Based in New York City, Bit Shifter explores high-impact, low-res music produced using primitive synthesis as a deliberate aesthetic choice. Adopting a distillation of the less-is-more philosophy, Bit Shifter operates with a standard Nintendo Game Boy as a means of exploring the aesthetics of economy, pushing minimal hardware to its maximum.

He is also in it for the laughs.

Co-administrator of the 8bitpeoples collective & label, and co-founder & co-curator of the international Blip Festival event series, Bit Shifter has released music on Hymen, Astralwerks, Mirex, 555 Recordings, and Ketacore, and has been fortunate enough to perform extensively around the world.

"Hypervigilance" From Closed System Blues, Data Casualty ℗ & © Bit Shifter · Maximum R&D (ASCAP)

"The Butterfly" From Closed System Blues, Data Casualty ℗ & © Bit Shifter · Maximum R&D (ASCAP)

"Strange Comfort" From Bit.Trip Flux Original Soundtrack, Gaijin Games ℗ & © Bit Shifter · Maximum R&D (ASCAP)

"Easy Prey" From miwak twelve, Hymen Records ℗ & © Bit Shifter · Maximum R&D (ASCAP)

Bokusatsu Shoujo Koubou: "Boys'n'Shoujos Kingdom (Shoujoligarchy Mix)"Bit Shifter remix From Bokusatsu Shoujo Koubou: Bokusatsu Shoujos Kingdom, Mob Squad Tokyo ℗ & © Bokusatsu Shoujo Koubou

Units: "Warm Moving Bodies (Skyscraper Cell Mix)"Bit Shifter remix From Units: Connections (Warm Moving Bodies — The Remixes), Opilec Music ℗ & © Units · Let's Go Music / Very Safe Music (BMI)

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MALADAPTIVE STRATEGIES VOL. 1 · RETROSPECTIVE, OUT NOW



Announcing MALADAPTIVE STRATEGIES VOL. 1 — the first installment in a multi-volume retrospective release series, collecting all of the Bit Shifter project’s non-album tracks — songs from far-flung compilations, songs casually / briefly made available on a homepage, and a few that never got released at all.

Taken as a whole, the series includes dozens of tracks, spanning 17 years — plus additional bonus content where applicable.

Vol. 1 presents tracks made between 2002 and 2005, all expertly remastered by Carl Peczynski (Planet Zaxxon) and boasting breathtaking artwork by Andi Soto.

Vol. 1's material showcases the exploratory nature of my process at the time (and that of chipstyle music in general), and includes some of the tracks that, looking back, I'm most proud of — like “Not That You Asked,” a hyperactive melodic outburst; the tuneful, never-released “Prokaryote Fight Song;” and my version of Kraftwerk’s “Antenna” from 2007’s 8-Bit Operators compilation.

This volume also includes liner notes, providing context and background for each of the songs, and for the release as a whole.

Additional volumes on the way, so stay tuned. Thanks for listening.

Remastered by Carl Peczynski (Planet Zaxxon)
Artwork by Andi Soto

Available for download or streaming at the Bit Shifter Bandcamp page.

• Bandcamp



CLOSED SYSTEM BLUES · NEW ALBUM, OUT NOW




Mixed and mastered by Luke Chaos
Artwork, layout, and design by vaporstack (andrew macfarlane)

Available via download, streaming, on cassette, and on compact disc.

• Bandcamp
• Spotify
• SoundCloud

CDs are also available at the following fine stores:

• Rough Trade in Brooklyn NY US · 64 North 9th St., Brooklyn NY 11249 US
• Final Form in Portland OR US · 7315 N Alta Ave., Portland, Oregon 97203
• Bitropolis in Utrecht NL · Oudegracht-Tolsteegzijde 294, 3511NX Utrecht NL

New items — high-quality 3" embroidered patches and 1" matte-finish pins featuring a handsome skull & ring emblem, perfect for your bag, hat, or chiptune battle jacket. New shirts with the same imagery, printed large on black Tultex tees, available in cuts the manufacturer refers to as "unisex" (Tultex 202) and "ladies" (Tultex 213). A grim and futuristic look, custom-tailored for our grim future.

Available for mailorder via my Bandcamp page.