Derek said I could hijack his 'Chiptune Friday' feature on the condition that we brand this very special double-dose edition, "IndepenDANCE Day", so that's what I'ma do.
Crystal Castles hate videogames, and roll their eyes at journalists who attempt to lump them in with other bands who make either video game music, or music with game electronics. They use a keyboard equipped with an Atari 5200 sound chip to create their relentless sound. They have acheived notoriety in the chiptune world not so much for their music, but for a well documented plagiarism controversy.
Last weekend I went to the UK's annual Glastonbury Festival. The highlight of the weekend was a short set by the Crystal Castles, a chiptune dance duo from Brooklyn. Vocalist Alice Glass, who looked as though her tiny body was just dug up from a grave, almost immediately launched herself into the crowd, which resulted in hand-wringing from a bunch of goateed AV dudes who were worried about her mic chord. They finally persuaded her to return to the stage, where she climbed the lighting truss. After twenty minutes of mayhem, the AV guys got their cargo shorts in a bunch and pulled the plug. It was the only moment of unbridaled rock 'n roll energy the festival had to offer, and it was awesome.