Various Artists – SID Chip Sounds: The Music of the Commodore 64

Fans of chiptune artists like DJ Scotch Egg will be aware of the central role played by Commodore 64 music in 90s and 00s gabba/breakcore; more recently, contemporary acts such as Rustie have incorporated those distinctive arpeggiated bleeps into dubstep and UK bass. SID Chip Sounds, a collection of music from games including Last Ninja and Arkanoid, excavates these roots to reveal a startlingly creative and influential series of 80s compositions.

Inevitably, it’s a compilation which, for those who can remember the games, carries great nostalgic weight. The technological limitations faced by composers led to remarkably resourceful and imaginative compositions, simultaneously catchy and minimalist, which generate complex rhythms through melodic arpeggios. While those narrow parameters mean the compilation becomes somewhat numbing if listened to as an album, as a documentary piece, SID Chip Sounds is an invaluable record of a seminal era in the development of electronic music.