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, 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

		Bit Shifter: Maladaptive Strategies Vol. 1 x_x004 • Data Casualty "I can't believe bit shifter is still around"    – Twitter user OKdotGLASS
		Bit Shifter: Closed System Blues x_x003 • Data Casualty "Hands down a masterpiece of the genre."    – Cresendo Sotuyo, RePlay festival series
		Various Artists: miwak twelve 2xCD ¥777 • Hymen Records "Your track on the Hymen Records compilation ROCKS!!!"    – Christian Pallentin / P•A•L
		Units: Connections 3xCD + mp3 OPCM LTD CD 002 • Opilec Records "I've just listened to your remix. About 10 times. … It is fucking amazing!"    – Scott Ryser, the Units
		Bit Shifter: Information Chase EP 8BP059 • 8bitpeoples "...a dizzying 15 minute romp..." "[A] barrage of uptempo pop"    – Gratisvibes
		Various Artists: 8-Bit Operators CD ASW 71189 • Astralwerks "Bit Shifter's 'Antenna' distinguishes itself with a sing-along quality, supported by bright arpeggiated chords and buzzing bass. It's one of several points at which it becomes difficult to deny that this is effective pop music, however it's made."    – Nate Dorr, PopMatters
		Bit Shifter: Life's A Bit Shifter CD 555CD66 • 555 Recordings "...all of the short-but-sweet tracks on Life's A Bit Shifter were composed on one of the Nintendo toy gaming consoles, and the result sounds like a chorus of arcade games banging out chirpy shards from a digitized history of Western music."    – Pat Blashill, Rolling Stone

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.

Bit Shifter, real name Joshua Davis, has been among those leading the charge in the current global underground movement known as chipmusic. Coming from a background in punk, hardcore, post-punk, indie rock and indie pop, he adopted the Game Boy as an unlikely instrument of choice in 2002, joining a nascent worldwide underground pursuing an unconventional strain of raw, spirited, and fiercely independent electronic music.

• Has released music with:
  Astralwerks, Hymen, Mirex, 555 Recordings, 8bitpeoples, more.
• Has shared stages with:
  808 State, Dan Deacon, DJ QBert, Cylob, Patric Catani, end.user, Bong-Ra, Huoratron, Mochipet, DJ Scotch Egg, Pierre Bastien, Bodenständig 2000, Drop The Lime, Knifehandchop, more.
• Collaborations & commissioned remixes:
  Chaos Royale, Starscream, Bokusatsu Shoujo Koubou, Mark DeNardo, and original synthpunk pioneers the Units.
• Co-founder & co-organizer of the Blip Festival international event series spanning 12 editions across six years in New York, Tokyo, Melbourne, and Aalborg Denmark.
• Has contributed music to Slate.com, Engadget, more.
• Master Artist in Residence, music & composition, Atlantic Center for the Arts residency #138, 2010
• 200+ shows worldwide to date, including heavy gigging in North America, 3 tours of Japan, 4 of Europe, jaunts to Brazil and Australia, and a globe-circling 2006 world tour.
• Press & media coverage in:
  The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Wired, BBC Radio 6, Fuse TV, ABC (AU), Time Techland, The Verge, XLR8R, the Village Voice, MSNBC.com, more.

"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)