As much as I love the sound of NES hardware, I’ve found myself really enjoying chiptunes from a broader array of systems recently. The latest in my rotation comes from 505 (Nils Feske). His new album, Interlude, mixes classic Atari sounds with subtle use of modern instruments and effects.

Feske is no stranger to the Atari scene and it shows. With contributions to YM Rockerz and a number of solo albums already under his belt, Feske was able to use his experience to create a diverse sound set out of aging hardware. You can grab Interlude on (where else?) Bandcamp right now for four euros (that’s just over $5).

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We’ve been posting a lot of FM albums lately, but don’t think for a second that we’ve forgotten about those lovable square and triangle waves. The folks over at Chiptunes = WIN sure haven’t. Just last June they put together a massive 51 track, pay what you want collection on Bandcamp.

Now they’re back with 22 more nostalgia-inducing tracks in the ChipWIN Expansion Pack. Like the original, Expansion features tons of artists bringing their own unique styles and tool sets into the mix. You’ll hear both pure chip and hybrid chiptunes featuring wailing guitar solos and even some vocals. Between the two albums, you’ll hear great artists old and new including C-jeff (Preschtale), Disasterpeace (FEZ, Puzzle Agent), Danimal Cannon (Metroid Metal, Armcannon), and many others.

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Have you been enjoying the funky chiptune albums from Ubiktune lately? By now you must be all danced out. What better way to relax and slow things down than with Ubiktune’s latest release. Strange Light Under My Bed is a free original album by Yerzmyey in the style of Berlin School. That means you can expect a blend of trance, ambient, and experimental styles that come together in some pretty unconventional ways.

Strange Light Under My Bed was made using a variety of retro computers including the ZX Spectrum 48k/128k, Amiga 500, Atari 520 ST, and Atari Falcon 030. You can see a full breakdown of every computer and chip used as well as which retro software and effects were used along with the download link (for multiple audio formats) on the album’s release page.

Source: Ubiktune

Just over a week ago, I evangelized a wonderful new chiptune hybrid album by Yoann Turpin called Rhythm’n’Bits. Now Ubiktune has sweetened the deal by packaging the album with six others in their Pilot bundle for as low as $1.

Pilot includes other albums we’ve covered such as coda’s Tracer and Shnabubula’s Game Genie. Alongside these gems, you’ll also receive Fakebit 2010, The Wave, Zeta Force, and Roots (an original album by Danimal Cannon of Metroid Metal and Armcannon fame). The Pilot bundle was made possible thanks to Indie Game Music Bundle’s “Bundle Dragon” project. It marks the first of what will hopefully be many Ubiktune album bundles. You can grab it on Ubiktune’s Bundle Dragon site here.

Source: Ubiktune

While pure chiptune albums are great as is, more and more I’ve found myself gravitating toward albums that take a hybrid approach. The latest gem from the Ubiktune label does just that.

Yoann Turpin shows off an interesting blend of instrumentation in his new original album, Rhythm’n’Bits. Combining the sounds of chiptunes, FM synthesis, and real world instruments, Yoann crafts a diverse and fascinating soundscape that takes familiar elements in new places. Taking inspiration from 90′s era RPGs and classic Genesis and Super Nintendo games, Rhythm’n’Bits tells the story of Yoann’s gaming history.

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Chiptune albums come and go. Whether it’s an original album meant to sound like an NES soundtrack or a collection of 8-bit dance songs, the scene is quite crowded. But every once in a while, something a little different comes along and rises above the pack sporting a unique sound.

This is exactly what C-jeff brings to the table. With his new album, Preschtale, he’s created something new, yet familiar in entirely unorthodox ways. Inspired by the likes of Pink Floyd, Rush, and Dream Theater (among others), Preschtale is a fascinating blend of progressive rock and video game music. It’s a musical journey of sorts that combines chiptune and FM-synthesis. You’ll also hear some guitar performance by Danimal Cannon (of Metroid Metal and Armcannon fame).

You can grab Preschtale on Bandcamp. It costs as much as you want it to and while that can mean you can download it for free, I highly recommend throwing some money C-jeff’s way if you’re able. The music is well worth it.

Buy the Album: Bandcamp

They sure don’t make music like they use to… or do they?! Souleye, composer of the delightfully retro VVVVVV soundtrack, just released his new album, Adventure. If you’re a fan of chiptune music with a modern twist, Adventure hits all the right notes and then some.

On it, you’ll hear the music of Pulsen, some reworked and previously unreleased material from VVVVVV, and a load of new stuff. You can grab the album in physical and digital form for ten bucks. And if you shoot Souleye an email before making your purchase, he’ll even sign it for you! In the meantime, you can find clips of the album inexplicably played over the top of people skydiving in squirrel suits below. (more…)

There has been no shortage of great music recently thanks to virt’s Bloodrayne: Betrayal soundtrack and the new Big Giant Circles album. But the fun doesn’t stop there.

Samuel Ascher-Weiss (better known in the music scene as Shnabubula) released an original, progressive jazz album titled Game Genie using instruments from a variety of familiar video game hardware. Samuel’s excellent improvisational piano skills combined with the old blips and bloops we gamers have grown up loving create a unique, technical sound that’s as impressive as it is delightful to listen to. And he’s not even charging for it. How crazy is that?

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Big Giant Circles (who you may know as Jimmy Hinson, co-composer of Mass Effect 2) has just released his debut album and it is a doozy. While it may not be video game music in the strictest sense, Impostor Nostalgia features heavy use of 8-bit chip sounds combined with modern electronica inspired by classic video games.

Not enough of a gaming connection for you? It also guest stars other video game composers including C418 (Minecraft), Souleye (VVVVVV), Disasterpeace (FEZ), Alex Brandon (Deus Ex), Mick Gordon (Need for Speed Shift), and zircon (Monkey Island 2: Special Edition).

It’s almost criminal that he only asks $4 for this 20 track prescription for happiness. Fortunately, the album is available on Bandcamp so you can throw as much extra money at him as you want to more closely match the quality of the album. Seriously. It’s really good.

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