Let's talk about chiptunes!
What are chiptunes?
Chiptune, also known as chip music or 8-bit music, is synthesized electronic music which is made for programmable sound generator (PSG) sound chips used in vintage computers, consoles, and arcade machines. The term also refers to tracker format music which intentionally sounds similar to older PSG-created music (this is the original meaning of the word) and music that combines PSG sounds with modern musical styles.
Essentially it is the music a whole generation of nerds like me grew up with!
Here is my favourite tune, remember this game?
Green Beret by Martin Galway
Green Beret, classic c64 Game Loader music from Imagine (1986)
Here is a nice selection of some of the best from the Commodore 64:
Demo Scene
In the late 80s I enjoyed the chip tunes via the demo scene:
We had an Atari ST and I had friends with Amigas.
Modern Chiptunes
As part of my YouTubing looking for the classics, I found out not only are people still making 8-bit music, it is a thriving genre!