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Be a part of NES chiptunes history with Shael Riley and the Double Ice Backfire

Shael Riley has made a name for himself in the nerdcore, remix, and chiptunes scenes. He got started ten years ago posting video game remixes on OverClocked Remix. He produced Blood on the Asphalt, an OC Remix album of Street Fighter tracks that caught Capcom's eye and was put in Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. He's performed multiple live chiptune and nerdcore hip-hop shows, both solo and in his bands, The Grammar Club and Shael Riley and the Double Ice Backfire. You might have heard his work at MAGFest or Nerdapalooza.

Shael Riley and the Double Ice Backfire are working on a album of chiptunes rock, Ultimate Songs from the Pit. It'll include 6 remastered tracks from the original 2009 EP Songs from the Pit and 10 all-new songs, with guest appearances from MegaRan, Schaffer the Darklord, and Billy the Fridge.

If you're not familiar with chiptunes rock, it's a genre of music that uses the NES or other video game hardware as a musical synthesizer. Yes, the dulcet tones you hear coming from SRatDIB are produced by a Nintendo Entertainment System.

Here's the thing. Shael's currently raising funding for the new album. Alex Therou of Turtle Tone NYC has offered to engineer and master the album for $3,750. Therou has worked with MSI and Godsmack, and was responsible for the last four MC Frontalot albums, so that's a pretty killer price. He's started a Kickstarter fundraiser for the album, and is looking for contributions.

Of course, it's not blank, thankless donations. If you donate $10, you get a digital download of the album. At 16 tracks, you're already over iTunes' rates. At $25, you get a physical copy of the album. At $35, you get a limited edition of the album in a freaking Sega Saturn case. It only gets more crazy from there. Not a bad deal for "donations." Plus, if the goal isn't met, all money will be refunded.

Shael's said that if he beats the $3,750 mark, any additional money will be used for iTunes stocking, ASCAP fees, physical copy printing, and even hiring a publicist to get word of the album out beyond the usual circles of sub-sub-genre enthusiasts. Give some of the music a listen, and decide for yourself!

If you decide to donate, post about it here!