I told everyone I knew about my suspicion that the second day of Blip Festival 2009 was going to blow their minds, and gosh-darn it, I was right. Starting out slow and powerful with sets by Disasterpeace and Starscream, it was the perfect way for Blip attendees to shake off their lethargy and re-energize for the night ahead. Nullsleep, Fighter X and Patric C kept the energy thick and plentiful with hard, fast sounds that went out the windows and reverberated for miles in Brooklyn’s chill winter air. And let’s not forget the absolutely mind-shattering afterparty concert — Keep in mind that even though writing is my job, sometimes words truly aren’t enough.
Some more Day 2 highlights:
- Fighter X provided one of the most high-energy performances that the Blip Festival has ever seen, with a dazzling display of the hypnotizing chip trance they’ve become known for. They’re also really excellent stage divers.
- Hardware-hacking genius Little-Scale came all the way from Adelaide, Australia to present a mesmerizing mix of Sega Master System, NES and Genesis chip sounds, all set to a steady, crunchy beat.
- Those fortunate enough to get into the VIP afterparty were treated to free beer and a performance from chiptune legend Hally, all the way from Tokyo, Japan. His set ended in one of the biggest group hugs in chiptune history.
- Just then, four glowing eyes pierced through the darkness to herald the arrival of Covox and Random, combining their Swedish powers to become CONDOM. What happened next was the stuff of legends, and will likely never be experienced again as both men are supposedly destroying the source files for their set. But I’m also hearing whisperings about a possible 8bitpeoples release which will capture this once-in-a-lifetime performance for all to hear, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
All in all, just an absolutely incredible night. And it can certainly only get better from here, so get to the Bell House early tonight for live performances from J. Arthur Keenes, TrashCanMan, The Hunters, Psilodump and much more.
Don’t forget about the workshops and presentations happening today either — Reformat the Planet 1.5 screens at 1PM, chip sounds lecture by David Viens of Plogue at 2PM and open-source visuals workshop by Don Miller at 3PM.
