[DjCUTMAN]

Hi there, I launched a netlabel last month for remixed VGM music, and I'm looking for artists. Some of you might have heard Ben Brigg's Diddy Kong Racing EP, Bootleg Circuit. Stuff like this; Fun, video game inspired dance music.

The netlabel is called GameChops, and I'm searching for people who have an interest in a particular game's music from the 8 or 16 bit era, and flipping it to a dance / house / electro / dubstep style to feed the growing audience of NERDS WHO LIKE TO DANCE, and equality important NERDS WHO LIKE TO DJ. Finished pieces can be sample or synth-based, but a "DJ Friendly" format is preferred.

Here's how GameChops works:

1. Artist submits tracks
2. If accepted, lossless files are sent to me for mastering (this is usually a collaborative process, so you must be attentive to your email!)
3. Mastered tracks are sent back to the artist, and held until a scheduled release date.
4. The album is released via GameChops.com, linking to the artist bandcamp/soundcloud/website (GameChops can also provide hosting for releases).
5. A free, permanent copy is uploaded to the GameChops netlabel page on archive.org
6. Everyone dances

GameChops is a not-for-profit entity, Mastering is offered free-of-charge for accepted albums. If you want to sell your album on your Bandcamp, that is fine with me! If you want it to be a free or pay-what-you-want release, that's cool too.

BUT CUTMAN, Y U DO THIS?
I've loved game music since I was a baby-chan, and I've been a listener of OCRemix since (almost) the beginning. As I've begun DJ more events, festivals and conventions, I've noticed a real demand for VGM EDM (that is, video game dance music), and while the big boys have all done one or two VGM tracks, there's a wealth of talent right here that I would like to be playing out. So I started GameChops as a hub for DJable video game music.

So that's the lowdown. If you're interested, you can submit demos on my Soundcloud Dropbox or post links right here on this thread. In the interest of full disclosure, forums kind of scare me, but I will be diligent in checking back on this thread. I hope GameChops is of interest, and feel free to ask any questions you may have!

[Meteo Xavier]

How often do you DJ these tracks live? That'd be an excellent way to get more followers, but thats what I'd be interested to know if I wanted to contribute.

[DjCUTMAN]

Well, I'm DJing in Brooklyn this weekend, Baltimore on the 19th and Austin the following week! GameChops has a network of DJs around the world, it can be a great a way to promote your name and get your tunes out there!

[halc]

what's GC's stance on fully original albums? also, is it strictly limited to dance/house/etc? I've got a few original projects in the works that I'd potentially love to release on here, and while there's certainly a smattering of house/dubstep and the like, my albums are usually pretty varied in style (with chiptunes being a recurring theme of course) and definitely wouldn't be considered 'DJ-friendly'. I guess I'm just curious as to exactly how narrow your scope is.

a question probably best answered by sending a demo, huh? :P

[DjCUTMAN]

Hey Halc!

GameChops was established to fill a growing nitch in the scene, VGM instead for live presentation and performance. The idea of production 4/4 constant tempo tracks may seem dull to some, but in the spirit of chiptune, consider it an exercise in limitations Right now, GameChops is focusing on EDM and instrumental hiphop, two genres that would be valuable to working DJs.

At this time, all GameChops releases must be tied back to game music somehow. Pixel8ter's Mega Air has only one game tune on the album, but his other tracks have a similar atmosphere. Ben Briggs' Bootleg Circuit on the other hand, is a concept EP of tunes from a single game. Ben did a great job of starting his tracks with a sample, and then building his own arrangement and departing from the source material as the pieces progressed. I love this approach, and the finished album mixes brilliantly live.

Hope that answers some of your questions, feel free to fire back if you have anything else you're wondering about. I

[CC Ricers]

I approve this idea, seems a good way for people that are just happy making straight-up "groove" oriented works instead of frustrating themselves with meeting intricate arrangement guidelines.

While I have a SoundCloud account, there's nothing much on it right now, but it would be great to have more music that will attract listeners. I DJ myself but haven't done official gigs in front of crowds (just performed an impromptu setup in a busy area), so I think having that extra perspective would help me out.

EDIT: Can I submit WIP's as demos just to evaluate my quality?

[DjCUTMAN]

Originally Posted by CC Ricers

EDIT: Can I submit WIP's as demos just to evaluate my quality?

Sure, you are free to submit WIP if you feel they showcase your skills. It helps if your WIP are game related, or you include some notes on your plans to finish the track.

[Dj Mokram]

Originally Posted by DjCUTMAN

Sure, you are free to submit WIP if you feel they showcase your skills.

Are PMs here on OCR allright, or do you only check what's submitted through your dropbox?
Just wanted to make sure that by 'hip hop instrumental', you weren't actually meaning dubstep. ;P

[DjCUTMAN]

Originally Posted by Dj Mokram

Are PMs here on OCR allright, or do you only check what's submitted through your dropbox?

I do check my Soundcloud dropbox more often then my PMs here, I also check the GameChops and Dj CUTMAN facebook pages religiously.

Originally Posted by Dj Mokram

Just wanted to make sure that by 'hip hop instrumental', you weren't actually meaning dubstep. ;P

hahaha