Author Archive

Chip Bit Sid Takes On: Graz – ‘Monolith’

Posted by RicH

Hey guys. I’ve been extremely busy these past few months, mainly down to getting the funding secure for Chip Bit Day 18 (which you can read about it later on after the review). Thankfully I’m still finding time to do my reviews for ChipWIN! This month I’m reviewing an album that I’ve been sitting on for a while now; ‘Monolith’ by Graz and released with ‘Ravertooth Tiger’.

The last time I review a Graz album was back in 2016 with ‘Ravepunk’ and that released by ‘Cheapbeats’. It was a great listen whilst feeling incredibly boppy & funky. ‘Monolith’ however is a lot different compared to ‘Ravepunk’, sounding more heavy whilst feeling darker & grittier.

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Chip Bit Sid Takes On: A Look Into Chip Bit Day 2018 & Its Artists!

Posted by RicH

Instead of doing your standard review, I thought I’d do something a little different. At the moment I’ve been extremely busy raising the funds for Chip Bit Day 2018. Yes, Manchester’s latest chiptune event is back for it’s 3rd year, and I’m looking to build upon the foundations laid by the last two to create an even better night – or should I say nights?!?

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Chip Bit Sid Takes on: Various Artists – The Great Australian Barbecue Bash

Posted by RicH

Hello! It’s my first review of the year so I thought I’d begin with a compilation straight from down under. Released on 18th January, ‘The Great Australian Barbecue Bash’ compilation is the first of its kind featuring an all aussie line up with all the artists, covering an fellow artist from the country. It’s a fantastic line up, with prolific artists such as Ctrix, Tomfoolery and The Family Jewellery, Calavera, and many more!

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Chip Bit Sid Takes On: ミカヅキBIGWAVE – ‘わたしのYUME DIARY’

Posted by RicH

It’s my final article of 2017, so I thought I’d write something special that has been a highlight of the year for me. First of all, this review is not associated with chiptune, but it’s probably my favourite album of 2017, mainly down to how it made an impact on me during the year. Released jointly by the artist and ‘neon city records‘, ‘わたしのYUME DIARY’ by ‘カヅキBIGWAVE’ is primarily a Future Funk album, and isn’t something I generally listen to. When I first came across the genre, I didn’t really take to it; mainly down to the constant slow downs & over saturation of funky samples. However, that didn’t stop ‘わたしのYUME DIARY’ from going against those cliches that reside in Future Funk, and instead relies upon making great, catchy melodies that stick in your head for most of 2017.

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Chip Bit Sid takes on: Joshquery – ‘Galaxy’

Posted by RicH

I reviewed this album a while back on Chip Bit Sid, and I wanted to share that with my fellow ChipWINners. ‘Galaxy’ is the debut album from ‘Joshquery’, an LSDJ chiptune artist hailing all the way from Mexico City. I’ve been following Josh for a while now, ever since I did a compilation review on ChipWIN and included his stella track, ‘Space Shuttle’. It is also featured on ‘Galaxy’. Since reviewing this way back on Chip Bit Sid, Josh has gone from strength to strength, writing new material as well as consistently pushing his musical prowess in the genre. A good example of this growth can be experienced in Josh’s submission for Format.DF’s latest compilation, ‘Chip ‘o’ muerte’.

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Chip Bit Sid Takes On: CDIY

Posted by RicH

Originally I had a different idea for this weeks’ article, however after a discussion about how I created the CD for the latest chiptune compilation, I decided I thought I’d write about my own method. When I created the last compilation for Superbyte all those years ago, other than the artwork, I had no idea about the logistics required. It’s because of this, it set me back £40 ($52.81) for 100 inkjet CDs with cardboard sleeves. This time around for the Square Sounds compilation I had more knowledge in the area and in doing so I managed to create 25 b&w thermal heated CDs with a pearlescent cover and plastic case for just £20.

Shortly after seeing how successful this was, it made me realise that independent artists could easily produce their own merch on the cheap; it just requires time & the knowledge.

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