Tag: chiptune
The Protomen: Mega Men on a Mission at the Echoplex
Dillon Vaughn
October 31, 2018
There are so many opportunities to see new acts pushing the limits of their respective genres and niches I find it hard to believe anyone can say they’ve actually “heard it all,” especially when the person saying that is living in a major city. Even looking past the one-off performances unique to LA it’s easy to get a glimpse of the countless acts touring across the US to play for fans extremely passionate about their shared interests. There’s a call for music beyond the played out gates of psych and shoegaze that surround Echo Park (and the east-side as a whole.) A call thankfully answered by The Protomen, Makeup and Vanity Set, and Bit Brigade. related content: Chiptune Leveling Up At Freq. Fest: 8bitLA 6.0 At The Smell Upon walking into the Echoplex that evening I was immediately introduced to something I’ve never seen at a show before: the use of Mega Man II as an instrument. Well, not quite an instrument, but a visual guide for the instrumental renditions of the themes present in the game as a member of the Athens, GA based Bit Brigade performed a (nearly flawless) speed-run of the game on a projected screen alongside his bandmates.
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Chiptune Leveling up at Freq. Fest: 8bitLA 6.0 at The Smell
Rob Shepyer
January 23, 2017
Video games, especially ones for the NES and SNES consoles, are near and dear to my heart. I even have the tri-force from The Legend of Zelda tattooed on my leg. And who could forget that game’s soundtrack? With its fuzz bleeps and boops and doo-doodle-ooo’s… not I, never. I first heard about 8BitLA long ago as a sort of collective of 8bit musical artists but it wasn’t until seeing their announcement for this year’s Freq. Fest at The Smell that I paid them a second glance. 8BitLA was created by Jesse Avila and Kevyn Martinez to spread the gospel of this genre of music. Bringing together fans and forum users from around the world, Freq Fest is the genre’s boss battle. Not having any experience listening to this music, I saw Freq. Fest as an opportunity to broaden my horizons and further (artistically) pervert my mind. Plus, I’ve always liked Horse The Band. There’s this old cliché that music scenes like this are a bunch of outsiders banding together in an “island of misfit toys” scenario but in this day and age, I totally disagree. The weirdo’s of our age are not the ones that go to events like
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