okami soundtrack. Listen, be in bloom, and grab your DS or PSP. Go play outside today!

The Great Goddess Amaterasu’s Revival

We’ll Always Be Together!

Two People Gazing At Each Other

Related links:

Chiptune Friday: Ethernet’s “Theme For the Water Shrine” Makes Me Want to Adventure and Possibly Defeat an Ancient Evil
Chiptune Friday: Trip to the Beat
Best NES End Credits Music in the History of NES End Credits Music
Chiptune Friday: Shut Up and Jam!
Chiptune Friday: Blaze a Blaze in the Mushroom Kingdom

Chiptune Friday: Ethernet’s “Theme For the Water Shrine” Makes Me Want to Adventure and Possibly Defeat an Ancient Evil

John Constantine — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Ethernet is a fitting alias for IDM and ambient electronic composer Tim Gray. It implies technological sterility, the anonymity of surfing the internet, and the swirling drunk of ether itself. That is to say, it describes Gray’s music well. His droning compositions are dense but rewarding. To take a break from finishing his forthcoming, untitled debut album, Gray’s been paying homage to some of his favorite gaming composers. “Theme For the Water Shrine” is not a SNES chiptune proper since it wasn’t composed using that system’s actual hardware. It does, however, evoke the same tranquil atmosphere that earned Nobuo Uematsu and Yasunori Mitsuda (whose work inspired the song) their slavish cults. You can listen to the track at Gray’s blog, TanukiDreams, by clicking right here. If anyone out there in the industry is looking for a composer to soundtrack their role-playing adventure, this is your man.

Related links:

Chiptune Friday: Trip to the Beat
Best NES End Credits Music in the History of NES End Credits Music
Chiptune Friday: Shut Up and Jam!
Chiptune Friday: Blaze a Blaze in the Mushroom Kingdom

Chiptune Friday: Trip to the Beat

Derrick Sanskrit — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 01:00:00 GMT

I already posted this song last week, but my enthusiasm for BIT.TRIP BEAT compounds each and every day and I can simply no longer contain it, so here's another burst of retro rhythm awesome:

BEAT, the first game in the BIT.TRIP series from indie developer Gaijin Games, is hitting the internet hype machine pretty hard, so I would expect it to drop on WiiWare within the next couple of months. So much buzz has been generating about the inspired new design that Game Music 4 All ran an interview today with designer Alex Neuse all about the game's soundtrack and his love of chiptune. Alex namedrops some of our faves like Nullsleep and Bubblyfish, even revealing that the main menu and credits will feature music from Bit Shifter and that Gaijin Games would love to be a part of Blip Festival 2009. I've still yet to play the game, but I know that's an event I'd love to be in on. Alex, if you're reading this, I'm sure working with Bit Shifter gives you more of an "in" than I do, but I could probably help in organizing said shindig if you felt so inclined.

Also since last week the game's first official trailer has been released. Check out this wonder and amazement right here:

Previously:
The Commander's Out Of The Bag, And I Couldn't Be More Excited
Blip Festival 2008 Primer Part 1 - Part 2
Chiptune Friday: Nullsleep vs. Depeche Mode
Chiptune Friday: Bit Shifter's "Reformat The Planet"

Chiptune Christmas!

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Christmas is almost certainly the holiday with the greatest quantity of specially-crafted pop culture to back it up. Christmas movies, tv specials, and music albums are all common in our commercially viable holiday season (seriously, have you heard Bootsy Collins' Christmas Is 4 Ever? I think you should...), and, of course, there's no keeping chiptune out of this. Last week, Cole pointed out the new 8-Bit Jesus album from Doctor Octoroc, but today we're taking a stroll down memory lane for me.

Five years ago, when I was first getting into chiptune as more than just a retro novelty, the 8bitPeoples released their second-ever compilation, The 8bits of Christmas (their first ep was all covers of the Beverly Hills Cop theme). Eight different chiptune musicians, each using a different piece of game hardware, each doing their own spin on a Christmas classic. All eight are delightful, and the EP quickly became a staple of my holiday playlist. Here now, my personal favorite, goto80's take on Wham!'s contemporary classic "Last Christmas," recorded using a Commodore 64:

Of course, if you enjoyed this, please download the entire 8bits of Christmas EP for free right here. It also includes 61FPS faves Nullsleep and Bit Shifter doing their renditions of "Silent Night"and "Let It Snow", repsectively.

Have a happy holiday, all!

Related articles:
Santa's Welcome Bounty: Christmas Morning Games
8 Bit Jesus: Holiday Chiptunes for Your Stocking
Making Black Friday Work For You
Praise His Name With Guitar Praise - Or Go To Hell
Chiptune Halloween

Best NES End Credits Music in the History of NES End Credits Music

John Constantine — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:45:00 GMT

Can’t you just hear it? It works so well, it’s ridiculous.

More NES-ready Radiohead chiptunes right here.

(Link: GoNintendo)

Related links:

Chiptune Friday: Shut Up and Jam!
Chiptune Friday: Blaze a Blaze in the Mushroom Kingdom
Chiptune Halloween: Check Your Candy For Razor Blades
Chiptune Friday: Power Blade
Chiptune Friday: I Am Thinking It's A Sign...

Chiptune Friday: Shut Up and Jam!

John Constantine — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 00:30:00 GMT

Ah, December. Winter is settling across the land, it’s getting mighty cold out, and everyone is in that holiday spirit, which is to say, they are filled with spirits. You know it and I know it, everyone: the only thing that says December more than a fat man in a red suit is Charles Barkley. Sir Charles is well known for spreading cheer across the land, as a baller, a caller, and a guy who can, like Santa and King Ghidora, beat the ever loving crap out of Godzilla. Barkley also has a rich videogame history, starring in a number of his own titles. Barkley Shut Up and Jam, a vintage piece of multiplatform goodness from 1994, may seem like a crappy NBA Jam clone, but NBA Jam could never compete with Shut Up and Jam on one court: the court of jams. Especially the Genesis version. Just dig the sweet grooves composed by Dominic Messenger and Rick Rhodes:

Yes, “Title Screen” and “Jammin’ Tune No. 1” are truly slammin’. Personally, I’m partial to “Jammin’ Tune No. 3”, but this was the best video I could find.

For anyone out there that wants to totally jam their yuletide cheer, 61FPS recommends you download Shut Up and Jam’s recent sequel, Barkley Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden. Gaiden is a SNES-style RPG developed by Tales of Game’s and needs to be seen to be believed.

Related links:

CHIPTUNE FRIDAY FRIDAY FRIDAY with TRUCKASAURAS!!!
Chiptune Friday: Bed ‘N Breakfast
Chiptune Friday: 8bit bEtty Tastes the Rainbow
Chiptune Friday: Crystal Castles
Chiptune Friday: Helix Nebula
Chiptune Friday: Do the Monster Mash!

Blip Festival 2008 Primer - Part 2

Derrick Sanskrit — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:00:00 GMT

The 2008 Blip Festival is only two days away, so today we're taking a look at the man considered to be responsible for the whole NYC chiptune scene, Jeremiah Johnson, aka Nullsleep. We've featured him here back on July 4th, but with Blip Festival just days away and a brand-new Nullsleep EP released just this past week, it seemed the time was ripe for a second look.

Without further ado, please enjoy "Salvation for a Broken Heart" from the just-released Unconditional Acceleration EP:

Oh my goodness, those sounds. Can you believe that was all composed and performed on an original Game Boy? Did you even know the Game Boy was capable of such sweet harmonious bliss? Kind of makes the Wario Land soundtrack just seem lazy, huh? But surely this can't be interesting to watch performed, can it? Well, here's a video of Nullsleep playing that very same song to a crowd of passersby in Chinatown eighteen months ago:

And if he can get those kids to dance out in the street in broad daylight, just imagine the fun to be had in a club at night.

Nullsleep will be performing this Saturday night from 11:20pm till midnight. If you enjoyed "Salvation for a Broken Heart," be sure to download the entire Unconditional Ecceleration EP for free from 8bitpeoples.

Come on back tomorrow for some more sweet chiptuning, and we hope to see you at Blip Festival this weekend!

Related articles:
Blip Festival 2008 Primer - Part 1 - noteNdo
Chiptune Friday: Nullsleep vs. Depeche Mode
Chiptune Friday: Bit Shifter
Blip Festival: Reformat the Planet on Pitchfork.tv
Chiptune Friday: Anamanaguchi
Chiptune Friday: USK
Chiptune Friday: cry.on.my.console Pits M.I.A. vs. Super Mario Bros.

Blip Festival 2008 Primer - Part 1

Derrick Sanskrit — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:00:00 GMT

That most wonderful time of the year is here, my lo-fi friends! The annual Blip Festival is almost upon us! In just three scant days, chiptune artists and afficianados from around the world will decend upon New York City as they have for the past two years and celebrate all that is good and futzwithable about video game hardware reappropriated for video and audio bliss. I'm excited. Can you tell I'm excited?

Four nights of live music performances (I know, it's hard to qualify them as "live" when most of the music is reliant on preprogrammed patterns on game cards, but it's still great), video shows, workshops and general camaraderie. To get you prepped for the rockin', we're here to shed some light on some of what you can expect from this year's performances.

First up is the man known as noteNdo, who's been with Blip Festival from the very beginning. One of the most popular of the chip visual artists, noteNdo will be providing the video accompaniment to five performances throughout the four day festival this week. Rather than create pre-rendered videos for each song, noteNdo, much like the musicians he works with, has restructured game hardware to automatically generate patterns of light and color rhythmically with the music. What does this all look like? Well, here's a video demonstration set to Bit Shifter's "Tea With Galactus":

Now imagine that on a big screen behind somebody rocking out on their Game Boy while you stand in a crowd full of excited hipsters. Makes you want to dance, right? You're damn right it does.

noteNdo is also kicking off this year's festivities with a set of his own music. You can check out his MySpace page for samples of that sweetness, and be sure to come back here tomorrow for another look at what to expect from Blip Festival 2008!

Related articles:
Chiptune Friday: Bit Shifter
Blip Festival: Reformat the Planet on Pitchfork.tv
Chiptune Friday: Anamanaguchi
Chiptune Friday: Nullsleep vs. Depeche Mode
Chiptune Friday: USK
Chiptune Friday: cry.on.my.console Pits M.I.A. vs. Super Mario Bros.

Chiptune Friday: Blaze a Blaze in the Mushroom Kingdom

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:00:00 GMT

It's been a busy week, hasn't it? Rather than give you one more thing to think about, here's a fairly straightforward and fun mash-up by Josh Console that pits Sri Lankan rapper M.I.A.'s first hit single "Galang" up against the timeless theme from the original Super Mario Bros.

Enjoy!

Related articles:
Digital, Super-Deformed Seth Rogan is Terrifying, Awesome (Remember M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" was in all of those Pineapple Express ads? Yeah...)
Chiptune Halloween: Check Your Candy For Razor Blades
Chiptune Friday: Firebrand Boy vs. The Postal Service
Chiptune Friday: RAC vs. Zelda II

Chiptune Halloween: Check Your Candy For Razor Blades

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Happy Halloween, everybody. I'm sure you've all got long nights of Sugar Daddies and Zombies Ate My Neighbors lined up, but don't forget some sweet tunes. Might I recommend the title track off of Twilight Electric's "Razor Blades" EP? I think you'll find these blades much smoother and more pleasant than the ones your mom was always checking your candied apples for.

Here's a little 30-second sample to give you a taste:

If you enjoyed this li'l tease, you can download the whole song as well as the entire "Razor Blades" EP for free from 8bitpeoples right here.

Happy Halloween!

Past Chiptunes:
Firebrand Boy vs. The Postal Service
RAC vs. Zelda II
Leeni's 8-bit Heart
USK's Little Sound Disko

Up All Night: Power Blade

John Constantine — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 22:30:00 GMT

Somewhere in upstate New York, on a chill night in April 1991, a television glows ominously in a family living room, illuminating the suburban setting in an uneasy, blue light. A boy sits before the television, knees tucked beneath him, with an NES pad in his hands. He is transfixed, his stare one that betrays nothing but a devoted concentration and perhaps a hint of desperation. This war against the despotic computer mainframe has gone on too long. It is taking its toll on his small mind. From upstairs comes a slow thumping, the sound of weary parental feet shuffling in the dark.

A call rings out.

“If I come down there and you’re still playing videogames, I’m going to throw that stupid box out the window.”

A whisper.

“Can’t talk. Final level.”

“GO TO BED!”

“No! No, I cannot go to bed! I must defeat these godless machines! I MUST STAY UP ALL NIGHT!”

Yes, Friday’s Chiptune got me thinking about that true Up All Night classic, Power Blade. One of Guy Wearing Tank Top and Sweatpants’ last great hurrahs on the NES, Power Blade is, unlike some UAN candidates, a legitimately good game, chock full of tight platforming and robot murdering in the grand Mega Man tradition. It also has an interesting history: Power Blade actually started, as Kurt Kalata puts it, a literal Mega Man clone called Power Blazer. In a rare stroke of ambition, Taito decided to not merely localize Blazer for a United States, but completely overhaul the gameplay and redesign the main character as well. The result was a superior game that was even more stuffed-crust-cheesy than most in 1991. Your set-up: in the year 2191, a super computer runs all of society. As super computers in the future are wont to do, it goes insane and kills all sorts of nice folk. GWTTS plays a tough guy named Nova who kicks ass like all tough guys: by using a giant metal boomerang and occasionally wearing some rad full-body armor. He uses both the boomerang and the armor to make robots explode across seven crazy futuristic levels.

Power Blade eventually spawned a sequel, which is notable for being both one of the last NES games ever released and also for having what is possibly the most suggestive cover of any NES game ever.

Look at that. Yes, of course it looks like he’s holding an enormous metal erection. Reminds me of that Empire Strikes Back trading card prank. This one:

Droid dongs aside, let us all kindly ask Square-Enix, owners of Taito, to give Power Blade a new life on Wii’s Virtual Console, lest we all emulate the damn thing. See you next time, everybody!

Previously on Up All Night:

Cannon Spike
Parasite Eve
Trojan
Dark Sector
Ex-Mutants
Nightmare Creatures
Bad Dudes
P.N. 03

Chiptune Friday: Power Blade

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:00:00 GMT

Among the many games the 61FPS crew were treated to chunks of this week was an astonishly smooth pre-alpha build of Eat Lead, the long awaited return of fake-B-action game star Matt Hazard. While the bits of game we saw were brilliant, I couldn't shake the feeling that the entire thing was an interactive and hilariously cheesy late 1990's Bruce Willis movie. When I mentioned this to John, only one thought came to mind: Taito's 1991 NES action platformer Power Blade, which itself played like an early 90's Bruce Willis movie.

Here now, the theme from Power Blade's first stage. Enjoy!

Previous Chiptune Fridays:
Dangers Disney Ducks!
Bed 'N Breakfast
The Adventure of Link
Bionic Commando - A New Breed of Hero

Chiptune Friday: I Am Thinking It's A Sign...

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:00:00 GMT

This week brings us a Game Boy cover of The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" by Firebrand Boy, aka Philip Cunningham. Composed entirely in LSDJ, the gentle clicks, bleeps and bloops should be enough to make even the staunchiest hipster forget how very over this song they've been for years... at least until somebody mentions Garden State... ugh...

Anyway, here's the music:

If you enjoyed this, you can check out Firebrand Boy's recent releases popNaive from CrunchyCo and Songs for Cake from 8bitpeoples.

Related Chiptunes:
RAC's A Link To The Past
Leeni's 8-bit Heart
USK's Little Sound Disko
Nullsleep's Depeche Mode Megamix

Chiptune Friday: Dangerous Disney Ducks!

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:01:00 GMT

As previously reported, Capcom is all about the retro revivals these days, what with Bionic Commando Rearmed, Mega Man 9 and the upcoming Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. Unfortunately, some of their best retro games are likely to never be revisited due to complex liscensing issue.Yes, once upon a time there were fantastic platformers staring unlikely heroes like Mickey Mouse and Little Nemo, action puzzlers staring Goofy, and more! Of course, their most remembered liscensed property is Ducktales, which has gotten some 61FPS love in the past. Ducktales for the NES even got a sequel and its action spinoff Darkwing Duck got its own sweet NES action-adventure.

So now, chiptune lovers, the NES renditions of both duck-cartoon theme songs. Feel free to sing along after the break.

Life is like a hurricane
Here in Duckburg
Race cars, lasers, aeroplanes
It's a duck-blur
Might solve a mystery
Or rewrite history

DuckTales (oooh ooooh)
Every day they're out there making
DuckTales (oooh ooooh)
Tales of daring do bad and good
LuckTales (oooh ooooh)

D-D-D-Danger! Watch behind you
There's a stranger out to find you
What to do? Just grab on to some

DuckTales (oooh ooooh)
Every day they're out there making
DuckTales (oooh ooooh)
Tales of daring do bad and good
LuckTales (oooh ooooh)

Not pony tales or cotton tales, no
DuckTales

––––––––––

Daring duck of mystery,
Champion of right,
Swoops out of the shadows,
Darkwing owns the night.
Somewhere some villain schemes,
But his number's up.

Darkwing Duck (When there's trouble you call DW)
Darkwing Duck (Let's get dangerous)
Darkwing Duck (Darkwing, Darkwing Duck!)

Cloud of smoke and he appears,
Master of surprise.
Who's that cunning mind behind
That shadowy disguise?
Nobody knows for sure,
But bad guys are out of luck.

'Cause here comes (Darkwing Duck)
Look out! (When there's trouble you call DW)
Darkwing Duck (Let's get dangerous)
Darkwing Duck (Better watch out, you bad boys)
Darkwing Duck!

Related articles:
OST: Ducktales
Darkwing Duck: Capcom's Secret Mega Man
Chiptune Friday: Bionic Commando - A New Breed of Hero
Chiptune Friday: Little Nemo The Dream Master
Chiptune Friday: Return of the Blue Bomber

Chiptune Friday: Bed ‘N Breakfast

John Constantine — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:30:00 GMT

It’s been raining today here in New York, a cold harbinger of October keeping us city dwellers indoors, putting on sweaters, and craving hot cocoa. Personally, I’m trying to gear myself up for tonight’s Presidential debate, but I’d be lying to you if I said that I wasn’t truly desperate for a nap, one preferably under a thick comforter and near my DS for some more Dragon Quest IV. It’s in that spirit that we present this week’s Chiptune Friday, not a single track, but a compilation of soothing tones to ease one’s weary soul and refill their hit points.

From Dorkclub.com comes this selection of Inn Themes from various RPGs. For the unfamiliar, inns have been the go to spot to refill your adventurers’ stats after a long day of level-grinding. And since the dawn of the genre, resting at the inn has invariably been accompanied by a brief, often lovely melody. From Animal Crossing to Xenogears, you’ll be hard pressed to keep your eyes open. Stay warm and sweet dreams, 61FPSers.

Previously on Chiptune Friday:

Chiptune Friday: 8bit bEtty Tastes the Rainbow
Chiptune Friday: Helix Nebula
Chiptune Friday: Do the Monster Mash!
Chiptune Friday: A Link To The Past
Chiptune Friday: Return of the Blue Bomber

Chiptune Friday: A Link To The Past

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Last week's Zelda jam was a pleasant trip down memory lane, but it was missing one thing that I've come to enjoy here every friday: a booty-shakin' beat to celebrate the end of the work week dancing to! So today we're revisit Hyrule thanks to the stylish innovation that the kids these days are calling "the remix".

Yes, I'm cheating here a little bit, as this is not so much chiptune as a fully produced remix of chiptune, but this tune, along with the rest of RAC's Nintendo vs. Sega EP, is as much a celebration of its gaming roots as anything from the likes of nullsleep, Bit Shifter and company.

This four-track nostalgia dance party made the rounds on the blogs over six months ago when it was first released. Since then RAC has continued making sweet remixes, most notably a sweet mixtape sponsored by Stereogum. If you dug this Zelda jam, I strongly encourage you to download the entire Nintendo vs. Sega EP, which is free and offers three more tracks from the worlds of Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Related articles:
Chiptune Friday: The Adventure of Link
The Only Thing I Know How To Say: "Thank You Mario..."
Chiptune Friday: Leeni's 8-bit Heart
Chiptune Friday: Little Sound Disko

Chiptune Friday: The Adventure of Link

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:00:00 GMT

The Legend of Zelda series is responsible for many of the most memorable musical scores in the history of gaming, but there is one in the series that has been woefully ignored over the years. I refer, of course, to the black sheep of the Zelda family tree, 1987's Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for the Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom. Maybe it's because The Adventure of Link is the only console Zelda game without a score by Koji Kondo, but Akito Nakatsuka's brilliant reimagining has been all but forgotten – save for the palace theme, resurrected for the Temple stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Here, listen to Zelda II's overworld theme, the opening bars of which are the only link to Kondo's original Zelda score:

Much has been said over the years about Zelda II and its relationship with and differences from the rest of the Zelda games, so I won't harp on about that. I will point out, however, that Zelda II features an intense battle between Link and an evil Dark Link clone (seen above), a concept that has since been repeated in such other Nintendo games as Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Metroid Prime 2 and 3, Super Mario Galaxy, and pretty much every other game in the world. Cheesy and cliché as it is now, this was totally awesome back in the '80s.

Related articles:
The Ten Most Adventurous Sequels In Gaming History, Part 2
Chiptune Friday: Bionic Commando - A New Breed of Hero
Chiptune Friday: Little Nemo - The Dream Master
Chiptune Friday: A Test of Island Courage!

Chiptune Friday: Leeni's 8 Bit Heart PLUS Bonus Music Video!

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:30:00 GMT

Two things are certain in listening to Leeni's "Perfection Interrupted":

1 - This girl has some strong opinions about popular media.

2 - She must really dislike whoever this song is about.

Nonetheless, it is a beautiful example of a finely crafted pop song composed with the Game Boy's nanoloop.

If you enjoyed this sweet li'l jam, you can grab Leeni's 8 Bit Heart album from CD Baby or iTunes and learn more about Leeni on her website.

Also, it seems the hipster tastemakers over at Pitchfork.tv just keep on keeping on with the chiptune love for the fourth week in a row. First a music video by Truckasauras, then two weeks of the Reformat the Planet documentary, and this week they bring us a video from Baltimore musician Adventure for his single "Ultrazone":

Adventure openly admits that he is not trying to be a part of the chiptune scene, especially since he uses a midi keyboard and not video game hardware, but much like VHS or Beta and the dancepunk scene of the early aughts, the sound is so similar to what others are doing at the same time that its hard not to get lumped into the group.

Related articles:
Chiptune Friday Special Edition: Watch Reformat the Planet RIGHT NOW!
Chiptune Friday: Little Nemo the Dream Master PLUS Bonus Music Video!
Chiptune Friday: Little Sound Disko
Chiptune Friday Friday Friday with Truckasauras!

Chiptune Friday: Bionic Commando - A New Breed of Hero

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:00:00 GMT

I have to admit, I kind of got used to John's daily posts about the majesty of Bionic Commando, and while Rearmed has been keeping my DualShock3 rumbling with delight since then, I still feel something missing when I'm away from the game for too long. Thankfully, this little gem from the 1988 NES version was around to keep my headphones warm with hot lead.

This tune only plays in one stage of the game, Area 8, and that's a shame because it so perfectly captures the black ops action mood of the entire game with its cool jazz-like square waves, intensified by the rat-a-tat of the noise channel's marching snare. To top it off, Area 8 is one of the coolest looking levels of Rearmed as many of the rooms are backlit, producing beautiful silhouettes in monochromatic blue hallways. Replace the bazooka with a tenor saxophone and it's jazz personified...almost...

Changing gears a bit, it seems there has been so much positive buzz since last week about the Reformat the Planet chiptune documentary streaming on Pitchfork.tv that the network's producers and the film's director Paul Owens have agreed to grant the doc a bonus life with one more week of free broadcasting. If you missed out last week, now's your chance to experience the magic. If you enjoyed it already, another go might just be what it takes to inspire you to dust off your old Game Boy (I know it did for me).

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Chiptune Friday SPECIAL EDITION: Watch "Reformat the Planet" RIGHT NOW!

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:01:00 GMT

2 Player Productions' Reformat The Planet is a feature-length documentary about the rising New York City chiptune music scene. The film debuted at the South By Southwest festival a few months ago and has been making the rounds at various other festivals including PAX later this month. Featuring behind-the-scenes interviews and live performances by a large number of musicians, including several featured here on Chiptune Friday, Reformat The Planet is an excellent film and bound to please anybody who is a fan of music, video games, gadgets, counter-culture, or any combination of the above.

And now, our friends at Pitchfork.tv have put the entire film up on their website so you don't even need to leave your web browser. Click here to watch the film right now. You have exactly one week starting today to enjoy it for free, then you'll have to go to a screening or wait for the DVD.

If you still need some convincing, here's a quick clip from the film of Nullsleep setting up just what chip music is:

Interestingly enough, this is the second week in a row that Pitchfork.tv has seen fit to grace us with some chiptune goodness. Might chip music be *gasp* hip? We'll see...

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Chiptune Friday: Little Nemo: The Dream Master PLUS Bonus Music Video!

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Capcom are responsible for several of the most well established franchises in video game history, but it wasn't too long ago that that they were also known for decidedly non-sucky games based on licensed properties. In 1990, Capcom gave NES owners a new reason think about sleep while they were awake with Little Nemo: The Dream Master, a surprisingly challenging platformer loosely based on the animated film Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, which itself was loosely based on Winsor McCay's classic Little Nemo in Slumberland comic strips.

In 8-bit Capcom tradition, the game featured lush graphics, vibrant sound, and tight gameplay. Here now, the music from the second "dream" (stage) in the game, Flower Garden, a personal favorite of mine because you got to control both the gorilla and the bee!

As a bonus, you may remember that three weeks ago Chiptune Friday featured the entire album "Tea Parties, Guns and Valor" by Truckasauras. Well, here now the video for that album's first single, "Fak!!":

Thanks to Pitchfork.tv - to whom I am in no way partial - for the clip.

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Chiptune Friday: Little Sound Disko

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:30:00 GMT

It's hard to believe that this track by Japanese Chiptuner USK was composed on a Game Boy. It's not because of the limited sounds and effects, oh no, that all works just fine. It's because this song clearly requires many more colors than even the Game Boy Color was capable of producing.

I present to you the Game Boy rave stylings of USK's "Little Sound Disko#05"

If you've enjoyed this jam, feel free to download the entire PICOPICODISCO EP for free from 8bitPeoples. If you're anything like me, all five tracks should certainly get you in the mood for a weekend full of PixelJunk Eden.

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Chiptune Friday: A Test of Island Courage!

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:15:00 GMT

As a lifelong coast-dweller, I am well aware of the fact that hurricane season is upon us. With this in mind, I feel that it's the right time to bring out my favorite island-hopping adventure game, StarTropics from Nintendo. Here's the happy little ditty that plays in Chapter 6: Reunion when your young adventurer finally finds his missing archeologist uncle, Dr. J:

I find this track incredibly peaceful and welcoming, an impressive achievement of chiptune considering the relatively brief loop and the extremely minimal use of the NES's five audio channels. People complain about the lack of a true Punch-Out! game on the Wii, but StarTropics never even left the NES. I would love some waggle-based yo-yo combat in a tropical Twilight Princess. Oh well, at least I still have my original immersive letter...

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CHIPTUNE FRIDAY FRIDAY FRIDAY with TRUCKASAURAS!!!

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:00:00 GMT

It's been a week of DISAPPOINTMENT and EMPTY PROMISES from the Big 3 at E3, but here at 61 FRAMES PER SECOND things are JUST HEATING UP!

Get ready to have your EARS BLOWN OUT because THIS WEEKEND only at 61 FRAMES PER SECOND SECOND SECOND we've got the legendary TRUCKASAURAS-AURAS-AURAS!!!

These BAD BOYS from SEATTLE craft their WHITE HOT CLICKS, BLEEPS AND DOOTS using V-V-V-VINTAGE Roland drum machines and synths and sequence them all through AN OLD-SCHOOL GAME BOY GAME BOY GAME BOY!!!

TRUCKASAURAS bring such HEAVY HITS to the arena as "Super Copter," "Fak!!!," "Up, Up, Down, Down, L, R, L, R," and "Porkwich," on their FACE-MELTING debut LP TEA PARTIES, GUNS & VALOR.

For downloadable tickets to this MONSTROUS show of BRUTE TECHNOLOGICAL FORCE, visit your nearest Necodo.com or hear the full album below! Thanks, Necodo!

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Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:00:00 GMT

No, this is not a post about Young MC (oh, but if only...)

John's comments on Bubble Bobble got me thinking about its puzzle spin-off, the wildly addictive and oft-copied Puzzle Bobble, or as it is more popularly known, Bust A Move (or, as it is more casually known, Snood).

Like its source game, Puzzle Bobble had a catchy yet decidedly limited soundtrack. This here "Challenge Mode" theme from the Super Nintendo port of the arcade classic was always my favorite.

Break it down for me fellas...

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Chiptune Friday: IndepenDANCE Day Weekend

Derrick Sanskrit — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Today is Independence Day here in the United States, which means everyone in the country is off at a barbeque and setting off fireworks.

What better way to celebrate the United States' independence than with a New York chiptuner's take on one of the most popular British bands of the past few decades? I present to you Nullsleep's Depeche Mode Megamix, with chiptune takes on "Enjoy The Silence," "Photographic," "New Life," and "Everything Counts."

Fourteen-and-a-half minutes of nostalgic Game Boy bliss should delight everyone at your party of choice and comfort that hottie you've been eyeing all afternoon as you gaze drunkenly up at the colorful explosions in the night sky together.

Graphic from one of my favorite shirts from R Stevens.