Making music with Game Boys and other video game systems is not a new phenomenon by any means, but Stenobot (as heard on Ball of Wax 22) is the only such act I’ve ever had the pleasure (and it was a pleasure) of seeing up close in a live setting. I’m not much of a tech guy, so this kind of stuff is always fascinating and thrilling to me. (The fact that Stenobot’s music is catchy, sonically interesting and superbly crafted doesn’t hurt either.) Unlike most things in music, the process behind it is totally mystifying to me, usually leaving me scratching my head with my mouth wide open.
Which is pretty much the reaction I had upon watching this video of Stenobot’s Andy Myers detailing the modifications he and his son made to his childhood Game Boy, and playing around with the results:
In addition to Ball of Wax 22, you can hear these kinds of toys in actual musical form at Stenobot’s site, where you can stream, buy, or download for free the album Sink or Swim We’ll Go Together.