“There are no fancy stadium tours or spaceships here”, sounds off one of tonight’s guest producers/performers Trash80, as we chat after his set. “It’s just music.”

We are standing outside your typical non-descript warehouse between somewhere in North Hollywood and the Shakey’s Pizza on Santa Monica Blvd. Inside are 37-ish twenty something’s erratically gyrating to “chiptunes” and there’s one really chill older gal knitting. Shit you not, look at the pictures.

The music or “chiptunes” are a unique type of electronic music which is produced mostly in real time, utilizing simple computers or modded old video game hardware, i.e. Game Boy’s and Nintendo Entertainment Systems. The sound reverberating within gives me an auditory picture of something like what it would sound like if Danger Mouse had written the score for Super Mario Brothers… live.

I asked tonight’s hostess and headliner, Wet Mango, why a Game Boy?

“I always wanted to make beats but could not afford to, but then the GameBoy finally gave me that freedom.” She turns to take a pull off a bottle of whiskey which has been floating about, “It has a dirty sound, it’s affordable, compact, and with having 4 channels, it can make complete songs.”

So U2, you can keep your fancy screens and bazillion dollar mixing consoles. You too can take your 47 Semi-trucks full of smoke and sun glasses and drive them into the River Shannon. I will feel no loss.  For I have found music from a simpler time and form. One that only requires a couple double A’s and a good “blow” from time to time to keep 8-bits on beat. I have discovered beep-bloop.

First up on the beep-bloop playlist is”Drip and Slip.”  This version is previously released on my February 2009 Demo.  It’s made by a Korg DS 10 on the DS and LSDJ on GameBoy Color.

Next up,”If Horror Makes You Happy.”  This unreleased beat banger was made on LSDJ and GameBoy Color and is embedded below for your listening enjoyment.

I wrangled Wet Mango for a quick chat at the 8 bit event and below is our dialogue.  Also, check out this killer designed web portal when you get a sec!

Can you give me some insight as to how you got into making music in general?

Wet Mango: I’ve been going to shows and ordering from my favorite record labels since I was 16.  I knew I always wanted to make music, it wasn’t ever really a question.  The only problem was I was not trained on any instrument and grew up pretty damn poor so could not afford equipment.  I started collecting kids keyboards and cheap Rolands in high school.  Between their drum beat presets and having different sounds to choose from on most keyboards I could make music. Most of my first compositions from 16-18 were all video game sounding instrumentals. Plus, I always liked the Lo-Fi sound a lot and keyboards are easy to play.  I started doing vocals and keyboards in a hardcore band in North Carolina in 2000. That was really when I started to learn how it was to make music with others, record, tour, and play keyboards more proficiently.  That band was really what got me hooked permanently on playing music.

When did you start to feel the Game Boy scene and what was the catalyst?

Wet Mango: I got into the Gameboy thing in 2004.  I found Baseck online through his website, an awesome turntablist and Gameboy producer, and he showed me that you can make music on them.  We formed a group called Sonic Death Rabbit where I mostly played keys and arranged songs and he programmed on LSDJ, generally.  I bought a Gameboy from him and taught myself it as well.  What drew me to the GameBoy the most was it’ s dirty sound, affordability, compact size, and how much I could control using LSDJ.  With it having four channels I could make complete songs.  It was also really exciting to make music on a device that was part of my childhood.  I always wanted to make beats but could not afford to, so the GameBoy finally gave me that freedom.

What led you down the path of doing a show with those DJ’s?

Wet Mango: Well they are not really DJ’s.  It’s all original music who’s composition is being assorted in a live mode so they are more producers/performers.  I chose producers in the area that were also using video gaming consoles as hardware to make their own original music. The show was composed of artists who I feel are pushing what these devices are known nostalgically to sound like through the video games that have been made for them and applying it to a sort of mixed genre live electronics performance.  They also are all people who have been actively contributing towards the development of this scene both online and by performing, recording and releasing on small labels or themselves, and promoting shows, which is what I am all about.

Words and photos by Dustin Downing