Richmond video game music producer an0va releases “Double Density”
“Double Density” can be purchased through an0va’s Bandcamp. Photo provided by Daniel Davis.
Richmond producer Daniel Davis released his third EP as lo-fi chiptune artist an0va titled “Double Density” on Sept. 9.
The EP features six tracks produced with Protracker 2.3 software on a Commodore Amiga 500, a computer most popular during the ‘80s and ‘90s.
“The whole album is big and thick,” Davis said. “Pretty much booty music made by a nerd for nerds.”
Started in fall 2015 and completed by January 2016, Davis sat on the project until September due to scheduling conflicts with his label.
Unlike his previous EP, “Ego Depletion,” which he made using a Nintendo Gameboy, Davis said producing “Double Density” with an Amiga allowed Davis to important samples and bit crush them.
Bit crushing samples creates the video game music sound a lot of people are familiar with, Davis said. This is achieved by changing the bit depth between and the highest and lowest frequency range in a sample, he said.
“It adds an aesthetic quality to it,” Davis said. “It adds that lo-fi sound.”
Amiga computers have no internal hard drive and require double density floppy disks to save and transport work. This feature is what inspired the album title, Davis said.
Davis said he planned the EP to be full length, but the double density floppy disks Amigas require are rare and decades old. After his supply wore out, Davis said he decided on a six track release instead.
“Whereas other an0va releases were pretty esoteric, this
album was made with more clear goals: pumping speakers in a loud club and shaking butts,” states an0va’s Bandcamp site.
SPECTRUM EDITOR
Jesse Adcock
Jesse is a junior print journalism major and Arabic and Middle Eastern culture minor. He has walked in the valley with no water and bitten the heads off of snakes.
Facebook
adcockj@commonwealthtimes.org
