Recommendation of 8-bit: A collection of classic chiptune tracks
Have you heard of chiptune, a music genre with a rather cute-sounding name?
It’s a general term for music created using sound chips found in personal computers and home game consoles from the 1980s—like the Famicom (NES) and Game Boy—characterized by its bleepy, electronic tones.
That said, a wide range of music has emerged that employs chiptune techniques, making it a fascinating genre that defies easy categorization.
In this article, we’ll showcase classic tracks from representative chiptune artists from a variety of perspectives.
If you’ve only recently become interested in chiptune, be sure to check it out!
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Recommendation of 8-Bit: A Collection of Chiptune Masterpieces (11–20)
PULSE FIGHTERm7kenji x TORIENA
Hailing from Sapporo, Hokkaido, Toriena began making music while attending Ritsumeikan University, using Little Sound Dj—commonly known as “LSDj,” a music production tool for Game Boy.
Early in her career, she drew attention as a female college student chiptune artist.
She made her major-label debut in 2017, and now works freelance out of Tokyo.
Pulse Fighter is a track she provided for an exhibition held in Spain in 2019 to celebrate the Game Boy’s 30th anniversary, with the music video created by pixel artist and filmmaker m7kenji.
Not only is it an undeniably explosive, fast-paced killer tune, but the MV is a must-see for its abundant charm that makes you feel like this could be a real game.
For younger generations, this retro, nostalgic, and colorful aesthetic likely comes across as stylish.
8 BytesUnicorn Kid
Some of you might be wondering what the title “8 Bytes” means.
A byte is a unit of information in computing—something most people don’t really think about in daily life unless they’re specialists or in a STEM field.
The artist behind this uniquely titled track, Unicorn Kid, is a Scottish musician born in 1991 who primarily worked in electronic music and chiptune.
He began composing at the young age of 15 and helped boost the popularity of chiptune; after signing to a major label, he drew even more attention and thrived as a young electronic music artist.
Unfortunately, he ended his activities as Unicorn Kid in 2014, but he has continued to be active in the music scene in other forms.
His track “8 Bytes” appears on his self-released 2009 EP “Lion Hat,” put out when he was just 18.
It’s a pop-leaning chiptune with a somehow nostalgic melody that lingers in the heart.
While the methodology is chiptune, genre aside, it’s a gem that showcases his talent as an outstanding songwriter.
AdventureDisasterpeace
Richard Vreeland, better known as Disasterpeace, is an American composer who has contributed tracks not only to chiptune but also to many video game scores and film soundtracks.
He also created the soundtrack for the highly acclaimed puzzle-platformer FEZ, and the piece featured here, Adventure, serves as the album’s opening track.
It’s the kind of song that feels like it would play on the title screen of a retro game, and if you’re from the retro gaming generation, you might feel a sense of familiarity even if you don’t actually know the game itself.
Hexadecimal GenomeBit Shifter
Bit Shifter, a New York–based artist who began activity in 2001, is one of the musicians energizing the underground scene by offering music centered on chiptune.
He is well known among chiptune enthusiasts in Japan as well; for example, an interview with him was featured in the 2017 guidebook All About Chiptune: A New Music Born from Game Consoles.
Hexadecimal Genome, included on his 2006 EP Information Chase, is a classic that lets you enjoy the quintessential chiptune sound.
It’s not an arrangement blended with other genres—highly recommended for those who love pure, unadulterated chiptune.
Her Lazer Light EyesNullsleep
Born in 1980 and currently based in New York, Nullsleep is a key figure in the scene: one of the founders of the long-running label 8bitpeoples, which has primarily released chiptune influenced by classic video games since 1999, as well as its lead director and a releasing artist.
Among the tracks Nullsleep has put out, let’s highlight the fan favorite “Her Lazer Light Eyes.” It’s the first track on the 2007 EP Electric Heart Strike, and the main melody is simply outstanding.
It has a nostalgic, slightly wistful tune that appeals to Japanese sensibilities, and its straightforward construction represents a quintessential, orthodox chiptune style—making it a highly recommended masterpiece for newcomers as well!
Traveling By NightS.H.E
There are many artists who, while using chiptune methodologies, have forged their own original musical styles.
One such figure is she, the solo project of Swedish artist Lain Trzaska, a veteran presence in the chiptune world.
While incorporating 8-bit and Famicom sound sources, she presents a sound that isn’t confined to chiptune, weaving in live instruments and female vocals to produce tracks of high quality that stand proudly as electro-disco and dance-punk.
Released in 2008 and reissued in Japan the following year as a major-label debut, the album Coloris includes the track “Traveling By Night,” which feels like electro-disco with chiptune elements.
Featuring sampled female vocals, a danceable beat, and playful touches like a brief Japanese train station announcement, it’s a gem that showcases she’s abundant talent.
It may not suit those seeking pure chiptune, but it’s well worth a listen as an example of this kind of approach.
Recommendation of 8-bit: A collection of classic chiptune tracks (21–30)
Dubmood is a Robot (Dubmood Edit)zabutom
The sounds used are closer to late-era Famicom or FM synthesis, and perhaps because they lack the PSG’s distinctive noisiness—so it doesn’t quite hit you right in the heart (for the retro game generation)—but the timbre itself is clear, making it an easy-to-listen track.
As for the artist name, why “Zabuton” (floor cushion)?