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Dj CUTMAN’s MAGFest 2014 Recap

MAGFest, for the uninitiated, is the best place on the planet. It’s an acronym for Music and Gaming Festival, held just outside of Washington, DC in Maryland. It’s the largest festival in the world that focuses on video game inspired bands and musicians.

This year was my fifth consecutive year attending MAGFest. The music directors offered me an incredible opportunity; to forego my usual hour-long DJ set to program up my own three hour electronic music event on the main stage. For months we bounced ideas back and forth, ultimately landing on a modern spin on a classic format, the DJ Battle.

The battle format is simple enough, each DJ sets up their  equipment beforehand and creates a short set that exemplifies their style. While this format has existed in hiphop for decades, it’s rarely seen in Electronic Dance Music (EDM) and had never been attempted in the video game music community. With the help of my record label, GameChops, I combed through the MAGFest DJ applicants to create an ensemble lineup that would best represent the diversity of EDM / VGM performers.

Benjamin Briggs – Electro house producer with a tendency towards chiptunes. Streams video games on Twitch.tv and takes fan-requests for remixes.
bLiNd – Video game trance remixer with pumping beats and exceptional mixes, bLiNd has been producing for sixteen years.
Grimecraft – Futuristic trap and bass music producer and a video game developer for Square Enix
Flexstyle – Overclocked Remixer who’s contributed to countless projects on OCRemix
Totentanz – World-touring DJ of hardstyle with a classical video game influence.
Dj CUTMAN – That’s me.

Video Game DJ Battle at MAGfest
Video Game DJ Battle at MAGfest final poster design

So I had found the DJs, but preparation didn’t end there. I reached out to renown comic artist Thor Thorvaldson to create illustrated versions of each DJ in the style of a Mega Man character. I used Thor’s artwork to create a quick design like a fighting game’s Character Select screen. There was an incredible response to our artwork, so I adapted it into the poster design you see here. We printed a limited run and hung them up around MAGFest the day of the show.

Taking inspiration from the Chiptune community, which features live circuit-bent visuals, I reached out to Baltimore-based Pixel Seed to create live visuals for each DJ.

Pixel Seed's live visual rig
Pixel Seed’s live visual rig

I sent him Thor’s artwork, along with Soundcloud links for each performer. The day of the show, he came backstage with a suitcase. When he opened it up, I was in awe. Video mixers, a hacked nintendo, custom controllers and feedback monitors  were meticulously arranged in this unsuspecting container. He threw up up on a table, plugged in his powercord and the entire rig illuminated.

As the DJ battle approached, my heart pounded through my chest. Thankfully,  MAGFest has a brilliant stage-manager affectionally referred to as “Angel” and an on-point security team who kept everything running smoothly. With low-light and a restless crowd, we hooked up all six DJs.

DJs set up for the Video Game DJ Battle
Dj CUTMAN, bLiNd, Ben Briggs, Grimecraft, Totentanz and Flexstyle set up their rigs with help from the stage-hands.

Pixel Seed was hooked into the massive 31ft projector screen, testing his glittering visuals and super-imposing Thor’s artwork. We had only a few minutes to perform what I call the “DJ Soundcheck”, where everyone gets about ten seconds of sound while the crowd cheered and egged us on to begin. Once we were all sound-checked, Pixel Seed was in position, we all went back stage to get ready to roll.

Once the Video Game DJ Battle began, it was a flash. bLiNd performed with guest MC A_Rival, a talented rapper and veteran remixer from San Francisco. Grimecraft also brought some surprises, a character MC known as DJ Dr Wily, 50 inflatable dolphins, and an eight foot long Orca whale were unleashed on the crowd. The DJ battle was streamed live on Twitch.tv, but during the night the convention center’s network crashed and the stream was cut off. Thanks to Will Strouse and Robert Swackhamer of 8BitX Radio Network, we were able to recover nearly all the footage and upload it to YouTube.

The Video Game DJ Battle ended up being the highest attended event of MAGFest 2014, with 2,200 attendees at the concert and over 1,500 people streaming on Twitch.

Watch the entire Video Game DJ Battle from MAGFest 2014

Each DJ uploaded a clean “studio” version of their set onto Soundcloud for posterity.

MAGFest is a hive of positive energy, from their 24-hour a day free-play arcade, to the multitude of blogs and game studios covering the event, doing interviews, and producing content in and around MAGFest. I was happy to see my Philly friends from J1 Studios conducting interviews of some of the GameChops members and other radical personalities attending MAGFest.

One of the beautiful things about MAGFest is it straddles the line between all-out 4-day long party, and a serious reflective space for those who choose to dedicate their life to the things that they love. I had an opportunity to talk candidly with a young radio DJ by the name of Game Boy about my experiences running a label and putting together the DJ battle.

Lastly, I have an archived version of the four GameChops’ DJs battle sets recorded live, complete with the tremendous energy of the room.

Thanks for reading my recap, Let me know what you think in the comments!

MAGfest’s Video Game DJ Battle goes down on Friday Night

Video Game DJ Battle at MAGfest
Video Game DJ Battle at MAGfest

Six DJs, all leaders in their genre, will battle it out on the MAGFest main stage. Each DJ will be granted 25 minutes to showcase the best of what their style has to offer, all while incorporating the best music from video games. The winner will be forever remembered as a Video Game DJ Champion.

Show starts at midnight. Doors open at 11:30PM on Friday Night. All ages, MAGfest badge is required for entry. Register at MAGfest.org

– – – THE DJs – – –
Dj CUTMAN – Chiptune
First up is the original video game DJ, and founder of the GameChops game music record label. After a year of touring the continent, Dj CUTMAN returns to MAGFest to bring you the best in chiptunes and video game music.

bLiNd – Trance
A veteran trance and house producer, bLiNd has been contributing to the VGM remix scene since 2002. He is hailed as one of the best video game remixers of all time.

Ben Briggs – Electro
Ben is a powerhouse producer, releasing over 10 albums in only three years. Taking inspiration from chiptune video game music, he wields the funkiest soundfonts and dirtiest basslines.

Grimecraft – Future Bass
From a digital world beyond your monitor, Grimecraft will twist your insides with body moving bass music. Don’t let your guard down, his meticulous made melodies will strike feels into the heart of even the coldest robot.

Flexstyle – Drum n Bass
Mind-bending energy and flexibility is what Flexstyle brings to the table. He’s an OverClocked ReMix producer who’s contributed to epic projects like Balance and Ruin and BadAss: Boss Themes.

DJ Totentanz – Hard Dance
The world-touring hard dance DJ stations herself between Philadelphia and Berlin. Never without a gig, Totentanz is an arsenal of hardsyle, hard dance and hardcore music.

– – – VISUALS – – –
Live 8-bit and circuit bent visuals by Pixel Seed.

Sponsored by GameChops, the video game remix label.

RSVP on Facebook

Ben Briggs – Mario Kart: Bonus Beach

Ben Briggs - Mario Kart: Bonus BeachIt’s getting cold outside, so heat up with Mario Kart: Bonus Beach! Three toasty tropical Mario Kart remixes to keep you warm, each from a different game. Included is Mario Kart 64 from N64, Super Mario Kart on the SNES and Mario Kart Super Circuit from the GBA, all with seamless transitions for the full “getaway” effect! Mario Kart: Bonus Beach is a continuous video game remix set!

Download Bonus Beach from Ben Briggs

Ben writes:
Special thanks to my beautiful girlfriend Steph, for reminding me that Mario Kart music is wonderful, simply by loving the game and playing it near my ears!

 

Check out the continuous mix version below, and remember to subscribe to GameChops on YouTube!

Follow Ben Briggs
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Ben Briggs – The Briggs Effect 2

The Briggs Effect 2

Hey everyone, Ben Briggs here! I’ve just released my latest album, “The Briggs Effect 2“, chock full of video game remixes and assorted chiptuney goodness for your earholes. Seriously, there’s a lot to go around here… Super Mario 64, Super Mario RPG, Harvest Moon 64, Golden Sun, Mega Man 2… the list goes on!
Most of these tracks were requested/earned by my fans and friends, be it from fundraiser donations or public Facebook votes, and the others are simply shining examples of my work over the years. Covering a wide range of styles, I’ve gathered these songs onto one album in order to more fully expand my discography, and to provide a convenient medium for discovering and downloading my best music. Many of these tracks have not been available for download before today, so be sure to jump on this opportunity to finally get your hands on some of my hottest new remixes!

Before I go, I’d like to add a personal note: Thank you to all my fans for their continuing love and support; without you guys I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am now. If you’re a new listener and you like what you hear, please consider donating via PayPal or purchasing the album on Bandcamp to support me and my dream of surviving as a full-time musician.

With love,
-Ben