Monday, February 4, 2008

Chiptune maestro Laromlab on tour

Laromlab is a chiptune maestro. And what are chiptunes? Chiptunes are songs composed in a format whereby all the sounds are synthesized in real time by a computer or video game console sound chip, instead of a sample-based synthesis. To understand and appreciate what this means, one needs only to have been a video game addict in the days of the Commodore 64, Atari or the almighty Nintendo Entertainment System.

Equipped with an arsenal of Atari 1040STE, Atari Falcon 030, Commodore 64 emulators, samplers and laptops, Laromlab -- the nom-de-tune of Brandon Harrod -- calls out every 80’s child to the dance floor through the classic blips of old school video game systems.

As Laromlab’s profile has grown, so has the attention – both good and bad. Noted remix website Missingtoof.com recently shared Laromlab’s chiptune reinterpretations of two Daft Punk classics only to be informed that they would have to be removed shortly thereafter. No matter – the cuts are already becoming as popular in Los Angeles clubs as the originals! Peer through the herky jerky camera work and enjoy DJ AM and MSTRKRFT getting down to Laromlab’s version of Daft Punk’s “Around The World.”

Laromlab’s consistent and prolific blend of crunchy electro, layered blips and punk influenced grooves a la Bitshifter, the aforementioned Daft Punk and Justice (word has it that Justice’s Gaspard AugĂ© is a fan) piqued the interest of Mushpot Records in 2007. Based in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Harrod had been tweaking his chiptunes in his home studio for years, resulting in the self-released albums Gameboy Chronicles, Hate The Player Not The Gameboy and Combat School. Now, Mushpot’s partnership with Laromlab has resulted in the self-titled Laromlab album, due this month. Laromlab recently embarked on a two-month winter tour with Robot Cowboy to promote the record. See below for a complete list of dates and be sure to contact Vai Godhania at Fanatic with guest list requests.

Laromlab Live (w/ Robot Cowboy)
02/04 Phoenix, AZ Trunk Space
02/05 Los Angeles, CA Motion Lounge
02/06 Isla Vista, CA Biko Garage Co-op
02/08 San Francisco, CA House of Shields
02/09 Davis, CA Delta of Venus
02/11 Eugene, OR Cozmic Pizza
02/13 Portland, OR Holocene
02/14 Olympia, WA Le Voyeur
02/15 Seattle, WA Dog Park (House Show)
02/16 Missoula, MT The Palace
02/17 Bismarck, ND Youthworks
02/18 Minneapolis, MS 400 Bar
02/19 Ames, IA TBD
02/20 Chicago, IL AV-Aerie
02/21 Detroit, MI Scrummage University
02/22 Toronto, ON Sneaky Dees
02/23 Albany, NY Valentines
02/24 New York City, NY 200 Orchard
02/25 New York, NY Cake Shop
02/26 New Brunswick, NJ Hidden Cities
02/27 Philadelphia, PA The Fire
02/28 Arlington, VA Metro Gallery
02/29 Washington, DC TBD
03/01 Fredricksburg, VA TBD
03/03 Bloomington, IN The Cinemat
03/05 Louisville KY TBD
03/06 Bowling Green, KY Retrograde Studios (End of Tour Party!)

Laromlab Tracklisting:
Release Date: February 12th, 2008
01. Rock!! Hard!!!
02. Mission For Glory
03. C: Dancer
04. Phat and Phnky Pt. 1
05. Zipp Zapp
06. They're Back!!!
07. Za Groove
08. Sid Attax
09. Return of Da Stomp
10. Punkfunk
11. Nightdrive
12. T-Girl
13. Hidden Track

http://teamdigitron.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/laromlab
www.mushpotrecords.com
www.myspace.com/mushpotrecords

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