Article over at MSNBC.com about the “8-bit underground” of people who make music with the original Gameboy, the Atari 2600, and the Commodore 64:
Back in the day (i.e. the 1970s and 1980s) consoles like the Nintendo NES could dedicate only so much hardware and programming to sound effects and music. The resulting sounds were big and blocky and often about as musical as a dentist humming to the sound of his drill. But they were memorable and — to an 8-bit music enthusiast at least — extremely pure. Over the years musicians have since created software that allows them to tap into the sound capabilities of these old game platforms — as well as the newer Nintendo Game Boy. Some have mixed the resulting 8-bit sound through modern software to create music ranging from techno to experimental. Others have left the bleeps and bloops unadulterated creating a sound that is simultaneously nostalgic and futuristic.
