8bitpeoples
Encyclopedia
8bitpeoples is a DIY record label/arts collective centered in New York City
that focuses around the 8-bit aesthetic, which is heavily influenced by vintage videogames. 8bitpeoples was founded in 1999 by Jeremiah "Nullsleep
" Johnson and Mike "Tangible" Hanlon. It is currently run by Johnson and labelmate Joshua "Bit Shifter" Davis.
Many artists who have appeared on 8bitpeoples have also appeared on compilations
on other labels, most notably Astralwerks
' 8 Bit Operators
compilation, a collection of Kraftwerk
songs as done in the 8-bit style. 8bitpeoples is also involved in the organization of the Blip Festival
, which features 8-bit musicians, often including those on the 8bitpeoples roster.
They provide the vast majority of their releases for free via their website, including printable covers and inserts so that anyone can manufacture a hard copy of their releases.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
that focuses around the 8-bit aesthetic, which is heavily influenced by vintage videogames. 8bitpeoples was founded in 1999 by Jeremiah "Nullsleep
Nullsleep
Nullsleep is an American electronic musician and computer artist currently residing in New York City. In 1999 he co-founded the low-bit art collective 8bitpeoples, and has served as its lead director since its inception...
" Johnson and Mike "Tangible" Hanlon. It is currently run by Johnson and labelmate Joshua "Bit Shifter" Davis.
Many artists who have appeared on 8bitpeoples have also appeared on compilations
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
on other labels, most notably Astralwerks
Astralwerks
Astralwerks is a New York-based record label that releases primarily electronic music. It is owned by Virgin Records/EMI and distributed by Caroline Distribution in the United States....
' 8 Bit Operators
8-Bit Operators: The Music of Kraftwerk
8-Bit Operators: The Music of Kraftwerk was released in 2007 by the group 8-Bit Operators on Kraftwerks US homelabel Astralwerks and EMI Records worldwide. It features cover versions of Kraftwerk songs by several prominent chiptune artists...
compilation, a collection of Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
songs as done in the 8-bit style. 8bitpeoples is also involved in the organization of the Blip Festival
Blip Festival
The Blip Festival is a festival that celebrates chiptune music with musical performances, workshops, and screenings of movies. It has been held annually since 2006 in New York City. In recent years, there have been international versions of Blip Festival held in Europe and Asia...
, which features 8-bit musicians, often including those on the 8bitpeoples roster.
They provide the vast majority of their releases for free via their website, including printable covers and inserts so that anyone can manufacture a hard copy of their releases.
Current members
- Bit Shifter
- minusbaby
- NullsleepNullsleepNullsleep is an American electronic musician and computer artist currently residing in New York City. In 1999 he co-founded the low-bit art collective 8bitpeoples, and has served as its lead director since its inception...
- Otro
- Trash80Trash80Trash80 is a micromusic/bitpop project from Timothy Lamb , a pioneer of independent Game Boy music. He has published several songs online under the Creative Commons License under the Trash80 and Tresk banners...
- Mesu Kasumai
- NO CARRIER
- openBack
- Random
- Twilight Electric
- x|k
- Starscream
Guest artists
- I, Cactus
- AnamanaguchiAnamanaguchiAnamanaguchi is a chiptune indie rock band from New York City that "makes loud, fast music with a hacked NES from 1985." The band has four members: lead songwriter Peter Berkman, bassist James DeVito, guitarist Ary Warnaar and drummer Luke Silas. Akin to other chiptune artists, Anamanaguchi creates...
- BinärpilotBinärpilotBinärpilot is an electronic music project by Alexander Støver.All of his music is freely available online through various outlets such as Jamendo and 8bitpeoples as well as torrenting hosts such as The Pirate Bay. His music style resembles that of a chiptune-style, incorporating vocoder vocals and...
- Firebrand BoyFirebrand BoyPhilip Cunningham is a chiptune and electropop producer based in Glasgow, Scotland. He is part of the new wave of chiptune musicians who were born after the rise of the demoscene...
- Gordon Strombola
- Goto80
- Paza
- Psilodump
- Role Model
- Rugar
- Sabrepulse
- Xinon
- David Sugar
- Coleco Music
- The Depreciation GuildThe Depreciation GuildThe Depreciation Guild was an American shoegaze band from Brooklyn, New York. The group was formed in 2005 by Kurt Feldman and Adrian Hashizume...
See also
- List of record labels
- ChiptuneChiptuneA chiptune, also known as chip music, is synthesized electronic music often produced with the sound chips of vintage computers and video game consoles, as well as with other methods such as emulation. In the early 1980s, personal computers became cheaper and more accessible than they had previously...
- BitpopBitpopBitpop is a type of electronic music and also subgenre of Chiptune, where at least part of the music is made using old 8-bit computers and video game consoles. Among systems used are Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari 8-bit Home Computer, Game Boy, Atari 2600 and Nintendo Entertainment System...
- 8-bit (music)
- Game Boy musicGame Boy musicGame Boy music is a type of chip music produced using a portable gaming console of the Game Boy line. To produce music of the genre, one needs a Game Boy and a cartridge containing appropriate tracking software, such as LSDJ.- Software :...
External links
- Official site
- New York Times: Air On a Gameboy- Mentions 8bitpeoples artists Nullsleep and Bit Shifter.
- WIRED Magazine: Blip Festival - 8 Bit Is Enough -Coverage of Blip Festival
- MSNBC.com – Play That Funky Music, Game Boy – Mentions 8bitpeoples,contains brief interview with Bit Shifter
- Name That Chiptune: The Growing Niche of 8-Bit Music Review of Blip Festival, including Bit Shifter and Nullsleep’s performances
- BBC Click: Webscape Discussion of the 8bitpeoples website from the BBC show Click
- Tribeca Trib: Chip Hop Show Review of Nullsleep, Bit Shifter, and Mark DeNardo, owners of/artists on the 8bitpeoples label