For my final ethnography project, I'd like to explore the virtual and real life elements of the 8-bit subculture. 8-bit culture interests me because of its presence across many media, and I want to explore how a culture that is entrenched in digital history represents itself in real life. There's also an interesting tension to explore, which is how 8-bit culture is getting appropriated into the mainstream. What does it mean that Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World became a movie? What does it mean that Anamanaguchi, a canonical 8-bit rock band, wrote the soundtrack? In addition, I'd like to explore the style of 8-bit culture. Does the pixelated reduction that is present in the music and the art come across in the way members of the scene represent themselves physically? If so, what does that look like and how does it alter our perception of the culture?
I'll take a look at the many online forums and hubs for 8-bit music and culture. These include 8bitpeoples, 8bc, 8bitguerilla and micromusic. These sites have forums and serve as places for conversation, as well as music creation and sharing. A large part of 8-bit and chiptune music is the creation of 8-bit covers of popular and rock songs. I'll be attempting to interview performers and artists both electronically and in person. Anamanaguchi are playing a show in Boston on December 1st and I hope to attend and interview members of the band. When I am home in Los Angeles for Thanksgiving I can also conduct in-person interviews with people who are active members of the scene, both in its online and in-person manifestations. I'm also hoping to find some students at Brown who are involved in the culture as well.
I think this will make a really interesting project because of 8-bit culture's relation to media and distribution, as well as its translocal nature.
This sounds like a great topic for a fieldwork project with a strong online component. I like that you will be both investigating 8-bit culture through a number of online hubs as well as through face-to-face interviews with performers and artists. What is the relationship between these online social spaces and the face-to-face interactions between participants at live events? Is this a translocal practice or does it have any particular local centers? How do participants maintain social ties via these online forums and what is the role of music in these social interactions? What is the role of nostalgia in this kind of music? The following scholarly articles might be useful for you. If I think of others, I will send them your way. I look forward to reading more about this.
ReplyDeleteKibby, “Home on the Page: A Virtual Place of Music Community” (2000)
Lysloff and Gay, eds. Music and Technoculture (2003) (Lysloff’s chapter is one of earliest assessments of music and online communities – definitely worth reading, even if the technological aspects might be out of date.)
I'm psyched that you're pursuing this topic (for obvious reasons). Francesca has posed some useful general questions; I can contribute some reading suggestions from the game sound literature. (I would also second her recommendation of Lysloff's chapter "Musical Life in Softcity".) Clearly the 8-bit/chiptune scene isn't just about game music, but it'll be important to consider the intersecting histories of these phenomena (especially when it comes to the nostalgia factor).
ReplyDeleteCollins, Karen, ed. 2008. From Pac-Man to Pop Music: Interactive Audio in Games and New Media. Burlington, VT: Ashgate. (find the table of contents online; some chapters will be more relevant than others)
Collins, Karen. 2008. Game Sound: An Introduction to the History, Theory, and Practice of Video Game Music and Sound Design. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Whalen, Zach. 2004. "Play Along -- An Approach to Videogame Music." Game Studies 4(1). http://www.gamestudies.org/0401/whalen/
Danet, Brenda. 2001. Cyberpl@y: Communicating Online. New York: Berg. (an early web-based ethnography, focusing on ASCII art)
Turner, Bryan S. 1987. "A Note on Nostalgia." Theory, Culture & Society 4:147-56.
p.s. One more!
ReplyDeleteButler, Mark J. 2006. "'Everybody Needs a 303, Everybody Loves a Filter': Electronic Dance Music and the Aesthetics of Obsolescence." In Digital Media: Transformations in Human Communication, eds. Paul Messaris and Lee Humphreys. New York: Peter Lang.