8-Bit

Chip Music, Game Music

Big Sounds from Tiny Barbarian DX: The Serpent Lord OST

June 19, 2013 | Brenna Wilkes | 1 Comment Share this

If the words “Retro Swords & Sorcery Gaming” don’t appeal to you, then you very well might be a lost cause. When Conan the Barbarian meets 8-bit, the pixels themselves may be small, but the old-school feel makes it much bigger. The original Tiny Barbarian may have been released in 2011, but it’s still running on plenty of steam with the new iteration; Tiny Barbarian DX. Though still simple in it’s game mechanics of “Press X to attack, Press Y to jump”, it’s the soundtrack that really gives the game the extra push into generating some good ol’ NES feelings.

Composed again by the very talented Jeff Ball (Astroman, Mass Effect 3), the album title is actually Tiny Barbarian DX: The Serpent Lord. Despite the mouthful of a moniker, the soundtrack is chock-full of chiptune beats that could easily be mistaken for the hybrid stepchild of Mega Man and Castlevania (seriously, it’s even listed as such) straight out of the late 80’s. Combining action-oriented melodies with the occasional creepy slow track, the music speaks to Ball’s experience as a composer for other like-minded game soundtracks such as Astroman, but also his dedication as a retro gamer.

<a href="http://jeffball.bandcamp.com/album/tiny-barbarian-dx-the-serpent-lord-ost">Tiny Barbarian DX: The Serpent Lord OST by Jeff Ball</a>

Boasting some incredibly catchy electronic tunes that will make you feel like an 8-year-old in front of your Nintendo again, Tiny Barbarian DX: The Serpent Lord is as fun a musical adventure as it is a hack ‘n slash game. Both available for a listen over at Ubiktune, as well as at the ever-wonderful “Name Your Own Price” tier on Bandcamp, so there’s no excuse not to enjoy the miniature musical muscular magnitude!
Chip Music, Reviews

NES Classics Revived In Style: Shnabubula’s NES Jams (Review)

April 1, 2012 | Taylor Brown | Comments Off on NES Classics Revived In Style: Shnabubula’s NES Jams (Review) Share this

Many know the name Shnabubula. His virtuosic piano skills coupled with his talent for chip music have been explored in the past in releases such as Free Play and Game Genie, respectively. Now the two come together in NES Jams. This album’s story picks up immediately where Game Genie’s leaves off. A young boy, Tommy, has just defeated his Game Genie, and in its place is a mysterious NES cartridge. Upon placing it in his NES, something wondrous occurs; the message “PREPARE TO JAM” appears and Tommy approaches his brother’s keyboard. Suddenly, the game and his fingers begin to play music together! Now, this is just a brief summation of the album’s story; the real beauty is the album itself.

Join us on an aural tour through the album’s 11 tracks after the jump. (more…)
Chip Music

Ubiktune Universe Grows New Stars

March 20, 2012 | Brenna Wilkes | 3 Comments Share this Ubiktune Universe Grows New Stars

We’re only halfway through March of 2012, but Ubiktune has been busy making every month like Christmas with several new releases. 2011 was Ubiktune’s greatest year to date, but it seems they are already well on their way to eclipse their own success even further.

Currently Ubiktune has a slew of new artists showcasing their talents for the chiptune world to listen at large. Of the latest releases, beyond the fantastic releases of Shnabubula’s NES Jams, C-Jeff’s Preschtale and Jake “Virt” Kaufman’s FX4 (All of which Audun will take a closer look at later this week!), we’ve also been treated to a taste of nostalgic bliss with I Miss You – Earthbound 2012, and it’s interesting use of the Earthbound soundfont in the entire album’s creation to give an appropriate heartfelt and evoking feel with various well known artists graciously lending their talents. Maxo released his first completed album, FAKEBIT 2012, with interesting pop style and change-ups in rhythm and pace to give it a unique sound. (“Contexts From Last Night” sounds fairly reminiscent of Starlight Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog for you Sonic lovers). 7bit Date: Robot Love combines the “primitive” video game natures with a slight hip-hop and electronic jazz fusion that will make you find yourself tapping your foot to courtesy of Beek. If you’re looking for something that strays from traditional chiptune style, subPixel’s The Wave combines live instrumentation renditions and chiptune versions on the same EP for dual-listening experiences, showcasing the strength of the compositions in both live and electronic enviroments.

Check it all out on Ubiktune.com and hear for yourself, and check back here for the reviews of NES Jams, Preschtale and FX4!
Chip Music, Reviews

An 8-Bit Attack: 8 Bit Weapon’s Bits With Byte (Review)

March 7, 2012 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on An 8-Bit Attack: 8 Bit Weapon’s Bits With Byte (Review) Share this

Los Angeles-based 8 Bit Weapon have been at this for a while. The happily married duo, Seth and Michelle Sternberger, got started in 1999 by remixing their favorite Commodore 64 tunes before moving on to other classic gaming consoles. They’ve built a name for themselves over the years with said remixes, a couple game soundtracks, and a ton of original albums, the latest of which we’re checking out here.

Bits with Byte goes in a new direction for the group, relying more on heavier electronic sounds. Does the experiment pay off?

Find out after the jump. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Bonus Envy: Café SQ Tower & Village/Vanguard Bonus Discs (Review)

January 17, 2012 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

Square Enix has been doing some pretty neat stuff with Village/Vanguard stores throughout Japan with the release of their SQ series albums. Customers who’ve picked up their copies at these stores have received a neat little cardboard case for More SQ, a customer bonus disc containing several exclusive tracks for SQ Chips, and now more exclusive music for their most recent release, Café SQ.

You can read our review of the entire album here, but what makes the customer bonus discs for Café SQ even more interesting are the fact that there are two: one for customers who picked up their copy at Village/Vanguard stores, and another for those who shopped at Tower Records.

As you’re not likely going to be able to get your hands on these outside of Japan, are they even worth worrying about? They just might be! Find out in our review after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Mighty Switch Force OST + Remixes Now Apprehendable

December 29, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

Have we ever mentioned that we love Jake Kaufman’s music? It was just months ago that we were rocking out to his excellent soundtrack for BloodRayne: Betrayal, and now he’s back with Mighty Switch Force which I would argue is one of his best works to date. Tons of upbeat pop and electronic tunes are featured along with 8-bit remixes from Kaufman himself, the yogurtbox team, and others. And it’s available for name your own price… which is free, if you’re cheap. Proceeds fund his studio so he can make even more amazing music.

Some of my favorites? I love the theme he’s created for the ‘Mighty‘ series, which is arranged here in “Title,” but the cool jazzy pop vibe in “Level Select,” the cute yet explosive sounds of “Love You Love You Love” and the frantic “Apprehend Them!” are quite impressive. Not to mention the foreboding “Final Level” which would be worthy of a villain as dastardly as Ivan Drago. Not to mention the excellent remixes!

Check it out on Bandcamp and throw in a few bucks for a good cause and some great music!
Chip Music, Game Music, Reviews

Ignoring Convention: SQ Chips (Review)

October 12, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this Ignoring Convention: SQ Chips (Review)

Okay, so that’s a stab at the naming convention of the SQ series, but also a comment about the album. SQ Chips has easily been the most anticipated SQ series album to date, and after seeing the track listing on the official website some weeks ago, I was super pumped about the album as well.

Now it’s out, and many of you have already listened to it. Does it live up to the hype? Is it the strongest SQ series album to date?

Find out what we think in our review after the jump. (more…)