April 24 – Chiptunes and DemoShow

My first event at the Boston CyberArts 2011 festival left me in complete awe.  The April 24^th Demoshow and Chiptune concert was truly an experience like no other.  Both visually and musically appealing, the show was a combination of electronic music, graphic design, expert computer programming, and a large dose of creativity.

A demo is a computer program written to exploit the limits of an older computer system such as Commodore 64 or Amiga.  With a restricted file size and other constraints, programmers, graphic designers, and musicians compete to create the best multimedia performance.

Some examples of the excellent work on display:

• Fairlight and CNCD “Agenda Circling Forth” -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5w7Gh7WBjw
• Andromeda Software Development (ASD) “Midnight Run” -http://www.youtube.com/user/TheDemoTube#p/c/9B1F8F30333AE512/36/9W7x6AGm8g4

Chiptunes, a subgenre of electronic music, use video game system sounds, synthesizers, and other sound effects to create music.  Two local groups gave brief performances demonstrating the ability to create music with old Game Boy consoles, synthesizers, and live vocals.

• Bright Primate – Boston-based duo Bright Primate showcased 4 of their most popular songs including both instrumentals and vocals.  Visit http://brightprimate.bandcamp.com/ for more information.
• Attic Bits – This New Hampshire based duo played songs from their most recent album.  Visit http://www.myspace.com/thefloppybunch to hear and learn more.

Written for the 2011 Boston Cyberarts Festival; read more by Cristy Maldonado at http://bostonurbansafari.blogspot.com/2011/05/safari-27-boston-cyberarts-festival.html

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