8-Bit Brass is a unique brass band composition by Alex McGee, which aims to mimic the sound of retro gaming.
The composer comments...
"To those of us of a certain age, the term video game still has a curiously strong pull. I was part of the first generation to experience the explosion of titles available in arcades, the first to own home computers and consoles and as such, the first to be exposed to a genre that is now so popular that it has its own show on Classic FM - Video Game Music.
From the iconic opening seven notes of the Super Mario brothers theme to the repetitive driving strains of Tetris early 8-bit video game music had to do a lot with a little, using the limited sound sources and channels available to help transport the gamer into the designers world.
8-Bit Brass seeks to capture some of the ethos of the early pioneers of the genre. It relies on driving rhythms rather than expansive melodies, textures and motifs more than developing harmonic landscapes and all while trying to complement the imagined game that is running alongside it.
The opening section emulates the introductory screens of countless games, its bright rising scales inviting the player to sit down and strap themselves in. From figure A the listener might picture an early racing game or perhaps a simple 2D shoot-em-up scroller, the flowing semiquaver runs pushing the listener on their way. Just before figure C we delve into another realm. Picture your small digital character creeping through a dripping cave or tiptoeing down an eerie corridor. The flutter tonguing in the cornet invokes the limited effects available to composers at the time to create different musical textures and the percussion provide a reference to the textures that dominated early game soundtracks.
From E we leap again to a new genre, the classic beat-em-up in the style of Street Fighter or Mortal Combat. Insistent, driving rhythms return as a simple melody soars above in homage to the single line inputs available at the time.
The final section begins at G and is a celebration of the genre as a whole. The music maintains its relentless pace but in a more celebratory, joyful tone. At least, as much as was possible with 8-bit inputs!" -- Alex McGee
