Anamanaguchi
Encyclopedia
Anamanaguchi is a chiptune
indie rock
band from New York City
that "makes loud, fast music with a hacked NES
from 1985." The band has four members: lead songwriter Peter Berkman, bassist James DeVito, guitarist Ary Warnaar and drummer Luke Silas. Akin to other chiptune artists, Anamanaguchi creates music using synthesizers, albeit unconventional ones: namely a hacked NES
and Game Boy
. However, unlike most chiptune bands, Anamanaguchi employs live electric guitar, bass and drums on top of said synthesized music to create a fusion of digital and traditional sounds. Though they use video game hardware from the mid to late 1980s
, Berkman states that their music has nothing to do with video game music, as their songwriting is mostly inspired by "[s]imple pop
stuff, like Weezer
and the Beach Boys."
On November 17, 2010 Anamanaguchi performed a free concert in Union Square
in support of embattled beverage Four Loko. The candlelight vigil was organized by internet artist Ryder Ripps
(creator of the website Dump.fm)
The band composed music for the videogame adaptation of the Scott Pilgrim
graphic novels, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game
. The soundtrack for the game was released on Amazon
and iTunes
by ABCKO Records on August 24, 2010. The soundtrack debuted at #3 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart (AKA Soundscan's New Artist Chart).. In October 2010 it was announced that Anamanaguchi would appear in the popular music video game Rock Band
with the track "Airbrushed."
All of these singles are currently available as free downloads on the Anamanaguchi website.
Chiptune
A chiptune, also known as chip music, is synthesized electronic music often produced with the sound chips of vintage computers and video game consoles, as well as with other methods such as emulation. In the early 1980s, personal computers became cheaper and more accessible than they had previously...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
that "makes loud, fast music with a hacked NES
Nes
-Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...
from 1985." The band has four members: lead songwriter Peter Berkman, bassist James DeVito, guitarist Ary Warnaar and drummer Luke Silas. Akin to other chiptune artists, Anamanaguchi creates music using synthesizers, albeit unconventional ones: namely a hacked NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
and Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
. However, unlike most chiptune bands, Anamanaguchi employs live electric guitar, bass and drums on top of said synthesized music to create a fusion of digital and traditional sounds. Though they use video game hardware from the mid to late 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
, Berkman states that their music has nothing to do with video game music, as their songwriting is mostly inspired by "[s]imple pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
stuff, like Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
and the Beach Boys."
On November 17, 2010 Anamanaguchi performed a free concert in Union Square
Union Square (New York City)
Union Square is a public square in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York.It is an important and historic intersection, located where Broadway and the former Bowery Road – now Fourth Avenue – came together in the early 19th century; its name celebrates neither the...
in support of embattled beverage Four Loko. The candlelight vigil was organized by internet artist Ryder Ripps
Ryder Ripps
Ryder Ripps is an American artist born in 1986 to designer, Helene Verin and artist, Rodney Ripps.-Career:In 2009, Ripps established InternetArchaeology.org, with the hopes of archiving and presenting content from GeoCities. His work has been compared to Cory Arcangel and Paper Rad...
(creator of the website Dump.fm)
The band composed music for the videogame adaptation of the Scott Pilgrim
Scott Pilgrim
Scott Pilgrim is a graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O'Malley. It consists of six digest size black-and-white volumes, released between August 2004 and July 2010, by Portland-based independent comic book publisher Oni Press. It was later republished by Fourth Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins...
graphic novels, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game is a side-scrolling beat 'em up game based on the Scott Pilgrim series of comic books by Bryan Lee O'Malley, tying in with the release of the film of the same name. It is published by Ubisoft and developed by Ubisoft Montreal with Ubisoft Chengdu. The game was...
. The soundtrack for the game was released on Amazon
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
and iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
by ABCKO Records on August 24, 2010. The soundtrack debuted at #3 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart (AKA Soundscan's New Artist Chart).. In October 2010 it was announced that Anamanaguchi would appear in the popular music video game Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
with the track "Airbrushed."
LPs
- Dawn Metropolis (2009)
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game - Original Videogame Soundtrack (2010)
Singles
- "Airbrushed" (2010)
- "Penpal" (2010)
- "My Skateboard Will Go On" (2010)
- "Rainbow in the Dark (Das Racist Remix)" (2010)
- "Aurora (Meet Me in the Stars)" (2010)
- "Densmore" (2010)
- "Airbrushed (RAC Remix)" (2010)
- "Mess" (2010)
All of these singles are currently available as free downloads on the Anamanaguchi website.