Culture
Italo, Tekkno And Rave Collide In These Awesomely Weird '90s Demoscene Videos
Software cracks have never sounded so good.
From mind-melting vintage video synthesizers to Warp Records’ VHS releases, the intersection between music and visual experimentation has a long and peculiar history. At the stranger end of the spectrum, you can find subcultures like the undoubtably-odd Demoscene. Inspired by software cracks and the manipulation of old-school computer devices like the Commodore 64 and Amiga, artists working within the scene use the “demo” as a medium to explore the crossover between video, music, programming and 3D modeling.
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The results are some of the weirdest videos you’re likely to find anywhere. The demos range from hardcore chip-tune tracks set to pulverized graphics to up-tempo tekkno and New Beat cuts played over floating, computer-graphic planets and sci-fi space stations. When the scene blossomed in the late ’80s and early ’90s, these creations could be viewed at cult Demoscene events like The Party, which ran in Denmark from 1991-2002.
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Here are some of our favorite Demoscene videos—including the Amiga Comp Winner of 1992 edition of The Party, featured below—but there’s a virtually endless supply of crushed, cracked and hacked audio-visual delights to explore. It’s a worthwhile reminder of just how twisted and creative one can get with the most limited of means.
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Read more: Go back to the ’90s with this playlist of trippy techno video mixes
