The chiptune collective and compilation series Chiptunes = WIN has just put out their latest volume, with a whopping 51 TRACKS from chiptune musicians from around the world. I have the pleasure / challenge / nightmare of mastering these tracks together for the volume’s release, it was epic and I’m very happy with how it all turned out.
You can stream and download the Chiptunes = WIN: Volume 3 below. For more details, check out the FULL DETAILS page on The ChipWIN Blog.
Sup y’all? =) President Hoodie from Chiptunes = WIN here!
Been a little while since I’ve typeity typed on this supa-delicious blog, but today I’ve a solid reason for a quick return:
MAGFEST = WIN
To clear things up a bit, ‘MAGFest = WIN’ is a new ChipWIN compilation featuring 12 new chiptunes from 12 chipartist performers from the recent MAGFest 12! (A NUMBER WHICH WAS OBVIOUSLY CHOSEN ON PURPOSE AND DID NOT HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT AT ALL. :3 )
As always, mastering by Dj CUTMAN, artwork by Nate Horsfall, & track order by Kubbi. (aka THE FULL WORKS).
tl;dr – Wanna keep the joy of MAGFest alive in your heart/soul/junk/heartsouljunk for the rest of the year?
THEN THIS RELEASE IS FOR YOU. 8)
Stream/download/donate/share the goodness via the Bandcamp embed below!
Much \m|♥|m/,
President Hoodie
MAGFest:
MAGFest.org | Facebook | Twitter
Chiptunes = WIN:
Chiptuneswin.com (Bandcamp) | Fb Group | Fb Page
The ChipWIN Blog | Twitter | Soundcloud | Tumblr | YouTube
The J. Arthur Keenes band continues to impress me. Their previous abum, Computer Savvy has what I consider to be the finest piece of chip/ska ever written, a bouncy little 2 minute piece called Cluck, which I’ve listened to on repeat while jogging over 20 times straight without noticing. I’d have been happy to have a whole album of nothing less than these great ska and reggae influenced chiptune tracks. But you get so much more from a J. Arthur Keenes album.
On trying to describe their latest album, The Social Lion, I find myself referring to bands that are the furthest thing from chiptune; M. Ward, Pedro the Lion, Beck, early-Wilco come to mind, mixed in with bits of swing, cowboy music and of course more ska and reggae. The chiptune influences are still there, little reggae upstroke ARPstabs, occasionally swirly bending notes and most prominently a low, crunchy bass, however they are a lot less prominent than they were on Computer Savvy. It sounds as if someone took the instruments away from half M. Ward’s backing band and replaced them with Gameboys.
The most distinctive thing about Social Lion is the vocals. The lyrics are clever and memorable and you’ll find lots of memorable choruses and melodies. This album is a lot more cohesive than Computer Savvy. You can get a digital copy for $8 and for just $2 more, an awesome hard copy album. It may be the first chip/folk/reggae thing in your collection!
When we think of what sounds make up quality, memorable chiptune albums and songs, the SNES is probably one of the last systems we think about. However, when you think of the most memorable songs from the 16-bit era, the SNES, at least for me, is near the top of the list.
Sleepytimejesse aims to close that discrepancy with Spacious Anxious, which he describes as a “first-person space odyssey; episodes of awe and agoraphobia.” If you recently picked up Chiptune = Win vol 2, you heard his stand-out track, Riparian Woodlands, arguably the quietest song on the entire compilation, this delicate track recalled the mystical feeling of every 16-bit RPG you ever played. He’s also the author of the massive, Earthbound Soundfont. To my knowledge, it’s the most extensive SNES soundfont out there.
With Spacious Anxious, we get an album that’s both beautiful and menacing, spacious and claustrophobic, it all depends on the track. Using sounds from the SNES, N64 and GameCube, sleepytimejesse constructs an album that mostly sounds like boss battle music from Super Metroid interspersed with slower, soaring pieces that give you rest from the action and make me think of exploring some sort of foreboding alien temple.
What also sets this album about is the composition influences, it’s not a dance album, so don’t expect that. It’s clear that Radiohead is an influence with the track, “Anthem For A Plutoid”, which sort of sounds like Massive Attack remixed “National Anthem” on an SNES. The heavier tracks also have a bit of chugging Djent converted to 16-bit guitar samples. It’s great to see someone taking a fresh approach to chiptune music, not only with their platform choice but also with their style. Support this excellent effort and pick up a copy.
Beatscribe is a full time indie composer, musician and writer. By day he creates soundtracks and sfx for various mobile gaming companies, by night creates megaman-inspired chiptunes, in the afternoons he drinks tea. Check out his latest releases, tutorials and retro ruminations at www.beatscribe.com.
