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Bitpop

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused withBritpop.

Bitpop
Stylistic origins
Cultural origins1990s – 2000s(decade),United States, Australia, Japan, and Europe
Typical instruments
Other topics

Bitpopis a type ofelectronic musicand subgenre ofchiptunemusic, where at least part of the music is made using thesound chipsof old8-bit(or16-bit) computers andvideo game consoles.

Characteristics

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An example of "bitpop" music that uses 8-bit sounds and modern production software

Among systems used include theAtari 8-bit computers,Commodore 64,Nintendo Entertainment System,andAmiga.[1]The sounds produced from these systems can be combined to any degree with traditionalinstruments,such as guitar and drums, modern synthesizers anddrum machines,or vocals and sound effects.[2]

Bitpop uses a mixture of old and new equipment often resulting a sound which is unlikechiptunealthough containing 8-bit sourced sounds. For example, a bitpop production may be composed almost entirely of 8-bit sounds but with a live vocal or overlaid live guitars. Conversely, a bitpop production may be composed almost entirely of live vocals and instruments but feature a bassline or lead melody provided by an 8-bit device.[3][4][5]

History

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One of the pioneers of bitpop music wereWelle:Erdball,with their heavy use ofCommodore 64for their first album in 1992. Being a German-speaking group not using the term bitpop and who don't travel by plane, they remained popular among people listening toindustrial musicorelectroclash.

Bitpop music began gaining popularity towards the end of the 1990s. The firstelectroclashrecord,I-F's "Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass" (1997), has been described as "burbling electro in a vocodered homage toAtari-erahi-jinks, "[6]particularlySpace Invaders.[7]TheBeastie Boysouter-space sci-fi themed albumHello Nasty(1998), included, among other potentially influencing tracks, the distinctively video game sound themed original composition trackUNITE;garnering mainstream recognition years ahead of the popular video game tune genre and movement. Thetrancesong "Kernkraft 400"(1999), often played at sports events worldwide, was a remix of achiptunesong written byDavid Whittakercalled "Stardust" for the 1984 Commodore 64computer gameLazy Jones.

In 2003,Malcolm McLarenwrote an article on bitpop and chip music. It also noted a planned release in that style by McLaren.[8]

By the mid-2000s, 8-bit chip music began being incorporated in mainstream pop music, used by acts such asBeck(for example, the 2005 song "Girl"),The Killers(for example, the 2004 song "On Top"), and particularlyThe Postal Servicein many of their songs. The MIDI-style andFM synthesisof early game music composers such asHiroshi Kawaguchialso began gaining popularity.[9]In 2003, theJ-popgirl groupPerfume,[10][11]along with producerYasutaka Nakata,began producing music combining chiptunes withsynthpopandelectro house;[11]their breakthrough came in 2007 withGame,which led to other Japanese female artists using a similar electronic style, includingAira Mitsuki,immi,Mizca,SAWA,Saori@destiny,andSweet Vacation.[12]

Since the 2000s, 8-bit chiptune sounds, or "video game beats", have been used by a number of mainstream pop artists. Examples in the Western world include artists such asKesha[13](most notably in "Tik Tok",[10][14]thebest-selling singleof 2010[15]),Robyn,Snoop Dogg,[10][14]Eminem(for example, "Hellbound"),Nelly Furtado,andTimbaland(seeTimbaland plagiarism controversy). The influence of video game sounds can also be heard in contemporary Britishelectronicamusic by artists such asDizzee RascalandKieran Hebden.[16]Grimemusic in particular samplessawtooth wavesounds from video games which were popular inEast London.[17]Dubstepproducers have also been influenced by video game chiptunes, particularly the work ofYuzo Koshiro.[18][19][20]In 2010, aBBCarticle stated that the "sights and sounds ofold-school games"(namingFroggerandDonkey Kongas examples) are "now becoming a part of mainstream music and culture."[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Chiptunes Music Genre Overview|AllMusic
  2. ^Chiptunes Music Artists|AllMusic
  3. ^"What is Bitpop?".www.bitpop.co.uk.
  4. ^The Rise of BitpopArchivedAugust 27, 2008, at theWayback Machine
  5. ^"Listen to Bitpop".www.bitpop.co.uk.
  6. ^D. Lynskey (March 22, 2002),"Out with the old, in with the older",Guardian.co.uk,archived fromthe originalon October 15, 2014
  7. ^"I-f – Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass".Discogs.September 22, 1998.RetrievedMay 25,2012.
  8. ^"8-Bit Punk".Wired.
  9. ^Shaw, Jeff (May 25, 2006)."Music of the 8-bit variety makes a comeback".Niagara Gazette.Archived fromthe originalon July 12, 2012.RetrievedMay 7,2012.
  10. ^abcDaniel Robson (March 6, 2012)."Japan's chiptune heroes".Nintendo Gamer.RetrievedJune 20,2012.[dead link]
  11. ^ab"Perfume Interview"(in Japanese). bounce.com. February 7, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon December 9, 2008.RetrievedJune 2,2009.(English translation)
  12. ^"Perfume～サマソニの khoái cử!!"(in Japanese). All About テクノポップ. August 20, 2007.
  13. ^Miklewski, Michael (October 20, 2011)."Music in Video Games: From 8-bit to Symphonies".The Bottom Line.Frostburg State University.Archived fromthe originalon December 14, 2013.RetrievedJune 18,2012.
  14. ^ab"Robyn: Body Talk, Pt. 2".Puls Music. September 10, 2010.RetrievedJuly 21,2012.(Translation)
  15. ^"IFPI publishes Digital Music Report 2011".London. January 20, 2011. Archived fromthe originalon February 21, 2011.
  16. ^Lewis, John (July 4, 2008)."Back to the future: Yellow Magic Orchestra helped usher in electronica – and they may just have invented hip-hop, too".The Guardian.RetrievedMay 25,2011.
  17. ^Alex de Jong, Marc Schuilenburg (2006).Mediapolis: popular culture and the city.010 Publishers. p. 106.ISBN90-6450-628-0.RetrievedJuly 30,2011.
  18. ^Lawrence, Eddy (January 11, 2011)."Ikonika interview: Producer and DJ, Ikonika had an incredible 2010".Time Out.RetrievedAugust 5,2011.
  19. ^"Recording Under the Influence: Ikonika".Self-Titled Magazine.April 21, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon October 3, 2011.RetrievedAugust 5,2011.
  20. ^Lawrence, Eddy (January 18, 2011)."Ikonika interview: Dubstep has taken the world by storm over the past 12 months".Time Out.RetrievedAugust 6,2011.
  21. ^Knowles, Jamillah (June 9, 2010)."How computer games are creating new art and music".BBC.RetrievedAugust 27,2011.
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