Dot.AY
Tue 6 Jul 2010
Million Dollar Blip
Alex Yabsley’s music was once described as “drum & bass that sounds like making violent love to a Commodore 64.” That’s a kind of far-out explanation for what is essentially a mix of circuit bent Gameboy cartridges and abrasive drum machine beats. Alex is the Australian king of chiptune, a bizarre musical genre made up of artists who manipulate computer games and rewire cartridges and game chips through various recording software. It’s all very complicated, as Alex explains in this excellent interview with gamemusic4all.com. He has a self-described obsession with Nintendo games, pixelated violence and sonic art, and all of those influences are expressed in his musical offering, which sounds like Sonic the Hedgehog being decapitated with a pickaxe or Mario buzzing out on magic mushrooms. Imagine a computer game trapped between levels, morphing and weaving into a deranged show tune, or a neon sign flickering on and off and a million tiny mosquitoes addicted to its impulse dancing like minuscule angels.
Since beginning his musical odyssey in 2006 Alex has gained rave reviews across Australia. Live he has performed alongside Dan Deacon, Girl Talk and Crystal Castles and his recorded music has featured on seven different compilations. He has three official releases of his own; Don’t Tell The Zombies EP (2008), Pwncore EP (2008) and a self-titled debut album released in 2009. There’s links to download them all for free on his website. And if you feel like exploring a bit further, Alex has his university thesis titled The Sound of Playing – Music Technology available for download. You’ll find it in the ‘writing’ section of his website.
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July 6th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Nice! Like what you wrote about him and the music he does, wich I find annoyingly beautyful.