There’s a couple of angles I can go with here. I should probably start by saying I played a lot of video games as a child. Not bragging or anything. I can beat Mega Man 2 in an hour and a half. No big deal. I could finish Double Dragon without using the jump kick. Look, I didn’t have a lot of friends. I didn’t need them; I had Dragon Warrior III. So old-school video games have a special place in my heart. That’s why I like the genre of 8-bit music: making music using the sound equipment from the old control decks — or, at least, making it sound like you did. You have to appreciate what some composers could do with such limited tools. You’ve got a cheapo, lo-tech sound card and you’ve got to make a song with that that sounds good on a 30-second loop. It can be done, though: the theme from Solstice sounds like NES Dream Theater.

Interestingly, this kind of music lends itself really well to rap. Enter 8-Bit. They’re a band. 8-Bit is a couple of robots from Highland Park who do coke and eat from taco trucks and don’t give two fucks. I love these guys robots and don’t know why. I like a lot of weird shit. The music is like…it’s kind of like Ween got fucked-up drunk and dared the Beastie Boys to rob Daft Punk’s apartment. I don’t really know what else to say about them other than they’re crude and juvenile and ridiculous and fucking fun as hell to play at parties. In my mind I lump them together with Gil Mantera’s Party Dream, Atom and His Package, Grand Buffet, and all the other goofy shit I like just because I like it. I’d compare them to Lil’ Pocketknife, except they put out one EP five years ago and promptly disappeared without a trace. It just rubs me the right way, that’s all. And they adhere to some pretty legit internal logic: robots can’t get driver’s licenses, so they need fake IDs to buy beer. Makes total sense. Look, they’re drunk robots, what else can I say?

Plus they’re super chill people and have great packaging skills. Have a look at this CD. Just look at it. Look at this ninja star.

This is a CD case. There’s a CD inside this thing. I’ll prove it. Buy it, why don’t you? Just look at this. I can’t believe it.

Here’s the thing though: I’m not 100% sure they’re still an active band. I’m basing that solely off this enigmatic Youtube video. Are they really gone? If so, goddammit, this is just like the time I got really into Texas Is the Reason in 2004, like YEARS after they broke up. Still though, if you’re in L.A. you need to check the listings and if they’re playing, go see them. I better see all 3,833,995 of you at the next show. You’ve got no damn excuse whatsoever. And get yourself a ninja star while you’re at it.

8-Bit – “I-Deez”
8-Bit – “HLP”
8-Bit – “Drunk”