Hey all,
Get excited: My good friends Asif Siddiky and Paul Owens (of 2 Player Productions) have gotten their documentary film, Blip Festival: Reformat the Planet, onto Pitchfork TV. The film is in their "One Week Only" section and will only screen until Thursday Aug 21st.
The film, which screened at this year's SXSW festival, sheds light on the thriving, underground NYC Chiptune scene. Chiptune musicians retool Gameboys and other classic video game hardware into synthesizers, rhythm units, and other musical doodads. The music isn't video game music, but rather a punky DIY recasting of gaming technology into a mode of creative expression. Even if you don't watch the whole film (it's divided into Chapters), I strongly recommend that you at least dip into it and get a taste of this music culture.
When visiting some friends in NYC a few months ago, I attended a show at The Tank, the scene's CBGB-like epicenter. The music ranged from blippy shoegaze to hard techno-like dancefloor bangers and it was all followed by a slamming DJ set that put chiptunes up against house music and some crazy Dizzee Rascal remix. Dancing ensued, despite my horrible hangover from the night before. The musicians and concertgoers were much more honest and enthusiastic than the art-for-fashion's-sake hipsters encountered elsewhere in NYC.
Later this week, I'll update with some audio and text about shows I've seen over the course of the summer. Madonna, Sean, and Me.
