New Artist: Egadz

This just takes 8-bit music to a whole new level. This is Egadz, the new artist discovered by curator Brian Hadsell, that very well might be possessed by the ghosts from PacMan. This is Digitalism trapped in the Tron universe, this is Crystal Castles on Dr. Mario’s “pills”. Gaming’s influence over Egadz, and vice versa, is so profound that there’s actually a game for iOS and Android based on his music. This is not a casual similarity, he is literally making music that makes video games.

It’s surely no coincidence then that Egadz makes most of his music the same way that you play video games: with buttons.

When you listen to an Egadz track he’s not laying down the sounds carefully through Pro Tools or Fruity Loops or any other software. He’s hitting a bunch of little glowing lights on a custom “instrument” in lightning fast succession.

It’s “Music Made With Buttons.”

Alright, so his song titles might need some work, but that is damn impressive stuff right there. His instrument is quite literally a video game controller. How does he even know what button makes what sound? Beats the hell out of me.

The thing about Egadz is that he’s more than a novelty act - the music is actually good. Sure, it occasionally sounds like Mario is stuck underneath a coin block, but that’s obviously kind of the sound that Egadz is going for.

In “Ghost” - probably the best of the Egadz tunes I’ve heard - he lays down a very respectable rhythm track over which he layers his frantic button-mashing antics. It makes for a very unique sound without going overboard. It had me bobbing my head, tapping my foot, and listening to it again and again.

The video is pretty crazy too.

Egadz is what music should be about. This guy obviously has a serious passion for electronic tunes, reflexes honed by years of gaming, and an ear for music – and he’s made some good stuff utilizing those talents. Is it earth-shattering, chart-topping, number-one-hit type stuff? No. But it doesn’t always need to be.

It’s always nice to find a new artist that’s doing something fresh and innovative. It’s not like no one has ever done digital, 8-bit or electronic music before, but I’ve never seen someone do it quite like Egadz.