Last year, The Alamo Drafthouse got a hold of a documentary called REFORMAT THE PLANET and caught wind of the 8-Bit music craze. A year later, we still totally love it! Before The Highball was The Highball, it was an abandoned Salvation Army (and before that, a non-abandoned Salvation Army!). In that abandoned space, during SXSW 2009, a stage was built, screens were put up, a bar was added and the first DATAPOP show was born! Digital musicians from near and far plugged in their modified game boys and sound boards and other noisy gadgets to amps, and they made that abandoned Salvation Army into a PARTY! Three days later, that place still reeked of beer and cigarettes and sweat. Thanks Datapop!

We got to relive that magic (minus the beer and cigarette smell) again in November, in the no longer abandoned space (with a much nicer look!) for the Databeez Tour, but we’re doing it one more time WITH FULL FORCE! This SXSW season, The Alamo Drafthouse is doing a FREE SCREENING of REFORMAT THE PLANET on Monday, and then a two day long after party! The Alamo, along with New York City’s 8bitpeoples, 2 Player productions, and the people behind the Blip Festival have joined forces to create DATAPOP 3.0! Now in it’s third installment, Datapop will transform the Highball into a unique cultural hot-spot featuring sets by 15 international 8-bit artists on a full concert stage with professional light and sound system.

Confirmed artists for this year include:
Anamanaguchi (Musician – New York, NY)
Bit Shifter (Musician – New York, NY)
8BK-ok (Musician – New York, NY)
Hally (Musician – Tokyo, JP)
Henry Homesweet (Musician – Ipswich/Lincoln, UK)
IAYD (Musician – Corpus Christi, TX)
Je Deviens DJ en 3 Jours (Musician – Nice, FR)
Jean Y. Kim (Visualist – New York, NY)
The Mysterious H (Musician – Austin, TX)
nordloef (Musician – Karishamn, SE)
Nullsleep (Musician – New York, NY)
Omeros (Visualist – Portland, OR)
Outpt (Visualist – New York, NY)
Paris (Visualist – New York, NY)
Random (Musician – Stockholm, SE)
Sabrepulse (Musician – London, UK)
Sievert (Musician – Houston, TX)
Starscream (Musician – New York, NY)
Talk to Animals (Musician – Baltimore, MD)
Trash80 (Musician – Los Angeles, CA)

Admission to this party is free, but be warned, it will get VERY ROWDY AND CROWDED so we recommend getting there early. Forget SXSW wristbands, this is going to be the party you really want to attend! A film and music in one. You can’t go wrong! REFORMAT THE PLANET screens Monday, March 15th at the Alamo South Lamar, and DATAPOP 3.0 is going on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 16th & 17th at The Highball. Be there or be square.