We’re breaking radio silence to bring you a special bulletin: former RvD collaborator VJ Chromatouch has teamed up with Subcitizen to launch an extremely exciting new monthly venture known as 8Bit Lounge.

The event is a celebration of geek culture, taking in both classic and (relatively) modern gaming, chipcore, hardware hacking and much, much more. Chromatouch and Subcitizen will be manning the decks, providing music and visuals of a distinctly 8bit bent whilst the night will also feature a live circuit-bending demonstration by fizzPOP, multiplayer retro gaming, a Nanoloop session, an outdoor Wii tournament and all manner of other thoroughly good stuff… plus, apparently pro-celebrity Brum blogger Pete Ashton will be turning up at some point with his massive chipcore collection.

Best of all, entry is absolutely free! The night takes place in the Hare & Hounds back bar on Tuesday 1st September and every first Tuesday of the month thereafter. More details below, taken from their Facebook event page:

“A delightful evening of all things computer game and arcade oriented. From an array of consoles to play on including….
a snes with 5 player bomberman and all original controllers
an N64 with 4 player greatness like starfox 64
a gamecube with some great 4 player games like timesplitters 2

Chromatouch will be using old school consoles to control visuals on the night, including a nintendo ds that can be used to control visuals wirelessly through cellsds.

Hackspace will be doing demonstration and giving examples of circuit bending and hacked electronic toys etc. check the videos attatched for more examples of how this interesting underground art abuses the toys and electronics we know and love.

We are also looking to hold a Wii tournament in the courtyard, weather allowing.

Nanoloops: the famous nintendo game boy music writing software will be fully in place. Anyone that writes music in this format then please contact us. We are holding a competition to find the best nanoloops artist in birmingham. Bring it on!!

Music on the eve will be from Subcitizen and Chromatouch, so expect some classic pure electro, bboy style, computer game anthems, arcade classics, 8bit pop and electronica lo fi scribblings. All very good fun!!

free entry, this will take place in the back bar of the Hare and Hounds on Tuesday 1st August and every first Tuesday of the month thereafter.

We hope you can make it along as there are a host of other guests and exhibitors bringing items and distractions from the world of computer games, 8bit music and similar curios coming soon to this night.”

Radio silence resumed.

Final reminder: we’re DJing tonight at BUSK, as part of their BOOST event. Entry is free, with the night running from 10:30 ’til 3am. More info can be found via their myspace, whilst BUSK itself can be found on Gough St opposite Island Bar. See you there?

Robot vs Dinosaur will be DJing as part of Brum-based creative media network Project X Presents‘ next event, entitled “Digital Dystopia”. Taking place on Saturday 13th September at newly-unveiled Birmingham club BUSK, the performance will further develop and explore the group’s remarkable “Omnimedia Experience” format, presenting a seamless flow of art, music and visuals via three stages.

As well as our good selves (well, one half to be specific- I’ve got a wedding to get to), the event also features a performance from former RvD highlight Arc Vel alongside a diverse range of artists and DJs of all genres including Marc Reck, Mixmaster Morris, Steve Loopz, Rich Batsford, Shana Tova, 360 and many more. Meanwhile, those of a slightly more experimental bent can expect to have their appetites sated by the many art installations, spoken word pieces and VJ performances on offer. Believe me when I say that the above description merely scratches the surface of what this event has to offer: the promoters ask you to “leave your expectations at the door” and, for once, I would pay heed to that advice.

Entry to the event costs £10, and doors open at 8:00pm with the night running ’til 3. Meanwhile, BUSK can be found on Gough Street, opposite Island Bar and the Alexandra theatre. For more info, please check out the Project X Presents website.

This weekend sees the return of Capsule‘s annual Supersonic festival. Running the gamut of avant-garde and experimental music, the event features performances from acts as diverse as Battles (pictured), Efterklang, DJ Scotch Egg and Max Tundra as well as a set from reformed ’70s Krautrockers Harmonia. Put simply, it’s quite possibly the most culturally important music event Birmingham will see this year.

Which brings us to the crux of this post: no doubt there will be many in Brum this weekend, myself included, who don’t have a ticket for various reasons. So, what the hell are we going to do this weekend? We’ve decided to come up with a few suggestions…

Thursday: Ok, it’s the day before Supersonic but we thought we’d get this one in anyway! Connect Four takes place at Island Bar on Thursday 10th July, bringing live synthpop stylings from Uninvited Guestz, Codette, The Audacity and Motorbikes In Tokyo, plus DJs and visuals.

Friday: given the competition there’s quite an overwhelming display of choice on offer here. Freakin’ Legend will be bringing the rock to Island Bar, with sets from Fillmore Gears, The No Tomorrows, HINGe and The E-Gos. This Is Tomorrow‘s new venture New York Noise kicks off at the Yardbird with DJ sets from Dr. Rubberfunk as well as residents Matt Flux, Mustapha Dance and Waler DJs. Alternatively, pop in to Rooty’s where Cog are laying down a spread of minimal house and underground techno stylings.

Saturday: top indiepop shindig The Autumn Store has gone international, hosting a set from Japanese folk collective Andersens alongside Glaswegians The Starlets and Bavarian Country Singers and Comrades, who in a rather curious twist actually hail from Birmingham and Wolverhampton. I guess “West Midlands Country Singers and Comrades” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it? On a slightly different bent, Trailer Park Beats are holding their dubstep all-nighter The Big Dirty at the Rainbow Warehouse, although the none-more-hardcore amongst you will probably be watching Mary Poppins at the Hippodrome.

Sunday: all worn out from that little lot? Good, because there’s not a great deal on today. Drop us a comment if there’s anything interesting happening over the weekend which I’ve not covered…

Friday’s event features a headline performance from Bristol’s Portmanteau (pictured)- self-proclaimed Roy Castlecore kings, they’ll be casually knocking brains from skulls with their mutant, glitch-infested acid-techno dancefloor stompers. On a totally different bent is Brum’s own Arc Vel; his skittering beats and bracing sonic textures will be a warm hug to fans of the likes of Four Tet, Tortoise and Cinematic Orchestra.

And as ever, we’ll be DJing more abstract techno, breakcore, laptoptronica, drill ‘n’ bass, indietronica, chipcore and [insert-genre-here] than your brain can possibly handle… Doors open at 8:30, with admission costing a mere £3 or just £1 if dressed as a robot or dinosaur! Free pin badge on entry! Drop us a comment if you’ve any last-minute requests…

See you there, it’s gonna be well-oiled… just like a terminator.