The Kill Club China Tour 2010 rolled through Beijing earlier this month and served up an exquisite night of chiptune dance music. Headlined by Sulumi, China’s preeminent electronic artist who also founded Shanshui Records, the tour knocked up six cities around China and featured an international cast of button punchers including USK and Covox. For those of you not in the know, chiptune musicians utilize synthesized sounds created by low-fi sound chips (usually 8-bit) from outdated computers or video game consoles. With special software loaded on cartridges, songs can even be composed live using handheld devices such as the Gameboy. The sound textures and melodies generated produce a unique tone that resonates deeply with anyone who was raised on early terminals such as Atari video game consoles or Commodore personal computers. I am a big fan and even attended the first Blip Festival in New York City back in 2006 which Sulumi also performed at in 2008. Check out the video below for live performances from Sulumi (China), Usk (Japan), and Covox (Sweden).
