I’m aware I’m kind of a dorky guy. I have multiple video game systems hooked up to my TV. I own a few graphic novels. I currently have a papercraft on my desk. I could get into plot points of more than one game in the Final Fantasy series (good lord, XII is terrible).
So I’ve come to the fact that I can be okay with admitting I enjoy listening to chiptunes – music created from the musical chips of the Nintendo Game Boy, NES, or any other vintage game system. Once you get over the initial nerd factor, there can be some really great music going on.
Over at Pitchfork.tv (which I really should spend more time watching, as there’s boatloads of great content over there), they’re currently running the documentary Reformat the Planet, which talks about the genre’s origins, major acts, and gear involved. It’s a feature-length documentary, and I’ve only gotten to see the first few chapters, but what I watched was pretty solid stuff. It’s only up for the rest of this week, so check it out while you can.
For other chiptunes-related goodness (and lots of free downloads), head over to 8-Bit Peoples and nerd out.
