Square Sounds?
Square Sounds is the only international chipmusic festival in the world with multiple stops.
The local teams behind Blip Festival Tokyo and Blip Festival Australia were determined to continue the international festival that had started in New York and expanded to cities worldwide, after its organizers took an indefinite break in 2012. They decided to forge ahead with a rebranded festival, maintaining many of the core principles of Blip, such as carefully curated international lineups, side events, and a fun, welcoming atmosphere that drew audiences from across the globe.
Square Sounds debuted in Melbourne in 2013 at the Evelyn Hotel, quickly attracting not only chipmusic enthusiasts but also video game fans, bass music lovers, and those drawn to Melbourne’s lively music scene.
So, what exactly is chipmusic? Even if you don’t recognize the term, you’ve probably heard it. In simple terms, chiptune is music created using or mimicking the sound chips from video game consoles. While it’s been around for years, it has gained wider popularity recently, with artists like Snoop Dogg, Ke$ha, and Beck incorporating chipmusic samples into their tracks. Far from being limited to video game soundtracks, chiptune is now a growing influence in bass music. Some chipmusic acts, such as Anamanaguchi and Australia’s 7Bit Hero, are even gaining mainstream attention.
In addition to the two main days of Square Sounds Melbourne, which feature 16 musical performances and several visual artists, the festival also hosts a variety of side events throughout the weekend. These include a pre-party with up-and-coming talent, combining open mic performances with full-length sets; workshops for both beginners and seasoned creators on how to use the relevant hardware and software; and a closing night event where past and present Square Sounds performers play the music that inspires them in a laid-back meet-and-greet environment.
International
Artists
Music
Prefer to play online and check out some (different!) special curated tracks?
Chiptune is an instrument not a genre: Square Sounds Festival 2020
Beeps bloops and beats, Square Sounds is a celebration of chiptune and returns to Melbourne in 2020.
Listen to our feature interview with Kristy Dossor and Alex Yabsley below:
The Square Sounds Festival is one of Australia’s longest-running chiptune events and is returning to Melbourne this weekend for two nights of performances by international artists, featuring music created using video game consoles.
If you’re not familiar with chiptune, Kristy Dossor, who has been organizing the festival since its debut in 2013, explains that it’s best described as dance music made with salvaged and vintage electronic equipment, such as Gameboys.
"It's all music that's made with old video game consoles, old synthesisers basically old equipment that comes from your toybox or an op-shop or eBay that no one wants anymore unless you're trying to do this kind of music."
“At the beginning, Eugene [Davoren-Britton] and I ran an event called SoundBytes for a few years. It was much smaller, mostly featuring local artists. The main reason we started it was because there weren’t many chipmusic shows happening in Australia, so we saw a gap and decided to fill it.”
Inspired by the Blip Festival, which toured Australia, Japan, the United States, and Denmark, Square Sounds was created after Blip Festival ended in 2012. According to Dossor, the goal was to carry on that legacy and keep the spirit of the festival alive.
"We said we're not ready to stop yet, and that's why we started doing Square Sounds because there is no one else thats quite doing the thing that we're doing, and I think it's important for us to carry that scene on."
“The people in the scene are really important to us now, because we’ve been around for such a long time. It’s just as much about the connections and relationships within the scene as it is about the music itself.”
Musicians work with visual artists at the festival to create an experience and Alex Yabsley, who performs under Dot.AY and is one of the organisers Square Sounds says the line up is based on people they know can put on a good show.
"We said we're not ready to stop yet, and that's why we started doing Square Sounds because there is no one else thats quite doing the thing that we're doing, and I think it's important for us to carry that scene on."
For audiences attending their first Square Sounds, and Yabsley says that people sometimes have the misconception that the music is just video game soundtracks, but it’s actually far more diverse.
“In think people need to be prepared to dance, that would be good, and the other one is definitely being open minded because it attracts a whole range of different people with different musical tastes because [Chiptune] is not a genre into itself its more a sound palette or an aesthetic.”
"We have a huge range of music from like trashy pop, through to like full hard dance music to some that is more like your progressive SEGA soundtrack like stuff and all of that happens from act to act throughout the night."
You can listen to a sample playlist of tracks of some of the artists (as well as Dot.AY) playing at the festival below
