The next unexpected bowtie release has got a name, and this is the artwork that has (literally) just been finished – credit to Kaylie for her initial drawing.
There’s still some loose ends to tie up, so the overall progress is sitting at about 90% – with the full thing expected to be online in the next couple of weeks for your downloadable pleasures.
Head over to the 8 bit collective for a listen to flurry of conversation – a track recorded using a Gameboy and other such equipment; it’ll eventually appear on a full-release.
as a way of an outlet for my fascination with all things lofi and 8bit related, I’ve set up a scrapbook of sorts – 8bitculture
As you may probably have picked up from the previous posts, it’s been a bit of a tough slog getting into the whole electronics modification side of chiptune music.
It reminded me a bit of learning to drive. You keep thinking – how on earth can I find this so difficult when so many other people find it so easy?
After hours and hours and hours of accumulated research though, I’ve finally taken a big jump forward and managed to front-light the Gameboy Color so I can use it to compose stuff on whenever and wherever. I did also add an extra 3.5mm line-out, but discovered that Maplin had given me the wrong jack… mono instead of stereo… which put the kaibosh on that plan.
Either way, soldering mistakes and cut hands aside, things are starting to settle in. Here’s a couple of shots of the Gameboy in all its illuminated glory; nestled snugly beside the other electronic gear.
As with any creative area, you can all too easily get absorbed in the gear and equipment side of things, and overlook the fact that the uh.. whole point of it is to do make something with it.
I’ve been so consumed lately with trying to get things soldered and the frustration at being unable (yet) to make much headway with electronics and modifying them to make cool sounds that I thought it best to actually write some tunes.
It’s okay to be excited about new things and the possibilities they bring… as long as you act upon the possibilities too.
A sneak preview of a new track from a release which is going to be based around chiptunes, and aptly titled ‘giving up on circuitry’, is up over at the 8 bit collective. Composed and recorded on an old Gameboy before I butchered it to install some LEDs.
My brain feels like it’s melting out through my eyes after not sleeping too much the past few days, but it seemed only right to type up something since I’ve spent almost every waking hour researching and trying to get my head round things related to this whole musical endeavour.
What started as a simple idea to have a couple of lights added to an old Gameboys has spiralled wildly out of control into what is unamiliar territory. Ultimately there should be a few different units that can be hooked up to different effects pads and guitar amps and all that sort of exciting stuff, as well as the ability to plug in a synth via midi…
Having never taken physics to any level past the age of 14, this is going out on a fairly big limb; a world of diodes, capacitors and resistors that I know literally nothing about. I think we’re getting somewhere though.
I was told today that when I take on a project I really go for it, with everything else in my life dropping off of the radar. I always knew that was true; I just didn’t realise it was that obvious. It’ll be exciting to have all the gear set up and ready to go – already I’ve managed to get the guitars that have sat in a dusty corner for years awaiting repair fixed, which is no small feat of motivation. Trust me.
In other news, samples and contributions have been trickling in from some of the musicians involved in the collaborative project that’s on the horizon, and they’re sounding rather delightful. More of that to come…
The past week I’ve become immersed in a whole new world of exciting sounds – that of the chiptune. You’ve probably heard about people making music with gameboys and old computers.. It’s something that I’d dabbled in years ago, but never quite had the creative energy or enthusiasm to carry through to any worthwhile end.
However, unexpected bowtie is the perfect place to experiment and see just what a Commodore 64 sounds like when played alongside a musical saw. I’m pretty sure that can’t be a combination that’s been brought together that often before, surely? It’s actually pretty wonderful to see how things can interact. A tune that I’d just written up today electronically came out of something originally composed on the accordion, which I then ported over for quite a different feel, and even having the accordion playing the bassier notes in the background. Quite a shift about from what it was in the first place.
I had been concerned that it had all gotten a bit guitar-led and folky round here with the last release, so this new venture just proves (even if just to one’s self) that it’s really all about experimentation in all its kinds, rather than being stuck to any set of defined limits. Like has been said elsewhere – I keep forgetting that there’s no rules.
Either way, the dizzying amount of cables and different technical things that are required even to just hook up something like an Amiga 600 to a modern LCD screen is pretty daunting, but I’m managing to get my head round it all (well, maybe). Despite the minor hiccup of having err.. ‘misplaced’ my old C-64, it should mean that within the next few weeks I’ll be fully kitted out to record directly from the old sound-chips and see just what can be done.
In the meantime (and before I possibly electrocute myself in the noble pursuit of sound), you can listen to a track that lasts a whole sixty seconds – composed on the Gameboy, and filled with guitar and musical saw. Nice.
Without being entirely sure of where this all may head, you can check out the finished mix of ‘let’s get explicit’, composed with Commodore 64 sounds, guitar parts and other samples over at the 8 bit collective. – and only from there at the moment.
The past few days I’ve fallen victim to a horrible ‘flu’ type ailment. Yes, yes, we all know that it’s hardly ever the flu proper, but ‘a cold’ doesn’t quite cut it when you’re confined to bed with a barrel-load of drugs and hankies (for some people that may well describe a great day in).
As a by-product, there’s been lots of time to explore the wonderful world of electronic music creation. Think blips and bassy parts recorded from the greatest computer of all.. the Commodore 64.
Despite providing me with a healthy dose of tinnitus from listening all day through the Sennheisers, there should hopefully be an interesting injection of chipset-fired sounds to come in the near future. Jumping from banjos and mandolins to Gameboys and thuds is a bit of a strange thing to reconcile, but the possibilites are rather exciting. Watch this space.
It is with great excitement that I can divulge a new unexpected project on the horizon. We have assembled a gaggle of talented musicians who are going to record, scrimp and gather up loose riffs, vocals and other noises to put them towards a rather unique collaboration.
You’ll almost certainly have heard of some of those involved, and the ones you haven’t are just as wonderful, having been hand-picked from the alternative music world by yours truly. We’re not going to name names yet, but all shall be revealed in due course. It’s all rather delightful.
unexpectedbowtie 