I wandered down to Gowanus' Bell House tonight for the 3rd annual Blip Festival, devoted to the emerging 8-bit scene: an electronica sub-genre which uses modified Gameboys, Commodore 64's and other game consoles to create low-res, hyperactive sounds and visuals. It's like the bastard stepchild of the 90's rave scene and your high school computer club, the kind of scene where you see folks walking around in Google t-shirts and modified Darth Vader masks. 

But, while its current audience may not have hipster cred, Chipmusic has a global underground that has the potential to make some waves. Syphus (UK) wailed on a keyboard guitar; Nordloef (Sweden) played a manic, mixed-meter set, winning me over with his distorted version of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart." Local heroes Anamanaguchi made me reach for the earplugs with their joyful noise, adding guitars and drums to the electronic mix. And USK (Japan) kicked off his overpowering DJ set with the craziest, hyped-up version of "Jingle Bells" I've ever heard, full of deep bass and wild, intricate bleeps. Well, 'tis the season. (More pics below.)