Nintendocore
Encyclopedia
Nintendocore is a music genre that fuses aggressive styles of modern rock
with chiptune
and video game music. Nintendocore emerged from metalcore
, heavy metal
, hardcore punk
and post-hardcore
, and has been influenced by a variety of other genres, including electro, noise rock
, post-rock
, and screamo
.
group Horse the Band
who originally coined the term "Nintendocore" as a joke. They have released five studio albums that demonstrate this style, starting with Secret Rhythm of the Universe
, released in 2000. "The Black Hole" from Horse the Band's third album, The Mechanical Hand
, is an example of Nintendocore, featuring screamed vocals, heavy "Nintendo riffs," and "sound effects from numerous games."
Another Nintendocore pioneer is The Advantage
, whom The New York Times
praises as one of the groups who brought video game music into the mainstream modern music spotlight. The Advantage is an instrumental rock
band formed by two students attending Nevada Union High School
. The group "plays nothing but music from the original Nintendo
console games
." By creating rock cover versions of video game sound tracks, they have "brought legitimacy to a style of music dubbed Nintendocore."
The rock group Minibosses
"are one of the most well-established bands in the Nintendocore genre, with an impressive roster of covers including Contra, Double Dragon
, Excitebike
," and other video game themes. The band is from Phoenix, Arizona, and is known as one of the primary representatives of Nintendo rock, performing at various video game expositions. In addition to covers, the band has also produced original work. The Harvard Crimson refers to Minibosses as "sworn rivals" of The NESkimos
, another Nintendocore practitioner.
The Depreciation Guild
, who disbanded in 2011, were an indie
band that incorporated 8-bit sounds, video game music, and elements of shoegaze
. The group's debut album In Her Gentle Jaws has been referred to as Nintendocore. Pitchfork Media
states that "In Her Gentle Jaws sticks its neck out further than Nintendocore staples like The Advantage or Minibosses." The album's instrumental title track "could plausibly come from an NES
cartridge."
Other bands known to represent the genre include Math the Band
, The Megas
, The Octopus Project
, An Albatross
, Rolo Tomassi
, Crystal Castles
, and The Advantage drummer Spencer Seims' other major band, Hella
. Sky Eats Airplane
has labeled itself under the genre, though Canadian magazine Exclaim!
has disputed this labeling.
s, drum kit
s, and typical rock instrumentation alongside synthesizer
s, chiptunes, 8-bit sounds, and electronically produced beats. It originated out of a very diverse range of musical styles, including hardcore punk
, post-hardcore
, metalcore
, and heavy metal
. In addition to these origins, it has been influenced by a variety of other genres, such as electro, noise rock
, post-rock
, and screamo
.
Nintendocore groups vary stylistically. Some feature singing, such as The Depreciation Guild
, whose frontman Kurt Feldman provides "ethereal" and "tender vocals," and The Megas
, who write lyrics that mirror video game storylines. Others add screamed vocals into the mix, such as Horse the Band
, who combine metalcore, heavy metal, thrash metal
, and post-hardcore with post-rock passages, and Math the Band
, who include electro and dance punk styles. Other groups, however, are strictly instrumental, such as Minibosses
, who use Kyuss
-inspired heavy metal riff
ing, and The Advantage
, who are associated with experimental genres such as noise rock and post-rock. While otherwise diverse, all Nintendocore groups "use specific instruments to mimic the sounds of Nintendo games."
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
with chiptune
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...
and video game music. Nintendocore emerged from metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
, heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
and post-hardcore
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
, and has been influenced by a variety of other genres, including electro, noise rock
Noise rock
Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...
, post-rock
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
, and screamo
Screamo
Screamo, though used loosely to generally describe music that features screamed vocals, is actually a musical subgenre of hardcore punk which predominantly evolved from emo, among other genres, in the early 1990s...
.
History and notable artists (late 1990s-present)
The movement was initiated by the metalcoreMetalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
group Horse the Band
HORSE the band
Horse the Band is a band from Lake Forest, California who are best known for their 8-bit Nintendo-influenced sound combined with metalcore. Frontman Nathan Winneke once described their sound as "Nintendocore".-Biography:...
who originally coined the term "Nintendocore" as a joke. They have released five studio albums that demonstrate this style, starting with Secret Rhythm of the Universe
Secret Rhythm of the Universe
Secret Rhythm of the Universe is the first full length recording by Horse the Band. Only 60 copies were originally printed and released.-Track listing:All songs written by Horse the Band# "The Club" – 6:55# "Salvation Army" – 2:57# "Sitcom #3" – 2:57...
, released in 2000. "The Black Hole" from Horse the Band's third album, The Mechanical Hand
The Mechanical Hand
The Mechanical Hand is the third studio album by Horse the Band, released in 2005 through Combat Records.-Track listing:# "Birdo" – 3:21# "A Million Exploding Suns" – 4:03# "Manateen" – 5:06# "The House of Boo" – 3:59# "Heroes Die" – 3:22...
, is an example of Nintendocore, featuring screamed vocals, heavy "Nintendo riffs," and "sound effects from numerous games."
Another Nintendocore pioneer is The Advantage
The Advantage
The Advantage is an American rock band from Sacramento, California that formed in 1998 and specializes in doing covers of music from old NES games...
, whom The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
praises as one of the groups who brought video game music into the mainstream modern music spotlight. The Advantage is an instrumental rock
Instrumental rock
Instrumental rock is a type of rock music which emphasizes musical instruments, and which features very little or no singing.Examples of instrumental rock can be found in practically every subgenre of rock, often from musicians who specialize in the style, most notably Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Link...
band formed by two students attending Nevada Union High School
Nevada Union High School
Nevada Union High School is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills northeast of California's capital, Sacramento. Situated between Nevada City and Grass Valley, the school serves those two incorporated cities and a large surrounding community. The Nevada Union High School district covers a huge...
. The group "plays nothing but music from the original Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
console games
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
." By creating rock cover versions of video game sound tracks, they have "brought legitimacy to a style of music dubbed Nintendocore."
The rock group Minibosses
Minibosses
Minibosses is an independent progressive rock/progressive metal band originally from Northampton, Massachusetts and currently located in Phoenix, Arizona. They are known for their video game music covers, which are instrumental rock variations of the theme music from classic Nintendo video games...
"are one of the most well-established bands in the Nintendocore genre, with an impressive roster of covers including Contra, Double Dragon
Double Dragon
is a classic beat 'em up video game series initially developed by Technos Japan Corporation, who also developed the Kunio-kun series ....
, Excitebike
Excitebike
is a motocross racing video game franchise made by Nintendo. It first debuted as a game for the Famicom in Japan in 1984 and as a launch title for the NES in 1985. It is the first game of the Excite series, succeeded by its direct sequel Excitebike 64, its spiritual successors Excite Truck and...
," and other video game themes. The band is from Phoenix, Arizona, and is known as one of the primary representatives of Nintendo rock, performing at various video game expositions. In addition to covers, the band has also produced original work. The Harvard Crimson refers to Minibosses as "sworn rivals" of The NESkimos
The NESkimos
The NESkimos are an independent American video game music cover band from St. Augustine, Florida. They are known for their songs based on video game music, as well as covers of songs from popular television shows and movies...
, another Nintendocore practitioner.
The Depreciation Guild
The Depreciation Guild
The Depreciation Guild was an American shoegaze band from Brooklyn, New York. The group was formed in 2005 by Kurt Feldman and Adrian Hashizume...
, who disbanded in 2011, were an indie
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 that incorporated 8-bit sounds, video game music, and elements of shoegaze
Shoegazing
Shoegazing is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991...
. The group's debut album In Her Gentle Jaws has been referred to as Nintendocore. Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
states that "In Her Gentle Jaws sticks its neck out further than Nintendocore staples like The Advantage or Minibosses." The album's instrumental title track "could plausibly come from an 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...
cartridge."
Other bands known to represent the genre include Math the Band
Math the Band
Math the Band is an American electronic band formed in 2003 in Westford, Massachusetts by Kevin Steinhauser. Justine Mainville was added to the lineup in 2007. They've released many full-length albums and various EPs...
, The Megas
The Megas (band)
The Megas is a Los Angeles based independent video game cover band based on the Capcom franchise, Mega Man. They differentiate themselves from artists who have played Mega Man music in the past by adding original lyrics and composing new sections which blend seamlessly with the original compositions...
, The Octopus Project
The Octopus Project
The Octopus Project is an American indietronica band based in Austin, Texas, active since 1999. Its unique sound, blending pop and experimental elements, is a combination of digital and electronic sounds and noises and analog equipment...
, An Albatross
An Albatross
An Albatross is a noise rock band based in Wilkes-Barre, PA, known for their chaotic live shows and psychedelic/circus-like presentation.-History:Formed in the fall of 1999 by guitarist Jake Lisowski, vocalist Edward B...
, Rolo Tomassi
Rolo Tomassi
Rolo Tomassi are a British mathcore band from Sheffield, England. Their name is taken from the fictional character in the film L.A. Confidential. On 22 September 2008, the band released their debut album, Hysterics, through Hassle Records....
, Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles (band)
Crystal Castles are an experimental electronic band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of producer Ethan Kath and lyricist and vocalist Alice Glass. Crystal Castles are known for their chaotic live shows and their lo-fi home productions. The duo released many limited EPs between 2006 and...
, and The Advantage drummer Spencer Seims' other major band, Hella
Hella (band)
Hella is an American band from Sacramento, California. They play a technical blend of math rock, noise rock, and experimental rock. The primary members of the band are Spencer Seim on electric guitar and Zach Hill on drums...
. Sky Eats Airplane
Sky Eats Airplane
Sky Eats Airplane was an American electronic post-hardcore band, formed in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2005. The band was signed to indie label Equal Vision Records and most recently released their self-titled full-length album through the label in July 2008....
has labeled itself under the genre, though Canadian magazine Exclaim!
Exclaim!
Exclaim! is a monthly Canadian music magazine that features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with special focus on Canadian and cutting-edge artists...
has disputed this labeling.
Characteristics
Nintendocore frequently features the use of electric guitarElectric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
s, drum kit
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
s, and typical rock instrumentation alongside synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s, chiptunes, 8-bit sounds, and electronically produced beats. It originated out of a very diverse range of musical styles, including hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
, post-hardcore
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
, metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
, and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
. In addition to these origins, it has been influenced by a variety of other genres, such as electro, noise rock
Noise rock
Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...
, post-rock
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
, and screamo
Screamo
Screamo, though used loosely to generally describe music that features screamed vocals, is actually a musical subgenre of hardcore punk which predominantly evolved from emo, among other genres, in the early 1990s...
.
Nintendocore groups vary stylistically. Some feature singing, such as The Depreciation Guild
The Depreciation Guild
The Depreciation Guild was an American shoegaze band from Brooklyn, New York. The group was formed in 2005 by Kurt Feldman and Adrian Hashizume...
, whose frontman Kurt Feldman provides "ethereal" and "tender vocals," and The Megas
The Megas (band)
The Megas is a Los Angeles based independent video game cover band based on the Capcom franchise, Mega Man. They differentiate themselves from artists who have played Mega Man music in the past by adding original lyrics and composing new sections which blend seamlessly with the original compositions...
, who write lyrics that mirror video game storylines. Others add screamed vocals into the mix, such as Horse the Band
HORSE the band
Horse the Band is a band from Lake Forest, California who are best known for their 8-bit Nintendo-influenced sound combined with metalcore. Frontman Nathan Winneke once described their sound as "Nintendocore".-Biography:...
, who combine metalcore, heavy metal, thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
, and post-hardcore with post-rock passages, and Math the Band
Math the Band
Math the Band is an American electronic band formed in 2003 in Westford, Massachusetts by Kevin Steinhauser. Justine Mainville was added to the lineup in 2007. They've released many full-length albums and various EPs...
, who include electro and dance punk styles. Other groups, however, are strictly instrumental, such as Minibosses
Minibosses
Minibosses is an independent progressive rock/progressive metal band originally from Northampton, Massachusetts and currently located in Phoenix, Arizona. They are known for their video game music covers, which are instrumental rock variations of the theme music from classic Nintendo video games...
, who use Kyuss
Kyuss
Kyuss is a rock band, originally from Palm Desert, California. After forming in the late 1980s and releasing an EP under the name Sons of Kyuss in 1990, the band shortened its name to Kyuss. Over the next five years the band released four full-length albums, and one last split EP in 1997 with...
-inspired heavy metal riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
ing, and The Advantage
The Advantage
The Advantage is an American rock band from Sacramento, California that formed in 1998 and specializes in doing covers of music from old NES games...
, who are associated with experimental genres such as noise rock and post-rock. While otherwise diverse, all Nintendocore groups "use specific instruments to mimic the sounds of Nintendo games."
See also
- Game Boy musicGame Boy musicGame Boy music is a type of chip music produced using a portable gaming console of the Game Boy line. To produce music of the genre, one needs a Game Boy and a cartridge containing appropriate tracking software, such as LSDJ.- Software :...
- Nerdcore hip hopNerdcore hip hopNerdcore hip hop, is a sub-genre of hip hop music characterized by themes and subject matter considered to be of general interest to nerds, though it can appeal to others as well. Self-described nerdcore musician MC Frontalot has the earliest known recorded use of the term in the 2000 song...
- Nintendocore musical groups
- Video game music cover bands
- Video game music cultureVideo game music cultureVideo game music, with the help of the internet, has developed into its own culture with many extensions beyond existence as a body of musical work....