“Bit Shifter” (Used 4 times)

Sometimes I dig too obscurely in the Chip Music vaults and overlook the obvious inclusions. Earlier this year you saw me correct one such omission with the upload of Anamanaguchi, and this week I fill in another gap in the archive with an upload from 8bitpeoples member Bit Shifter.

For those already a fan of chip music, he probably needs no introduction but to the casual observer, it should known that Bit Shifter, aka Joshua Davis, is one of the most skilled and popular purveyors of the "Game Boy Blasting Awesome Crowd With Phenomenal Sound System" school of chip music. His songs run the gamut from chirpy pop punk influence anthems to doomy drum and bass freak outs, and he does so entirely within the framework of the sound set of the Game Boy.

The EP we are featuring this week is his first for 8bitpeoples, Information Chase, but you can always check out his previous FMA upload, his awe-inspiring set from the 2009 Blip Festival. Enjoy, and catch you guys next week.

Tonight marks the first of two chip music packed shows at Austin's Datapop, a collab between the Alamo Drafthouse, and 8bitpeoples. While not a SXSW event, the two-day free showcase is a nice bridge between the techy interactive aspect of the first week of SXSW and its older rockier musical component. Featuring act such as Hally, Bit Shifter, Nullsleep and more, the showcase is but a taste of the various chip related parties and showcases throughout the week. Official SXSW highlights include the 8bit cumbia fueled nudity of Meneo, Pains of Being Pure at Heart affiliated Depreciation Guild,and synthbreak wunderkin Talk To Animals.

It is always interested to see which of these acts are the "bubble" acts that break through to the "next level" of "rock fame", but you can saunter into the showcases and tell all your friends that you where there first! To get you started, we uploaded this SXSW mix with tracks from FMA chip artist appearing at the events, so enjoy and see you in seven!