Square Sounds prides itself on having a lineup comprised of at least 50% international musical artists, many of whom have never played in Australia before. The musical styles and genres of the artists vary greatly, but for a little hint of who we have to look forward to, and why you might our audience or yours might want to hear more from them, some details are below.
Chibi-Tech
A true geek at heart - which cheekily influences her music, Chibi-Tech is an Asian-American chipartist based in Japan who creates soundtracks for videogames including titles from Sega and SNK.
A favourite artist of many chipmusic artists for her ability to stretch the technical abilities of her instruments; Chibi-tech teases some of the craziest, wobbliest bass sounds that you've ever heard out of a famicom taking her all over the world to perform in front of hundreds of adoring fans.
http://nanjamonja.com
Shirobon
Hailing from the UK, Shirobon blends his video console roots with modern production techniques to create 8bit inspired electro-house that is catchy and extremely danceable. Having been creating chipmusic since his teen years, Shirobon has gone from gameboy to synthesizer and come back around to create EDM flavoured with the sounds of commodores and game boys that is a masterful fusion of retro and modern sounds.
http://soundcloud.com/shirobon
Robert Parker
Synthwave shares some of the same sound pallet as chiptune, and Robert Parker is one of the shining examples of the style of music. A classically trained pianist who uses keyboards and synthesizers to create thoroughly retro soundscapes reminiscent of the 80's; this Swedish artist's electrofunk sounds conjure thoughts of night time cityscapes and sports cars.
https://soundcloud.com/robertparkerofficial
Quarta330
Quarta330 is the Japanese master of intricate electro/techno, Game Boy dub, dubstep and grime. Having started out in chiptune, he has in recent years incorporated an 8bit pallet into more modern styled electronic music and calls his sound "pixelated dub'. Part of the Hyperdub label, his music has drawn attention from such a variety of sources like Ministry of Sound and the Redbull Music Academy.
https://soundcloud.com/q330
Los Pat Moritas
Formed in Argentina, the two members of Los Pat Moritas found themselves separated when one moved to Melbourne, the separation hasn't stopped them and they have continued to create new songs in their distinct 8bit cumbia style. Their ability to entertain a crowd through their lyrics, crowd interation and use of both gameboy and PSP is peerless.
https://soundcloud.com/patmoritas
Wiklund
With his roots in the demoscene, Swede, Wiklund, uses a variety of consoles to make music both for video games and for the listening and dancing pleasure of his fans. With an arsenal that includes the Commodore Amiga and Nintendo Gameboy, his music is a perfect blend of 80's nostalgia and upbeat melodies.
https://soundcloud.com/alexwiklund
Cheapshot
A native of the UK, based on Japan, Cheapshot is one of the names behind Square Sounds' Tokyo offering and also the curator of one of the chipmusic scene's best label's, Cheapbeats. Exposure to so many amazing artists, means he know's what's good, and it comes across in his music.
With a back catalogue that includes styles like house and footwork, what he'll bring together for his Square Sounds set is anyone's guess, but expect huge amounts of bass!
https://cheapbeatsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/nano
UltraSyd
The first French artist to play Square Sounds Melbourne, UltraSyd has previously rocked the crowd on the Square Sounds Tokyo and Blip Festival stages. Using a variety of hardware that includes Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, C64, Game Boys and Amigas, his most recent EP, 'L'emidemie dansante' was considered by many to be a standout chipmusic release of the year for 2015.
http://soundcloud.com/ultrasyd
Harley Likes Music
Harley Likes Music, and we like Harley. Hailing from Sheffield in the UK, Harley primarily uses a Nintendo DS (and more recently, gameboys) for his tunes. His banging sounds have seen him playing with bands and DJs alike and garnered him plenty of attention. This will be one of the rare occasions where we have a repeat performer playing Square Sounds, and with the new tunes he's released in his 2014 headline slot, we're over the moon to have him back.
http://soundcloud.com/harleylikesmusic
Chibi-Tech
A true geek at heart - which cheekily influences her music, Chibi-Tech is an Asian-American chipartist based in Japan who creates soundtracks for videogames including titles from Sega and SNK.
A favourite artist of many chipmusic artists for her ability to stretch the technical abilities of her instruments; Chibi-tech teases some of the craziest, wobbliest bass sounds that you've ever heard out of a famicom taking her all over the world to perform in front of hundreds of adoring fans.
http://nanjamonja.com
Shirobon
Hailing from the UK, Shirobon blends his video console roots with modern production techniques to create 8bit inspired electro-house that is catchy and extremely danceable. Having been creating chipmusic since his teen years, Shirobon has gone from gameboy to synthesizer and come back around to create EDM flavoured with the sounds of commodores and game boys that is a masterful fusion of retro and modern sounds.
http://soundcloud.com/shirobon
Robert Parker
Synthwave shares some of the same sound pallet as chiptune, and Robert Parker is one of the shining examples of the style of music. A classically trained pianist who uses keyboards and synthesizers to create thoroughly retro soundscapes reminiscent of the 80's; this Swedish artist's electrofunk sounds conjure thoughts of night time cityscapes and sports cars.
https://soundcloud.com/robertparkerofficial
Quarta330
Quarta330 is the Japanese master of intricate electro/techno, Game Boy dub, dubstep and grime. Having started out in chiptune, he has in recent years incorporated an 8bit pallet into more modern styled electronic music and calls his sound "pixelated dub'. Part of the Hyperdub label, his music has drawn attention from such a variety of sources like Ministry of Sound and the Redbull Music Academy.
https://soundcloud.com/q330
Los Pat Moritas
Formed in Argentina, the two members of Los Pat Moritas found themselves separated when one moved to Melbourne, the separation hasn't stopped them and they have continued to create new songs in their distinct 8bit cumbia style. Their ability to entertain a crowd through their lyrics, crowd interation and use of both gameboy and PSP is peerless.
https://soundcloud.com/patmoritas
Wiklund
With his roots in the demoscene, Swede, Wiklund, uses a variety of consoles to make music both for video games and for the listening and dancing pleasure of his fans. With an arsenal that includes the Commodore Amiga and Nintendo Gameboy, his music is a perfect blend of 80's nostalgia and upbeat melodies.
https://soundcloud.com/alexwiklund
Cheapshot
A native of the UK, based on Japan, Cheapshot is one of the names behind Square Sounds' Tokyo offering and also the curator of one of the chipmusic scene's best label's, Cheapbeats. Exposure to so many amazing artists, means he know's what's good, and it comes across in his music.
With a back catalogue that includes styles like house and footwork, what he'll bring together for his Square Sounds set is anyone's guess, but expect huge amounts of bass!
https://cheapbeatsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/nano
UltraSyd
The first French artist to play Square Sounds Melbourne, UltraSyd has previously rocked the crowd on the Square Sounds Tokyo and Blip Festival stages. Using a variety of hardware that includes Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, C64, Game Boys and Amigas, his most recent EP, 'L'emidemie dansante' was considered by many to be a standout chipmusic release of the year for 2015.
http://soundcloud.com/ultrasyd
Harley Likes Music
Harley Likes Music, and we like Harley. Hailing from Sheffield in the UK, Harley primarily uses a Nintendo DS (and more recently, gameboys) for his tunes. His banging sounds have seen him playing with bands and DJs alike and garnered him plenty of attention. This will be one of the rare occasions where we have a repeat performer playing Square Sounds, and with the new tunes he's released in his 2014 headline slot, we're over the moon to have him back.
http://soundcloud.com/harleylikesmusic