Friend and mentor David Warhol has been kind enough to share his thoughts on our new album:
Many might think ambient music is simple to write because it can sound simple. The truth is that successful ambient music occupies large spaces with structures, patterns, and devices that span far in time beyond a simple song structure. In Disassembly Language: Ambient Music for Deprogramming Vol. 1, 8 Bit Weapon has dialed in on exactly that. These spans of time are mesmerizing irregular patterns that somehow come together to make perfect aesthetic and harmonic sense. They tell a story; they have a contour.
That the tones come entirely from Commodore 64’s SID chip is hardly consequential. By having created many prior albums, 8 Bit Weapon has mastered the simplicity and subtlety of the SID and puts that experience to work wonderfully here. That the tones have been mixed and mastered is entirely fair game; the pieces stand out not just under the moniker “chip tunes” but rather as a robust piece in general.
Ultimately one of the most impressive traits of Disassembly Language is in the diversity of artistry and style shown by 8 Bit Weapon in its very creation. 8BW started performing and recording years ago with video game covers and originals inspired by classic chip tunes. Disassembly Language expresses a maturity of styles, a respect for different genres as broad as some of its very influencers (Brian Eno as he gravitated from traditional songwriting to ambient music, to be sure).
8 Bit Weapon has shown great musical proficiency in this work. One might wonder where on their artistic trajectory they will choose to land next. One thing is for sure, I will want to be there when they do.
David Warhol
Chip Composer (Commodore 64, Amiga, NES, and more)
GANG Lifetime Achievement Award 2014
Commodore 64 Music/Audio credits and more:
Neuromancer (1988) (Music & Sound Effects)
Pool of Radiance (1988) (Music & Sound Effects)
Sentinel Worlds I: Future Magic (1988) (Music & Sound)
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (1988) (Sound Effects by )
Maniac Mansion (1987) (Atari ST Sound Effects by)
Skyfox II: The Cygnus Conflict (1987) (Music & Sound Effects)
The Bard’s Tale II: The Destiny Knight (1986) (Music & Sound Effects)
Robot Rascals (1986) (Music & Sound Effects)
Tass Times in Tonetown (1986) (Music & Sound Effects)
Heart of Africa (1985) (Music & Sound Effects)
Racing Destruction Set (1985) (Music, Sound Effects, & Coding)
Stuart Smith’s Adventure Construction Set (1984) (Music & Sound Effects)
Realms of Impossiblility (1983) (Music & Sound Effects)
