Blip Festival 2011

Chiptune, blip, 8-bit: The music has a lot of names, but there’s no confusion when it comes to its crunchy sound. Jeremiah Johnson, a.k.a. Nullsleep—cofounder of festival organizer 8bitpeoples, which was born at Columbia University in 1999—says it’s “generally, music made using early-generation video-game consoles and home computers.” The ultimate and seemingly impossible fusion of punk ethos and synth-pop idealism, this music is made to be given away, and its community encourages participation; the festival includes a daytime workshop on Nintendo programming. It’s a collective movement that encompasses the looping, machine-tooled patterns and utopian spirit of Kraftwerk, highly industrial sonics (especially in Nullsleep’s music) and to-the-point energy. And it’s more than just pop; one of the performers is Tristan Perich, creator of the 1-Bit Symphony, whose set will be accompanied by appropriately low-resolution live video. Among the other artists Johnson is excited about are loud electronics-and-drum duo Starscream and teenage Irish Game Boy artist Chipzel.