
If you’re not familiar with 8-bit music, here are two things you need to know:
1. You now have plans for Tuesday, March 15th.
2. Basically, 8-bit music is what happens when artists have taken the sounds from computer and gaming consoles like the Nintendo Gameboy and Atari Commodore 64 and tweaked it like a mad scientist to create a sound unlike anything you’ve heard. What results in concert is an organic and absolutely infectious set of beats that will take you back to the days when cheat codes and Trapper Keepers were the hit, while also keeping you on the dance floor until the early hours. So, like I said, we’ll see you there!
THE LINEUP:
MUSIC

9:00 PM – exileFaker (New York, NY)
Since roughly 2009, Alex Kiefer (exileFaker) has been writing music for one Nintendo Game Boy (DMG-01 model), which serves as primary performance & compositional tool as well as occasional Tetris platform. Each of his tracks is the result of a distinct failure to accept that a Game Boy running the LIttle Sound Dj software is not a rock band. (Photo credit: Marjorie Becker)
9:45 PM – knife city (Brooklyn, NY)
luke silas has had the same game boy since he was five years old. he now uses it to make dance music from time to time. he likes whiskey, alan braxe, triangle waves, and bass as fuck. by the time you see him at datapop, he will have released his debut ep on 8bitpeoples records. knife city is a little thing he likes to do for fun in between shows drumming for anamanaguchi.

10:30 PM – Fuckjazzforaminute (New York, NY)
Fed on a healthy dose of Lil’ Wayne, Bit Shifter and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Gameboy musician Michael Lerman utilizes Little Sound DJ to make a plethora of dark, bass driven dance tunes. Also known for his work with bands 8BK-ok and #F, Lerman’s solo project brings out the heaviest of his original material.

11:15 PM – Sulumi (Beijing, CN)
Fantastic electronic cloaked behind a veil of buoyantly melodic and darkly petrous Lo-bit confections . with his talent and enthusiasm, “Sun Dawei” began to compose electronic music, and played in rock bands”Under Baby” in 2000. He paid attention on Composing for movies and dramas in 2002 and joined in the “Modern Sky” for releasing his first album «Air Inhibition of Water» under the name “Sulumi”. That same year, he founded a electronic music label called “Shanshui Records”. Following year, He was invited to the electronic music festival “Sounding Beijing 2003 – International Electronic Music Festival” & “Digital Ox-Warehouse Festival 2004, Macau”. His 2nd album «visit < partial works < remix» which included the remix songs which composed by Japanese electronic label “19-T” & many of Chinese electronic artists released in “Shanshui Records”He mixed Lo-bit elements into his music .By using of Game Boy & Nanoloop, he issued his 3rd album «Stereo Chocolate» that included the remix songs by USK, Maru & Saitone. He started his music -show journey with Covox, Aonami, Knifehandchop in the different cities of China. The turning point in his career came 2008 when he released his album called «Chaotic Dance the Function». He put his music concept into the showing of the spirit in chiptune music. He first came to prominence through his participating in the “Blip Festival 2008″ – the world’s biggest 8-bit music festival which held in NYC. In 2009 he dedicated to do a string of remixes for Brain Failure, New Pants, Jeans Team, Mochipet & Kid606. In 2010, by his dramatically changes in music, he will give us a totally different new EP.

12:00 AM – Covox (Stockholm, SE)
Covox started out making music in the mid-90‘s, using a broken home computer equipped with a homebuilt sampler. Growing up in a distant town in northern Sweden, the prime musical inspiration came from the local punk and rave scenes. Developing a love affair with trashy productions and raw energy, he is now channeling his unique blend of techno and pop through repurposed low-tech electronics. Coaxing primitive waveforms into fist-throwing basslines and melodies, he challenges public perception of what can be achieved with obsolete tech. He has since the debut in 2003 toured extensively throughout Europe, Asia and North America.

12:45 AM – USK (Kyoto, JP)
Japanese 8bit musician with GAMEBOY from Japan. Hard disco sound with Over spec and super delicate sequence programming with lo-bit console on the floor.

1:30 AM – IAYD (Corpus Christi, TX)
Hailing from Corpus Christi, Texas, IAYD (I Am Your Destruction) uses the Nintendo Game Boy and the Nintendo Famicom to smash his way through space and the confines of classical training. He has since been living vicariously through his handheld arsenal; making loud, powerful, and hard hitting electronic music since 2007.
VISUALS

The C-Men (Enschede, NL)
Some veejays need expensive high end pc’s or macs to display a bunch of grey lines. The c-men only need 2 amiga computers, a 320×256 resolution in 16 colours and a couple of redbulls to send those graphic designer vj’s home with burnt retinas. For 8 years the C-Men have been displaying their bright, comic styled, abstract and intricate visuals from Barcelona to Pusan, Los Angeles to Hamar, Tallinn to Brussels and Las Vegas back to hometown Enschede.

No Carrier (Brooklyn, NY)
Don Miller is an artist and educator based in Brooklyn, NY. He performs live visuals in real time under the alias NO CARRIER. Miller works with nearly obsolete repurposed electronics to create high energy low resolution abstract video art. Part of the 8bitpeoples artist collective, he performs, exhibits, and lectures worldwide.

Party Time! Hexcellent! (Austin, TX)
Party Time! Hexcellent! creates interactive visual art for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Her blocky, colorful animations are meant to evoke feelings of nostalgia and friendship. Since 2010, Party Time! Hexcellent! has performed at a number of chiptune and video game events across North America.
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[...] the sun goes down on SXSW. And tonight is no exception. Fantastic Arcade and Ambhar Tequila present Datapop, the 8-bit music dance party. Starting at 9pm, they’ll be presenting the hottest blip [...]
Posted by The SXSW Party Continues at the Highball: DATAPOP Tonight | Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Blog on March 15, 2011