Interview: Dekker and Julia, the DJs Mixin’ It Up At 8bit FM

May 29, 2009 by Jeffrey L. Wilson
Filed under: Interviews 

8bitfm Interview: Dekker and Julia, the DJs Mixin It Up At 8bit FMMy diverse musical tastes have motivated others, both friend and stranger, to toss heinous names of all sorts in my general direction. I’ve been called a hipster, hipster-wannabe, blipster, and sell-out for my love of just-off-the-mainstream sounds. If I were to share my Slacker stations with you, you’d find programming that leaps from The Talking Heads to The Dirtbombs to Das EFX to The Bird and The Bee. What can I say? I love my music when it’s as far from the current pop tastes as possible – - except for that admittedly horrible “Paris is Burning” track by Ladyhawke, which simultaneously owns a small morsel of my soul and destroys any sort of cred I’d imagined myself having.

That said, I do thoroughly enjoy a good videogame tune, which is why 8bit FM is currently one of my favorite websites.  A cursory glance would lead to the belief that 8bit FM is nothing more than a collection of streaming soundtracks, remixes, chiptunes, and nerdcore, but that would only be a portion of the story. 8bit FM operates in a similar fashion as a terrestrial radio station except, you know, the people behind it play good music.

For example, there are actual on-air programming blocks. 8PM-Midnight EST covers chiptunes; 2AM-5AM EST is all about epic orchestral pieces; 6PM-8PM EST is where nerdcore drops the rhymes (MC Chris in the house!). You can also request songs from the rather deep library, view the Top 20, and check out the Party Calendar to discover when your favorite lo-fi artists will be performing in your area. Intrigued, I reached out to Dekker and Julia of 8bit FM to discuss videogame music.

What lead to the creation of 8bit FM?

Dekker: I’m more of an old school gamer than someone who follows new titles. I used to play Atari and NES. I even won a regional StarFox contest once. I love the older games and the design of has a strong impact on anyone who grew up in that era. I love the feeling of those old tunes and I’m really excited about the people who are using the old hardware to make original compositions. Julia and I wanted to build a place where listeners can have a piece of nostalgia while discovering new artists.

You have programming blocks not unlike traditional radio stations – - are there actual people programming those blocks?

Dekker: Julia and I do actually program the blocks, but not without the help of some fancy software. We play certain songs each week and decide on a featured artist. When we let the software loose it’s been guided in a direction that we want it to go in. Julia and I both used to DJ a little as a hobby and we really wanted the station to have a hand’s on feel.

I’ve noticed a few tracks from Street Fighter II and other 16-bit titles. Is 8bit FM more of a retro station than an 8 bit station?

Dekker: It’s not just a retro station either! The station is all about the “feeling” that you get from the music. If you’re listening to chiptunes, or retro tracks, or even a nerdcore song, we want our listeners to feel connected in a way that goes beyond a traditional format.

Julia: We catch some flak from people on this subject, but truth be told, the station is more about gaming culture – - where it’s been and where it’s heading. So although we make the space to honor retro game music, we’re not limiting ourselves to just 8-bit music.

For better or for worse, we live in an era where copyright holders have cracked down on even the most insignificant use of copyrighted material in the digital space. How is it that 8bit FM has been able to avoid such troubles?

Dekker: We’re careful to use systems that log all of the tracks we play for music reporting agencies which will do their calculations at the end of the year. Beyond that we’ve had a huge amount of support from composers and studios. We’ll be glad to take down any tracks that a copyright holder simply doesn’t want played, but so far we haven’t had any complaints. It also helps that we’re a streaming experience and not a file archive site. We’re not just dumping tracks online in a directory. There are plenty of sites that do that very well, and I’m sure they have their own take on the subject.

Could you explain the difference between chiptunes and circuit bending?

Julia: Circuit bending usually involves breaking open hardware and adding things to control the circuit to make sound. People who are into circuit bending are pretty hardcore! Making chiptunes doesn’t necessarily take that level of electrical engineering prowess – - these days there are 3rd party apps that help make composing on game systems accessible to all.

I’m of the mindset that the majority of modern console titles lack what I would call “videogame music.” Soundtracks are no longer melodic bleeps, bloops, and swirls that were defined by the limitations of yesteryear’s hardware – - new games simply have “music.” Am I totally off the rocker in this assessment?

Dekker: No, you’re not. There was a certain feel to the old tracks that isn’t the same as what’s being composed now, but I think it’s a matter of necessity giving birth an iconic sound. Those virtual instruments really defined what was possible. Nowadays composers are in a position to record a true score in the classic sense. I don’t think one is better than the other; I appreciate music in all the forms it takes, but I will admit I have a soft spot for the retro sound. It’s interesting to see projects like Andy Biao’s “Kind of Bloop” bringing traditional arrangments to the 8-bit instruments. It’s this cool convergence that drives 8bit FM forward. We dig this stuff!

Julia: Well, my impression is that certain game studios took music more seriously than others. Some Japanese studios back in the day would have their composer pretty much working in tandem with game development and the result is a more melded auditory experience. These days its not uncommon that game development would be done before a composer is contracted to make music for an area. And then there are some game studios who opt to license music by famous musicians rather than come up with their own unique music. Composers are generally not in-house and [not] part of the game development process. I think the mood of the game can suffer if the musician isn’t given clear creative direction or doesn’t feel vested in the project.

My all time favorite tracks are Castlevania: Rondo of Blood‘’s “Bloody Tears”, Super Mario Bros. “World 1-2″, and the opening of the American Lunar: Silver Star Saga. What are some of yours?

Dekker: I actually like Masato Nakamura’s score to Sonic the Hedgehog in terms of game soundtracks. For new music I think everyone needs to check out Bitshifter, BubblyFish, and Glo Mag.

Julia: Chrono Cross, Dragon Quest IV, and Jonathan Coulton are some of my personal faves.

You’ve mentioned some of your favorite artists  how does an 8-bit concert differ from your traditional show?

Julia: Pulsewave in NYC is sure to please.  Unlike a traditional concert its very casual and people come as they are.  Artists share their creations on stage during an open mic segment and then the headliners take center stage.


For the interested party looking to craft their own 8-bit music, which tools or starting guides would you recommend?

Julia: I’d recommend checking out 8bitcollective.com for their forums and wiki.  Their wiki is pretty comprehensive and there’s always someone online on their forums who can help a newbie out.  It’s also where we go when scouting out new artists to feature and add to the station’s weekly line-up.


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6 Comments on Interview: Dekker and Julia, the DJs Mixin’ It Up At 8bit FM

  1. Interview: Dekker and Julia, the DJs Mixin' It Up At 8bit FM | 2D … | blog.djsetup.co.uk on Tue, 2nd Jun 2009 10:13 pm

    2. [...] more from the original source:  Interview: Dekker and Julia, the DJs Mixin' It Up At 8bit FM | 2D … Tags: all-sorts, dekker, for-their, forums, forums-and, general, jeffrey, julia, own-8-bit, [...]

  2. Arcade Art | 2D-X, Where old school gaming is new school. on Mon, 8th Jun 2009 6:28 pm

    3. [...] Chiptunes and circuit-bending are probably the best-known methods of creating art based on 8-bit materials within our ranks, the Circle of the Joystick, but they aren’t the only mediums utilizing the old school aesthetic. Donna, the geek Picaso of ArcadeArt, crafts retro-elegant coasters, keychains, paintings, magnets (such as the Half Life pack below), and other items using the passion and eye of a true gamer. I spoke with her recently about her method and the business of retro-gaming art. [...]

  3. Diggin' In the Digital Crates With "8 Bit Weapon: A Chiptune Odyssey" | 2D-X on Wed, 8th Jul 2009 8:58 am

    4. [...] you’re inspired by the chiptunes and circuit-bending efforts of the many geek-musicians that have emerged in recent years, you can try your hand at the [...]

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