Animal Style

Chip Music, Game Music

MAGFest X Chiptune Concerts: Too Many To Name!

January 11, 2012 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on MAGFest X Chiptune Concerts: Too Many To Name! Share this

Oh man, I’m still beat from MAGFest X. We’ve written about a ton of music so far, but we still have three days of chiptune concerts to cover! The noon-time chiptune concerts featured three artists apiece with a “secret chiptune concert” (which was blatantly listed on the schedule) that featured even more on the final night. Acts including Disasterpeace, Knife City, virt, and others performed along with special guests at the secret concert.

Patrick and I have double-teamed the coverage of all the performances for your reading pleasure, and of course we have more photos from Emi Spicer.

Hit the jump for more. (more…)
Chip Music

I’d Like My Chiptunes Animal Style, Please! “Open Air” EP Review

May 1, 2010 | Patrick Gann | 2 Comments Share this

Joey Mariano, known among chiptune fans by his artist name “Animal Style,” left a bad first impression with me. He was scheduled to perform at MAGFest 8 (earlier this year) after Metroid Metal alongside some other chiptune artists. I was sitting on a chair in a corner, and he was like “I’m setting up here.” And I’m all like, “dude, I’m writing here! Don’t think this will go unnoticed!”

I was being facetious of course. Dude wants to sell his wares, that’s fine. Especially when I saw that alongside his EP “Open Air” (available as an 8cm CD), he had another album for sale for $30 as a limited edition NES cartridge that actually plays the music when you put it in an NES! Well that’s pretty hardcore, my friends. So I wasn’t really upset. However, I think he may have been worried that I was upset. My consolation prize for having to *move out of my chair* (what a huge sacrifice!) was Open Air. Well, maybe he just knew I was a writer and wanted me to talk about the album. Wish granted, good sir. Sorry it took so long.

Anyway, how does the album sound? Put simply, I kind of wish I had picked up that other NES cartridge album (Teletime) for $30. That’s how cool his music is. Does that whet your appetite for 8-bit goodness? I hope so. Read on after the jump! (more…)
Chip Music

Animal Style Goes Deep Sea Diving In a Sega Genesis

April 19, 2010 | Joshua Kopstein | 1 Comment Share this

No matter what instruments or chipsets he uses, Philadelphia’s Joey Mariano (aka Animal Style) always manages to craft catchy, funk-flavored tunes in a style that’s uniquely his own. Earlier this year, he released Teletime, an album composed entirely using NES sound font and sold briefly in the form of actual functioning NES cartridges. Now, Mariano expands his repertoire once more with Trenchvent, a brand-new EP that explores the murky depths of the Sega Genesis’ YM2612 sound chip.

The album contains 5 tracks of crunchy FM synth goodness and is available free via New York netlabel 8bitpeoples. Check the video below to see Joey explain how he went about producing the album using the Genesis hardware.

Download: Animal Style – Trenchvent (8BP)
Chip Music, Game Music

MAGFest 8: Night 1 Chiptunes Concert

January 2, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 7 Comments Share this MAGFest 8: Night 1 Chiptunes Concert

[Above: Rising star Coda DJs during virt’s set]

We heard a lot of chiptune artists at the New Year’s Eve party, but there was a lot more to hear and love following last night’s three-act set ending with the epic performance by Metroid Metal. Things were off to a late start, as the chiptunes concert began at around 2:00 AM and went well into the morning, but despite my aching feed, ringing ears, and sleepless state of being, I stuck through it. For you!

The evening featured a long lineup of artists, including NAXAT, Dauragon, Inverse Phase, virt, Zen Albatross, Animal Style, and Cheap Dinosaurs in that order. There were some highs and some lows, but for the most part, I couldn’t complain, as there was lots of variety to be had and even a few surprises.

Find out what happened at last night’s chiptune concert after the jump. (more…)
Chip Music, Doujin, Game Music

MAGFest 8: Day 1 and Night 1 (Feat. Metroid Metal)

January 2, 2010 | Patrick Gann | 4 Comments Share this

I’ve been to a fair number of conventions in my time. I used to think it couldn’t get any better than E3. You know, seeing new and upcoming games, hanging with industry big-wigs. That’s all good stuff.

But today, I experienced my first MAGFest. Music And Games has been going on in Alexandria, VA (just outside Washington DC) once a year for eight years now. It’s remarkably close to my hometown. How am I only finding out about it now?

During the day, I took in all the sights. LAN parties, a huge gaming room where people bring their own consoles and equipment to share all kinds of good stuff from the last 3 decades. Classic arcade cabinets lined the hallways of the Hilton Hotel. And merch, merch, merch! All sorts of cool stuff for sale. Hats and prints and some hand-made “Pixel Art” using legos (thank you MC Death Bear!). Good stuff.

One of the best panels I went to today was “The Being, The Business, and the Evolving of an Indie Game Composer,” led by composer Josh Whelchel. Josh talked about interacting with a game’s designer or producer, and how to sell yourself without “selling out.” A lot of people that attend MAGFest have their own fan projects, and Josh (who has begun to break into the industry himself) gave some great tips for everyone at the panel.

This isn’t a big convention with game developers and the like. This is by the fans, and for the fans. All of the people here, male or female, young or old, have an undying love for games and game music. I witnessed that love, firsthand, later in the evening, when the second round of concerts started. Sadly, I missed the New Year’s Eve show, and I won’t be staying for the rest of the convention. But if there was one night to make, I think this is the one I wanted, and needed, most. Find out why after the jump. (more…)