Pixel Pop

Pixel Pop is a musical art-form lying alongside the Pixel Art movement. It provides an interesting and diverse range of music but due to the retro synthesis used within the music provides a recognisable sound no matter what the style. The term Pixel Pop was first used by the ex Punk band Krang Goes Solo in 2003 and has all the hallmarks of becoming a genre in its own right.

The origins of Pixel Pop begin far back in the 1980s when video games artists began to fully exploit the sound engines of the systems of the time. The sound of the music created was wholly unique, often quirky and always very artificial sounding. As the sound engines became more advanced the tones and effects of the music in these games became more intentional and instead of attempting to copy popular music styles found a sound of their own. Pixel music was born.

The music form still thrives today with a growing Pixel Art scene worldwide. A book entitled 1x1: Pixel Based Illustration & Design showcased this art form and contained a CD with music from Pixel Pop purists Net Poet, Rez, and Tero whose sound remains faithful to the classics of a decade before. Other more recent bands have taken on the sound such as Krang Goes Solo from the UK who actually use Game Boy circuitry running through Korg FX units and other synthesizers for their sound. Live drums back the sound up, providing a more organic feel to the music than its wholly electronic counterparts.

Other groups worthy of mention in the genre include 8-Bit, Beck, The Postal Service and New Wave pioneers Devo.

The sound Of Pixel Pop

Pixel Pop relies solely on simple sound patterns to generate its tones. Melodies are created using the most basic of Square, Saw and Sine waves. The scope of these sounds are limited to the range of retro gaming platforms such as the Nintendo Game Boy, Atari ST and Sega Systems. Often melodies consist of a series of 'blips' sequenced to make a pattern. Effects are also limited, with only Reverb and Glide/Bend effects being casually used on a regular basis.