Demos came about as a sort of “visual graffiti” that preceded video games that had been cracked (had their DRM removed) by a team or person who wanted to visually show off their artistic side as well as their technical prowess. In the early days, computing capabilities and space were severely limited and that required a certain finesse to create something amazing using very limited means. That meant that the music and animations created in this format required creativity as well as algorithmic magic, and physical parties sprung up way before the internet as a way to share files and knowledge and to compete and inspire each other. Demoscene: The Art of the Algorithm is a well-crafted documentary that narrates the history of the demoscene and demoparties, and captures the essence of the modern-day scene.
LINKS Nectarine is a demoscene portal that’s still updated with demos Pixeljoint Pixel Art Resources Keygenmuysic.net Download .mod files ripped from demos or keygens / cracks. Requires a .mod player like one of the apps on Modplug.com Keygen Music Jukebox Listen to demoscene / keygen music without need for a .mod player
Trackers are the original old school way to compose music on computers, using hexadecimal to assign effects and notes. Impulse Tracker was the one I used on DOS, but there are modern day equivalents like Sunvox and Psycle.
Anyone in the music industry who has to perform live understands the need for audio adapters–you just can’t get around this fact. Because of that, and because I was getting so tired of loaning adapters to the musicians and DJs I’d play alongside with, I created the Electronic Musician’s Emergency Adapters as an attempt to fix this for more people. Granted, there are people who have already created their own “first aid kit” along these lines, and that makes me happy.
However, when I find a particularly creative approach, I can’t help but share it. Yes, you’re looking at a makeup case full of audio adapters. Yes, that’s a mirror in there. This is James D. Garcia‘s solution and I find it hilariously useful and awesome. He had a day job that involved managing a warehouse full of beauty supplies, so this made sense: just as professionals within beauty have tool boxes, so do workers in the audio sciences.
It’s the last few days to fund a futuristic role playing game that I contributed one of my Quantazelle to the promotional video. Here’s part of what I wrote over on my Quantazelle site:
“Always / Never / Now” is a storytelling game adventure that’s somewhere between James Bond and William Gibson in its action and intrigue. There’s a the street samurai with the metal legs and the one-time-professional bodyguard with the metal arms to the the cat burglar with the reckless guile, in over his head. Always/Never/Now translates these characters into ready-to-play action heroes on a mission that stands to change their dystopian future forever.
The designer, Will Hindmarch, an old friend, asked me for a track to use for the promotional video that was kind of “something befitting international espionage, action-adventure, and slickly classy near-future dystopias,” so I recommended Unlawful Furniture.
Here’s a hilarious book explaining how computers work, referencing meat needed as fuel, puppies, and a washing machine as integral parts.
In a classic internet video, Bjork explains how television works, comparing the electrical components to buildings in a city, and the wires are “elevators.” It bothers me that people find her “adorable” when she is acting like a child simplistically justifying the “magic” of electronics. What’s also sad is she is an electronic musician who should have technical knowledge of her tools (however, she relies heavily on producers, which could explain why she thinks electronics is a magical process). She is a grown woman and it is sad that this is considered cute.
I curated a Chicago-artists-only compilation of innovative electronic music for my label, subVariant called “Frequencity. Read more about it and download it here. I’ve also contributed a track as Quantazelle. Enjoy!
TRACKLIST: 01. Beanbake: “A Bicycle In Your Mind” [Melodic Electronica]
02. Belmont and Clark: “Dark Compression” [Analogue Electro]
03. Ella Laurence: “aaaAH” [Acid]
04. [esc]APE: “Square Fingers” [Dark Electro]
05. Polyfuse: “Blood on the Urinal” [Electro Industrial]
06. Foe Paw: “Dos Otros” [Prog Rock]
07. XYZR_KX: “Home” [Folk IDM]
08. Mike Gonsior: “Reflections” [Downtempo Electronica]
09. Quantazelle: “Polychromatic Tomatoes” [Melodic Electronica]
10. Lokua: “Hue” [Minimal Techno]
11. Drasla: “Moonlight Somnambula” [Neo-Classical IDM]
12. Elock: “Ari on Acid” [Chiptune]
Here’s a cool chiptune + pixel art video featuring beer, the German language, robots, and snorkeling cows, snorkeling cows and a host of other surreal bits.
This 8-bit trip to bavaria captures the spirit of retro video-games and our Gameboy plays authentic Oktoberfest drinking music
The so-called ‘Wiesn’ in Munich is the biggest beer festival in the world and in this music-video you could join the CUBIES travelling there.
For fans of escape games (self-paced puzzle games–the kind you can play while working on other things–that usually have the theme of escaping a room by searching around and creatively using ordinary items in MacGyver-ish ways), Deep Chalk is a surreal, fanciful take on a genre that usually relies on geometric blocks of color and angular lines making up ordinary things like desks and doors. It’s somewhat reminiscent of Samorost in its adventure-like and whimsical format, but also of Daymare Town with its heavy reliance on drawing.
To complement the visual atmosphere, the artist used samples of Boards of Canada for sound effects. At one point, being familiar with BoC even gives you an advantage…play it and see.
subVariant is planning to release a free-to-download collection called Frequencity featuring quality songs from regional musicians. All electronic music genres are welcome.
subVariant will also release an original t-shirt design in the theme of “Chicago Electronic Music” when the compilation is officially released.
On June 4th, 2011 is the 4th Annual Experimental Garage Sale! This craft fair focuses on circuit bending and DIY musical instruments at the Experimental Sound Studio space with 12 sellers who will have plenty circuit bent devices, un-bent toys, electronic parts, kits, experimental instruments, contact microphones, guitar pedals, art, and more. The sale will begin rain or shine at 12:00 PM and last until 6:00 PM.
