A Square Meal: ‘Insect_Byte’ by 4 for Fake

Originally Posted on the ChipWIN Blog on January 23rd, 2019.
Edited by Aydan Scott.

Mexico is a land of contrasts and, of course, chipmusic is no exception to that. Maybe mostly known because of its raw sound and its so-called ‘iconoclastic nature’, the Mexican chipscene has overcome quite a few setbacks to become what it is now, and it’s given us a couple names to put it on the map. While chipmusic production – at a national level – has been slow in recent years, 2019 left us with an interesting work by one of the most prominent names around here. You may have listened to something by him before – I’m talking about 4 For Fake. Responsible for a vast amount of DMG mods and with a notable musical background, this technological laudator brings to us his first album made entirely in HoustonTracker 2. So let’s take a look at ‘Insect_Byte’ by 4 For Fake.

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A Square Meal: The SOUNDSHOCK Series

Originally Posted on the ChipWIN Blog on November 12th, 2019.
Edited by Wayne Manselle.

Beyond all the glamour and pageantry of the blips & blops, a misunderstood way of making chip music has grown and bloomed away from the spotlight of the scene – yes I’m talking about FM Synthesis. Of course, this is not a complaint, as we say in Spanish: “para gustos los colores”. The point is that, most of the time, a lot of cool things happen under the surface, things that are worth talking about and, from time to time, seem to be buried in the huge mass of crunchy sounds. The album series I’m covering today is not that. I can even say that it’s well known by everyone nowadays, precisely because the intention was –and still is– to direct your attention to the music and techniques used by those incredible musicians. Today I want to go back to one of the greatest compilation series centered on the FM side of the Micro Music, Demoscene, and Chiptune. Apt for newcomers and veterans, it will make you move and ignite the fires of love and interest in this particular approach to chip musicin your soul – hoping the inferno grows so big that it encourages you to search for new music or even make your own. So let’s take a look over the ‘SOUNDSHOCK’ Series by Ubiktune.

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