I came across Roger Kuan's music when I met him last year. He attended my university at the time. He told me of the interesting way he made music. He did not use normal instruments, such as guitars and drums, he used Nintendo Gameboys and other systems like it. He calls himself a "chiptune musician." I recently got a chance to interview him on the music he makes, when he started making music, and more.
Introduce yourself.
Hello my name is Roger, I am an independent chiptune musician. I'm not your ordinary instrument bound musician, I reprogram Nintendo systems and Gameboys to produce my whole unique style of music. Chiptune, or 8-Bit Music, is the product of hacking into an old video game console to try and make something creative with the sounds of the machine.
How did you start making music? When?
I started around my sophomore year in high school, when a friend introduced me to this Gameboy cartridge that can manipulate its own chip sounds, to different pitches, to create music. LSDJ, or Little Sound Disc Jockey, was this such cartridge, that acts as both a music tracker and synthesizer as well. He gave me a few tips to get familiar with how everything works, but the rest was all up to me. I started researching how to make music like this, what equipment was necessary for me to use, and if there are others out there with the same field of music. I came across this community of chiptune artists called 8bitpeoples, and they too create music with Nintendo products. It's all part of a new music revolution, haha!
Why do you make music? Why do you make the genre you do?
Well it dint start with video games, for the most part. It wasn't one of those things where it was like, " Oh yea, video games are my life. So I want to make music of all the video game stuff." It want like that at all. What got my hooked on chiptune was the fact that I could take something that doesn't even have anything to do with music at all, and incorporate it into something that is. All throughout middle and high school, I was always involved with the band. So it was more of a natural habit of wanting to make music. When I'm playing chiptune, it's kinda confusing for others when they ask, "What kind of music do you play?" and most would respond that they play the guitar, or sing. Awkward to say, "Oh, I play the Gameboy," which leaves them with their minds blown as if they didn't expect anyone to create such a ridiculous answer. But when they actually listen to the music, they begin to truly appreciate the sole purpose of chiptune music and not just what it once was entirely for. I make chiptune music, not because I want to be a video game programmer...I make music because I love music.
What is next for you?
I'm not sure at the moment, I plan on getting involved with a Korean magazine called Mocit-Magazine http://mocit-magazine.com/
This specific magazine features a select few of professional independent media stuff makers, that range from chiptune to techno. Needless to say that everyone on this site has a purpose to make music, I'm mostly likely featured on this site as well.
I also have a website which you can access at http://insilicomusic.bandcamp.com/ and this is basically my portfolio of all of the music I have created since my first release on iTunes in February 2010. I have been posting new music every month, even providing free downloads for special occasions. My latest release is "Paper Heart".
Introduce yourself.
Hello my name is Roger, I am an independent chiptune musician. I'm not your ordinary instrument bound musician, I reprogram Nintendo systems and Gameboys to produce my whole unique style of music. Chiptune, or 8-Bit Music, is the product of hacking into an old video game console to try and make something creative with the sounds of the machine.
How did you start making music? When?
I started around my sophomore year in high school, when a friend introduced me to this Gameboy cartridge that can manipulate its own chip sounds, to different pitches, to create music. LSDJ, or Little Sound Disc Jockey, was this such cartridge, that acts as both a music tracker and synthesizer as well. He gave me a few tips to get familiar with how everything works, but the rest was all up to me. I started researching how to make music like this, what equipment was necessary for me to use, and if there are others out there with the same field of music. I came across this community of chiptune artists called 8bitpeoples, and they too create music with Nintendo products. It's all part of a new music revolution, haha!
Why do you make music? Why do you make the genre you do?
Well it dint start with video games, for the most part. It wasn't one of those things where it was like, " Oh yea, video games are my life. So I want to make music of all the video game stuff." It want like that at all. What got my hooked on chiptune was the fact that I could take something that doesn't even have anything to do with music at all, and incorporate it into something that is. All throughout middle and high school, I was always involved with the band. So it was more of a natural habit of wanting to make music. When I'm playing chiptune, it's kinda confusing for others when they ask, "What kind of music do you play?" and most would respond that they play the guitar, or sing. Awkward to say, "Oh, I play the Gameboy," which leaves them with their minds blown as if they didn't expect anyone to create such a ridiculous answer. But when they actually listen to the music, they begin to truly appreciate the sole purpose of chiptune music and not just what it once was entirely for. I make chiptune music, not because I want to be a video game programmer...I make music because I love music.
What is next for you?
I'm not sure at the moment, I plan on getting involved with a Korean magazine called Mocit-Magazine http://mocit-magazine.com/
This specific magazine features a select few of professional independent media stuff makers, that range from chiptune to techno. Needless to say that everyone on this site has a purpose to make music, I'm mostly likely featured on this site as well.
I also have a website which you can access at http://insilicomusic.bandcamp.com/ and this is basically my portfolio of all of the music I have created since my first release on iTunes in February 2010. I have been posting new music every month, even providing free downloads for special occasions. My latest release is "Paper Heart".
1 comments:
I believe Roger introduced me to his music (I've seen the Youtube vids) last year! It's completely interesting. It doesn't sound like things you find today, which is probably why it intrigued me. Doesn't he also write on the side? Screen writing? :)
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