8-Bit Reggae - New book

[zapiy]

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A new dispatch from the Near Future Laboratory: this book that documents the curious collision between video-game culture and reggae music. It's called "8-Bit Reggae: Collision and Creolization" and it's co-published by Volumique (Paris) and the laboratory. The book can be bought on their online shop here http://volumique.com/shopv2/product/8-bit-reggae-collision-and-creolization/

As described on their shop:

"it's a book about the unexpected and intriguing culture collision between video game culture and reggae/dub. Why were 8-bit machines like the Commodore 64 or the Nintendo NES used to recreate Jamaicans riddims ? How did such a curious assemblage of rhythms, objects and game systems happen ? Was it because of the nature of the various sub-cultures ? Or was it just a fortuitous exchange between reggae music and 8-bit computing ? This book answers these questions and address the unlikely encounter of Jamaican music with the video game world."

[DZ-Jay]

I can't see the URL.

In any case, I'm curious to know, was there really a cultural movement, or was it mere coincidence?

I don't want to buy the book for it to tell me in a few hundred pages that it was all chance and there is absolutely no connection between the two cultures.

By the way, I've never heard of a confluence between video games and reggae music.  Could you provide some examples?

[Shadowrunner]

That does sound interesting! I fixed the OP and added the link

[zapiy]

I wondered the same and I have a copy of the book inbound. I will let you all know but I did a brief search and there is some evidence to suggest this is true.

[DZ-Jay]

I wondered the same and I have a copy of the book inbound. I will let you all know but I did a brief search and there is some evidence to suggest this is true.

Indeed, I just read the few sample pages included in the sales page, and it seems to trace the development of Reggae, to Ska, to Rock Steady, so it seems to be a rather thorough treatment.

I was just afraid it would be another vapid treatment of video game history with silly and outlandish correlations thrown in just to cash in on the "retro" mindset.

I'll go ahead and order a copy.

[zapiy]

Good stuff, i will be interested to hear your thoughts.