Mods are Asleep, Let’s Post 8-Bit Music Power Jams

Mods are Asleep, Let’s Post 8-Bit Music Power Jams

Feel the (8-bit music) power.

OK, the moderators have signed off for the afternoon. That means it’s time to break containment and post some cool music.

You’ve already heard these tunes if you picked up 8-BIT Music Power and 8-BIT Music Power Finale. But those games have been out of print for a while, and their concept was admittedly pretty niche: NES cartridges that didn’t really contain much that constituted a video game. They primarily consisted of a music player and visualizer.

The thing is, though, developer RIKI assembled an all-star cast of chiptune artists for these collections. The music sounds like NES music, sure, but richer and more vibrant than just about anything ever to appear on the system back in the day. And the visualizers quietly push the boundaries of the console, too, moving more objects and colors around the screen than you really saw back in the day.

Anyway, we’ve recorded a few standout tracks to share. Hook your system up to some good speakers and turn down the lights. These tunes deserve it.

“Black Cartridge” by Hally

The standout element of this track is the sampled hook that sounds almost like a brisk, strummed electric guitar. The overall vibe of “Black Cartridge” might put you in mind of some of tracks in Konami’s The Adventures of Bayou Billy, which featured a very similar approach, using guitar samples as a primary rhythmic element. But this tune has a much thicker, more driving sound.

“Tip-Track 303” by Tappy

Sampled instrumentation stands out again in this track, though this time it takes the form of the bass line. There’s a layered resonance to the bass guitar that you don’t get from the sound waves the NES’s audio chip naturally generates, and it really carries the track—especially when the key changes and the chirpy, Eastern lead elements kick in. Be sure to stick around through the end of the track. If you’re used to standard NES soundtracks, you probably expect a tune to loop and repeat after 30 or 40 seconds. “Tip-Track 303” seems to do that as well, but if you stick around through the second loop, you’ll notice some differences from the first loop... and then the whole thing goes in a different direction at around the two-minute mark. Incredible.

“REAL ADVENTURE” by TECHNOuchi

This short but sweet tune feels almost like a lost Kirby’s Adventure track. Maybe it’s the percussion elements and beat with the upbeat, slightly reverberating melody? Whatever the case, it feels like the beginning of a great journey, which makes the title “REAL ADVENTURE” perfectly apt.

“I am seeing things” by Manami Matsumae

“I am seeing things” has more of a classic NES feel to it, which makes sense: Manami Matsumae composed the soundtracks for quite a few NES games! Some you’ve heard of, too, like Mega Man. The 8-BIT Music Power Final cartridge has more tech inside of it than the original Mega Man cart did, though, and Matsumae uses that additional horsepower (and her years of experience as a composer) to create a more layered sound than her earlier projects could accommodate. This track has the spirit of an ending credits tune, making it a lovely bookend with “REAL ADVENTURE.” Well done! You beat the game and saved the world. Enjoy this lovely piece of music.

(By the way, the RIKI games may be sold out here on the site, but if you know anyone in North Carolina, you might be able to convince them to snag one of the copies available for sale at Limited Run Retail.)