Christmas Carols Get 8-bit Makeover

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


mojo-8bitsofxmas.gifWhile most music genres race forward, absorbing new sonic technologies like a giant music-box Borg, the 8-bit phenomenon clings proudly to the past—specifically, the restrictive palette of classic computer and video game consoles. Even artists like Beck have seen the appeal of their buzzy, blippy tones; witness the 8-bit remix of “Hell Yes”, renamed “Ghettochip Malfunction”:

If you liked that, get ready for a very bleepy Christmas.

Via the UK Guardian comes notice of a new 8-bit album the whole family can enjoy: The 8bits of Christmas. The holiday-themed release features eight (natch) classic tunes performed by “chiptune maniacs” on various pieces of obsolete yet adored technology, like the Atari 2600 and the Commodore 64. Nullsleep’s jittery version of “Silent Night” is about as calming as a locust attack, but wanders off intriguingly into new melodies; Bit Shifter’s “Let It Snow” makes me want to play a video game where I fly a sleigh through some sort of snowman attack. Download mp3s of the tracks here, or listen below.

Fact:

Mother Jones was founded as a nonprofit in 1976 because we knew corporations and billionaires wouldn't fund the type of hard-hitting journalism we set out to do.

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2022 demands.

payment methods

Fact:

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2022 demands.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate