Joypad

Gaming Event Specialists // Warehouse Parties // Retro Gaming // Private Hire // http://www.joypadbar.co.uk // Here's where we ask some of our Chiptune and electronic acts the same 5 questions.

[joypadbar]

Joypad meets... Comptroller

This chiptune aficionado has been forcing abrasive music from old machines since 2006, including the Nintendo Game Boy, Commodore 64 and Sega Dreamcast. Based in Edinburgh, he’s played shows as far afield as the Netherlands (EINDBAAS), France (Stunfest) and Japan (1H1D!!!)

Q1 - What’s your number one party banger, and why?

m1dy - Kamikaze - Because sometimes only extratone will do the job.

Q2 - Favourite game from the Joypad library and why?

Shenmue. I love the atmosphere, the detail, and the fact you can take time out from hunting your father's killer to play Space Harrier or collect capsule toys.

Q3 - The strangest game you’ve ever played?

Seaman, on Dreamcast.

Q4 - What’s your Break Glass In Emergency tune that always gets the crowd back on side?

Z-Bombs is reliably heavy. I still like playing it even though it's a few years old now.

Q5 - Persuade me to come see your set in six words.

Glitchy bass dirt threat from 20XX

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Joypad meets... King Wine

King Wine or, as they are affectionately known, “The Best Band In The World”, are a melting pot of leftover teenage hormones and unrelenting enthusiasm. A teenage girl’s diary soundtracked by boyish nostalgia; the awkward dance confidence we all share in front of the bedroom mirror; the embarrassing made essential. King Wine love to party and they’ll never stop.

Q1 - What’s your number one party banger, and why?

Craig - Probably 'Sad Dance Party,' since it's in the name. I didn't write the lyrics, but to me it just means that you're at King Wine's party now and you can do what ever you like to have fun, because we're in charge.

Ruthie - Definitely Blue Monday by New Order. It just builds and builds and builds, and it has these classically vague but emotional lyrics that you can really moan along to without anyone hearing, if there's a big crowd there too. Or if you're by yourself, I suppose.

Q2 - Favourite game from the Joypad library and why?

Craig - Either Sonic CD or Mario Kart Double Dash.

Ruthie - Legend of Zelda: WIndwaker. I've been exploring that little world for years now, and it never fails to completely absorb me.

Q3 - The strangest game you’ve ever played?

Craig - I don't really know what a weird game is like. Maybe Brütal Legend? Because it starts off as a hack and slash type thing but kinda morphs into an RTS.

Ruthie - I've played a lot of strange flash games over the years. Clarence's Big Chance is a fun platformer about a fat, balding middle-aged man about to go on his first date where the quality of the date at the end depends on how well you completed the game. I liked that. And I guess Don't Shit Your Pants deserves an honourable mention too.

Q4 - What’s your Break Glass In Emergency tune that always gets the crowd back on side?

Craig - One of our many pop song covers, I think. People usually start paying attention when they hear something they recognise. Probably our cover of 'Everybody' by Backstreet Boys.

Ruthie - It's always a cover. "Here In Your Arms" by Hellogoodbye usually gets a few people going. At the very least, I will probably end up on the floor from utter exertion.

Q5 - Persuade me to come see your set in six words.

Craig - BEST BAND IN THE WORLD m8.

Ruthie - Relatable Pop Anthems By Aspiring Crowdsurfers

[joypadbar]

Joypad meets...Dream*Eater

Dream*Eater is a chiptune musician from Scotland who has been making music for 4 years and has recently branched out to make music that he is proud of… hue hue

Q1 - What’s your number one party banger, and why? Alice deejay better off alone or running in the 90s

Q2 - Favourite game from the Joypad library and why? Defiantly Majoras Mask i've loved that game since I can remember! its got such a dark theme but at the same time it can be subtle to new players which I like in video games!!!

Q3 - The strangest game you’ve ever played? some my little pony amnesia custom story I swear I never knew what it was before I downloaded it turned out to be more funny than strange but looking back on it now some of the things in it were rather cringy

Q4 - What’s your Break Glass In Emergency tune that always gets the crowd back on side? probably a zelda remix or my alice deejay remix because it always gets the crowd going OH! or my benny bannasi remix!!

Q5 - Persuade me to come see your set in six words. Porter Robinson mixed with chiptune.

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Joypad meets... Mizkai

“Mizkai begun life as a petri-dish of sugar solution in a secret laboratory nestled somewhere in the quaint British countryside. Created from a complex compound recovered from the furthest reaches of space, She was destined to one day awaken and brainwash the populace with cute, hypnotic lo-fi soundscapes.”

As well as being an artificially grown (pretty remarkable on it’s own!) chiptune idol - Mizkai also makes her own pixelated threads over at Candyholic!

Q1 - What’s your number one party banger, and why?

Bubble raver - P*Light since I am a bit of a J-core addict. I grew up listening to happy hardcore as a kid and it always made me feel so happy unlike anything else could. So it's really lovely to see the scene continuing in Japan.

Q2 - Favourite game from the Joypad library and why?

Oh! I'm not sure if you have it but Jet Set Radio? (ed - we do!) This game was such a huge influence on my music, illustrations and fashion style that I'd say that playing it shaped me as a person.

Q3 - The strangest game you’ve ever played?

Hmm, difficult question. I've played a lot of weird games, though nothing beats Japanese arcade games for weirdness.

Q4 - What’s your Break Glass In Emergency tune that always gets the crowd back on side?

Oh without a doubt it's Happy Little Rave Box. Having Maru303's ravey fast paced input on that track ALWAYS gets the crowd psyched up.

Q5 - Persuade me to come see your set in six words.

Wacky colourful 8-bitchin ravey chip pop.

[joypadbar]

Joypad meets... 2xAA

A pixelated polymath of the highest order, a modern day Leonardo ChipVinci ( 😂 ), Sam Wray has been making a splash in the live tech, gaming, visual arts scene over the last year. Founder of µCollective; Sam Wray appears on a mission to tie together the world of makers, hackers, musicians and visual artists.

Q1 - What’s your number one party banger, and why?

Skrillex - Recess. ~controversial~ I know, but it's so bad it passes for good.

Q2 - Favourite game from the Joypad library and why?

Aw man, hard choice! Such a large library and so many good games, but the one which will always rise to the top for me is Duck Hunt. There's something about beating your opponent controlling the ducks and getting one over on that dog that's just so satisfying haha!

Q3 - The strangest game you’ve ever played?

Definitely Naut by Titouan Millet. I have NO IDEA what's going on in the game at all.

Q4 - What’s your Break Glass In Emergency tune that always gets the crowd back on side?

'Once a New' for the catchy melody and pumping bassline. Also the drum solo for "da clapz".

Q5 - Persuade me to come see your set in six words.

High energy chiptune made on (a) GameBoy!

(super cheated at the end there, but w/e)

[joypadbar]

Joypad meets... Tommy Creep

Sadly unavailable for our “2spooky4u” halloween special last year (most likely his busiest night) Tommy Creep cuts a ghoulish figure on stage. Armed with gameboys and some of the best zombie makeup this side of the Walking Dead we prepare to go hand in decaying hand into the depths of 8-bit “Horrorcore” this Saturday at Super Warehouse Gaming Party!

Q1 - What’s your number one party banger, and why?

The Monster Mash, any party where that would go down well is the kind of party I wanna be at!

Q2 - Favourite game from the Joypad library and why?

Castlevania! The theme tune alone makes it incredibly awesome!

Q3 - The strangest game you’ve ever played?

Surgeon Simulator! Maybe it's not that strange, but it's cool as hell!

Q4 - What’s your Break Glass In Emergency tune that always gets the crowd back on side?

"The Gravediggers" - I always play it and it usually comes out near the start of my set but if the crowd don't get what i'm about by the end of that track then they're probably never going to!

Q5 - Persuade me to come see your set in six words.

Zombie Game Boy bass and bleeps!

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Joypad meets... J3WEL

High energy Gameboy music from the Boy of Games, J3WEL. Having stomped across the land north to south with fast beats and heavy drops from those fabulously modded, blisteringly bright glowing vintage hand-helds. J3WEL brings his original 8-bit compositions to this month's SUPER WAREHOUSE GAMING PARTY with the express purpose of getting your feet, hips, arms and butts moving.

Q1 - What’s your number one party banger, and why?

The track that always gets me pumped, but at the same time always gives me goose bumps for the memories it brings back, is Encoder by Pendulum. The song has such a huge impact on me, the way it's split into two very clear sections but still makes sense as one song has always been something that has grabbed me and I'll listen to that song on repeat for hours.

Q2 - Favourite game from the Joypad library and why?

The first console I had was a PS1 so Spyro (Year of the Dragon) and Crash Bandicoot were and still are games I love playing. I actually recently got out my PS1 to relive those times! I am however really looking forward to coming to the event and playing some old NES and SNES games. I had the Yoshis Island port on GBA but I want to play it on the original console now!

Q3 - The strangest game you’ve ever played? 

Go! Go! Beckham! Adventure On Soccer Island. It was a platformer mario/yoshis island type game where you use a ball instead of eggs and it was a brilliant game the controls were really tight and it was action packed. However, the whole story and plot and that fact you're a footballer battling brightly coloured creatures is very strange. I didn't think it at the time but looking back its so very very weird.

Q4 - What’s your Break Glass In Emergency tune that always gets the crowd back on side?

Tell Me I'm Not Crazy is probably the track I would use to grab the crowd back. Its one of my favourite songs I've written it took me about a month to write because I couldn't get all my ideas down but it has upbeat and chill sections so I find its good to grab everyones attention.

Q5 - Persuade me to come see your set in six words.

I like cats #MeowMeowMeow

[joypadbar]

Joypad meets... Datassette

Datassette is a man who wears many hats: musician, programmer, designer, dj... Musically sounding like Boards of Canada pilled up in a room full of ZX Spectrums - his tunes are inherently IDM but with an unmistakable gaming glint.

Q1 - What’s your number one party banger, and why?

John Davis - Flashcan. A bass player from Massachusetts (with almost the same name as me) who recorded this complete belter in 1984 and only a couple of other tracks like it. Totally ridiculous drum machine funk with these really massive chunks of silence in between beats that make you want to rip your own head off (in a good way).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_WiijXiQp4

Q2 - Favourite game from the Joypad library and why?

I was never really a console kid, it was home computers all the way in our 'ouse: Acorn Electron > C64 > Amiga. Favourite game from that era is probably Exlie on the Acorn Electron, completely amazing for the time, a massive world with proper physics and AI in 32kb. Nuts. And it's got magic mushrooms that make you unable to walk if you touch them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbLndV_f_vo

I did borrow a PS1 for a while in about 2001 and absolutely caned the bejesus out of Wip3out. It still plays well and looks good today, the controls and track designs are just polished to heck and that UI work by The Designers Republic really makes everything else from that period look like total cack. All the sequels since then have looked rather naff in comparison despite all their fancy polycounts and shaders.

Q3 - The strangest game you’ve ever played? 

This would have to be Ancipital on the C64 by Jeff Minter. It's hard as nails to the point of being almost impossible and completely nuts. You play a bipedal goat who fires bananas, rizlas and pyramids out of its face at apples, hammers and trousers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIGz5z9ekDQ

Q4 - What’s your Break Glass In Emergency tune that always gets the crowd back on side?

Dopplereffekt - Plastiphilia. Classic comedy electro gold that always produces instant shit-eating grins, winner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ndzto79_p8

Q5 - Persuade me to come see your set in six words.

It'll be dead good an' that.

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Joypad meets... Kero Kero Bonito

Japan meets London via the nostalgia tinged, pixellated chirps of school music room keyboards. Kero Kero Bonito (or "KKB" as they frequently refer to themselves) burst onto the scene recently with their dangerously addictive mixtape: "

Intro Bonito

". With songs about computer games (obvs), the eternal struggle of cats vs dogs, and (personal favourite) a heartbreaking tale of a pocket-sized crocodile... We at Joypad guarantee you won't hear anything quite like this until the next time you see KKB ;)

Q1 - What’s your number one party banger, and why?

Tiger - Yu Dead Now. Does he say "look up my Facebook" at the start?

Q2 - Favourite game from the Joypad library and why?

Earthbound.

Q3 - The strangest game you’ve ever played? 

FIFA is pretty strange.

Q4 - What’s your Break Glass In Emergency tune that always gets the crowd back on side?

Halcali - スタイリースタイリー (Stylee Stylee)

Q5 - Persuade me to come see your set in six words.

Bilingual schoolyard dancehall party for everyone.

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Joypad meets... Chipzel

A woman who needs no introduction (although we're going to introduce her anyway). Chipzel is the composer of one of the most successful video game soundtracks of recent years: the Bafta-winning "Super Hexagon" by Terry Cavanagh. Known for her super high energy live gameboy-driven sets; Chipzel encompasses the surprisingly far-reaching appeal of live chiptune music. This is a performance not to be missed!

Q1 - What’s your number one party banger, and why?

I'm really into deep, progressive trance so I'm gonna go with Alpha 9 - Come Home (Although it's more of an after-party vibe).

Q2 - Favourite game from the Joypad library and why?

I didn't have much of a game library pre-PS2/PS3 but I'd have to go with Chrono Trigger. Beautiful game all round!

Q3 - The strangest game you’ve ever played? 

Dominique Pamplemousse - It's a stop motion indie game in the style of a musical about a private detective. It's the weirdest, trippiest thing I've ever played.

Q4 - What’s your Break Glass In Emergency tune that always gets the crowd back on side?

Anything from Super Hexagon goes down well :D

Q5 - Persuade me to come see your set in six words.

Because it's like Super Hexagon irl

[joypadbar]

Joypad meets... Sabrepulse

A man who needs little introduction, a yorkshireman with a thirst for pixels, a producer that stands perfectly astride the gulf between legit, nerdcore chiptune and genuine floor-filling EDM. Sabrepulse is one of

the names 

in gaming inspired music. Definitely one not to miss!

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Q1 - What’s your number one party banger, and why?

Right now anything from Royalston's new album - 'Loops Of Fury' is a particular fave!

Q2 - Favourite game from the Joypad library and why?

I'd say Rez on the dreamcast - love the marriage of music and visuals!

Q3 - The strangest game you’ve ever played? 

Any of the parodious games - super strange shmups with weird sprites

Q4 - What’s your Break Glass In Emergency tune that always gets the crowd back on side?

Spor's '1up' always goes down well - very heavy dnb track influenced by videogames from one of my favourite producers

Q5 - Persuade me to come see your set in six words.

modern, hard, fun, 8bit, techno party!

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Joypad meets... Shirobon

Along with bleepy-bloopy household names: Chipzel and Sabrepulse; Shirobon is a key component in the buzzy UK Chiptune scene. Fusing together modern dance production with pure and, at times, utterly devastating sines and squares - direct from the gameboy - Shirobon casts an imposing shadow from any stage.

So... prepare to be blasted into your component pixel-parts on the dancefloor at this month's #superwarehouse !

Click here for our latest events!

Q1 - What's your number one party banger, and why?

Bomfunk MC's - Stir Up The Bass has always been a favourite! It came out 15 years ago but the production is so on point and still relevant today.

Q2 - Favourite game from the Joypad library and why?

I'm a Megadrive kid and my favourite has always been Sonic 2! It was the first game i had and it has one of the best soundtracks.. Streets of Rage makes a close second ;)

Q3 - The strangest game you’ve ever played? 

LSD: Dream Emulator for PS1, a rare japanese game where you live inside dreams based on one of the game developers dreams journal.. super weird/creepy!

Q4 - What's your Break Glass In Emergency tune that always gets the crowd back on side?

Well, i only play my own music and if i was in trouble then Psy Trance Gameboy Acid always saves the day. 

Q5 - Persuade me to come see your set in six words.

Cyberpunk inspired Commodore warehouse rave zone

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Joypad meets... Steve (nosurname)

Confusingly named chiptune-head from Bromley. Steve Nosurname (real name, Gus) goes hard with his 90's dance indebted, retro gaming-infused floorfillers.

Q1 - What's your number one party banger, and why?

What U Need (Luvdup Mix) by Soft House Company. The absolute definition of "massive".

Q2 - Favourite game from the Joypad library and why?

Super Metroid. I got so excited about playing this once when I was little that I had an asthma attack.

Q3 - The strangest game you’ve ever played? 

Super Mario 64 with severe Gameshark code abuse. It becomes an out-of-body experience.

Q4 - What's your Break Glass In Emergency tune that always gets the crowd back on side?

Move Your Feet by Junior Senior. I've seen people injure themselves dancing to this song.

Q5 - Persuade me to come see your set in six words.

It's better than Superman 64 was.

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Joypad meets... The Super Scratch Bros

2D DJs in a 4D world. The Super Scratch Bros marry current dancefloor fillers with sharp pangs of nostalgic chiptune. We asked them our standard 5 questions ahead of their appearance at the inaugural Super Warehouse Gaming Party.

Q1 - What's your number one party banger, and why?

Man, what? ONE?! Start with an easy one why don't you? We both have some real diverse tastes, it swings between anything from real classics like Contra and Jazz Jackrabbit to modern day indie games (LUFTRAUSERS FO LYFE) but if we really had to pick, we'd probably go with Lilith's Club from the new DmC. Brutal. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx3alHfGlRA)

Q2 - Favourite game from the Joypad library and why? 

Cool, not like there's much choice there then. For some reason I always think of the Desert Strike/Jungle Strike games but played them again and they were balls. I guess Donkey Kong Country 2 has never lost its appeal though (cracking soundtrack too, naturally)

Q3 - The strangest game you’ve ever played? 

Probably Tenya Wanya Teens (http://tenyawanyateens.com/), played it for half an hour and never once understood what was going on. The best time.

Q4 - What's your Break Glass In Emergency tune that always gets the crowd back on side?

Nintendo. All Nintendo. It's like the funtime baseline.

Q5 - Persuade me to come see your set in six words.

We'll send Bowser if you don't