THE 8-BIT CONSTRUCTION SET (Beige Records, 2000)

 

Here is something I ran across that you won't find anywhere else, and it isn't on YouTube or anywhere to be found (you will see why in a moment).  This is a "DJ record," for lack of a better term.  It's ingredients, to make your own mixes and jams.  These were privately produced items, and never sold in stores.  We have actually looked at one in the distant past on this very blog, because there is a Godzilla-themed one that is quite rare today!

Goodness, that was 15 years ago.  Anyway, this record is divided into two sides, and instead of A and B, it's the ATARI and COMMODORE 64 sides:

Both sides begin with montages of samples and sound effects, followed by ten or eleven sampled beats, which are presented in SHORT LOCKED GROOVES.  Get your brain around this--in the space of an inch or so, there are 10 (or 11) tiny bands which your stylus will not advance between.  Thus, this record was nearly IMPOSSIBLE to convert, especially when you can't hear what you are recording until you are done.  What madness is this? How did I resolve this one?

In the course of making this blog, I have had to solve some unusual and wacky problems from time to time.  In this case, I set up a large magnifying lamp with bright built-in LED lights, clamped it to a nearby table, and used it to see the placement of the stylus as best I could with my failing eyes.  And, it actually was successful.  If you have ever messed with locked grooves, they can be quite stubborn to cooperate. But somehow, I got all of them!

The third band on each side is an original chiptune composition using the featured hardware.  These are quite cool.  The final and fourth band on each side is truly original indeed--they contain game programs for their respective systems, which can be recorded onto a cassette and uploaded, just like in the old days.  It doesn't tell us what these games are, but huge points for the innovativeness of the designers here.  Word of warning though, these tracks are unlistenable.  The Commodore one sounds like you are actually inside an MRI machine.

All in all, this is a really fun release, despite the recording challenges.  Kudos to the team who pulled this off, 26 years ago now! Enjoy.

LINK:  8-BIT CONSTRUCTION SET(2000)