updated 9 hours ago
Long-time 8bitpeoples member, minusbaby, born Richard Alexander Caraballo in New York City, trades in counterpoint, subtle dissonances and surprises. While it may be impossible to predict what will happen at each performance, one constant can be expected: a forceful equatorial beat. Each familiar song is given new variation while the center holds it down with a bassy bottom end to make anything bump and bounce that hasn't been tied down, exploding the very meaning of 8-bit orchestration.
Since 1999, he has come to prominence in the chip music scene, with a foundation in New York City and the 8bitpeoples. He has performed extensively, having been featured in London's DMZ Media Arts Festival, the International Chiptune Resistance, FMEL (Festival de Música Electrónica Latina) in Chicago, Blip Festival 2007 and 2008, multiple Pulsewave nights, headlining the premiere of The Tank's "Less Than Three" and Philadelphia's only monthly chip music event, 8static.
In Summer 2009, he completed a seven show, month-long European tour playing Bleep London and Chipfest IV in England, Blip Festival Europe in Denmark, Bang! in Portugal, two sets at Era New Horizons in Poland and Budapest Micro 2 in Hungary.
In addition to music, he is a prolific pixel artist who, since 2001, has been largely responsible for defining the unique aesthetics of the modern 8-bit creative movement. Spearheading the visual identities of 8bitpeoples, Pulsewave and the Blip Festival has contributed to making minusbaby's work ubiquitous to the public's perception of chip music and art.
His work, which he has referred to as, "a practice in primitivism, but mostly a stab at trying to continue several traditions at once," is often guided by a central idea meant to be interpreted by the individual. Combined with his love for patterns, type and limited color palettes, minusbaby has developed his own unique visual language. Rather than easing into the more common pixel trends, he utilizes multiple sources outside of video game culture to broaden both his and the movement's repertoire so as to expand the canon and avoid Super Mario cannons.
To listen to this audio clip you will need to upgrade Adobe Flash Player
To listen to this audio clip you will need to install Adobe Flash Player
Richard Alexander Caraballo
Lô Borges, De La Soul, Milton Nascimento, Márcio Faraco, Nullsleep, Bit Shifter, glomag, 8GB, Balún, Jorge Ben, Caetano Veloso, The Smiths, Ed Motta, Som Imaginário, A Tribe Called Quest, Marcos Valle, Stevie Wonder, João Donato, Moacir Santos, Ween, Dr. Alimantado, Tom Zé, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Nara Leão, Joyce, Vinicius Cantuária, Digable Planets, Dom Salvador e Abolição, Carlos Lyra, Tim Maia, Cartola, Quarteto em Cy, Roy Ayers, Bossa Três, The ARE, John Coltrane, Willie Colón, Gilberto Gil, Nina Simone, Trans Am, Som Nosso de Cada Dia, Cal Tjader, Azimuth, Nicolay, Beto Guedes, Elis Regina, Al Green, Beastie Boys, Amon Tobin, Miles Davis, Gal Costa, Mix Master Mike, Baden Powell, Steely Dan, Eric B. & Rakim, César Camargo Mariano, Héctor Lavoe, Vinícius de Moraes, Brand Nubian, Henry Mancini, Public Enemy, Gang Starr, Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Group Home, Joy Divison, Ray Barretto, Joe Cuba, Joe Bataan, Ray Charles, Cold Crush Brothers, The RAMM:ELL:ZEE, Fantastic Freaks, Doug E. Fresh, Jonzun Crew, Busy Bee, Grandmixer DXT, Bill Laswell, Liquid Liquid, Sly & The Family Stone, The Alegre All-Stars, Ramito, Grand Wizard Theodore, Afrika Bambaataa, Papete, Luciano Perrone, Sarah Vaughn, Baaba Maal, Cyro Baptista, Bill Withers, Public Enemy, Black Sheep, Organized Konfusion, Main Source, Henry Threadgill, Neotropic, Kay, Fu-Schnickens, The UMC's, DJ Big Wiz, Pigeon John, Joe Raposo, Flying Lotus, Req, Peter Gabriel, Moto Perpétuo, Johnny Hartman, Kraftwerk, NEU!, Burt Bacharach, Kate Bush, Popeye
Mtsejwood, Jul 27, 2008:
i envy you pixel skills
Dauragon C. Mikado, Jul 25, 2008:
damn you and your non capitalization
MXP4 HQ, Jul 8, 2008:
Hi minusbaby,
We checked your profile and your music sounds awesome !
You've been selected to download for free the beta-version of the MXP4Creator.
Be one of the first artists to compose in MXP4, the new interactive format for music.
Click here to start the download : http://www.mxp4.com/creator?_idP=3
More info on our website :http://www.mxp4.com/?_idP=3
Dauragon C. Mikado, May 3, 2008:
oh shite
it's teh Minusbaby
MONDRIAN, Apr 28, 2008:
suzywan design & music, Mar 17, 2008:
Gagosian Liga, Jan 10, 2008:
"We all admire the spangled acrobat with classical grace meticulously walking his tight rope in the talcum light; but how much rarer art there is in the sagging rope expert wearing scarecrow clothes and impersonating a grotesque drunk! I should know." (Vladimir Nabokov)
Thank you for your friendship! Musical greetings from Munich/Germany!
Feel free to download my music!
486, Jan 4, 2008:
Hello!
Thanks for lookin' me up! I really enjoy your songs. And your travel photography is beautiful. Really, the two go very well together!
Do keep in touch!
~486
Udault, Jan 2, 2008:
some great tracks here, good work
subcult, Jan 1, 2008:
All best in 08! Dmitry Subochev - music-electronic.net
