Back at PAX East I saw a guy with a red MacBook entertaining folks in the handheld hallway with some chiptunes.  The next day I got his card.  When I started writing about games, I wanted to focus on gaming culture some, so I thought “I should interview that guy.”  So I now present to you a few minutes with DJ Cutman...

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First of all, and probably most important, why of all the robot masters did you choose "Cutman?"

I actually started as DJ AIRMAN, when beatboxing was a heavier part of my performance. As I began DJing more shows, it was clear that beatboxing, while super fun, couldn't reliably give me the fidelity I was looking for in my sets. I changed my name to CUTMAN and started focusing on preparing (or "Cutting") drum loops to use in my sets

What got you interested in music in general?

I've been studying music since childhood. Saxophone, piano, harmonica, a little guitar. I've been an avid OCRemix listener since close it it's creation, and a collector of Video Game Soundtracks. I started producing my own electronic music five or six years ago.

What got you interested in creating chiptunes?

Well, to be honest, I haven't created any chiptunes myself (yet). I got introduced to the genre by the awesome dudes at SickDamage.com. Being a total geek, I went over to 8BitCollective and downloaded everything I could get my tabs on. The 8-bit Chiptune sound is just so cool, and the huge network of composers and arrangers is a great place to draw inspiration.

So does the "yet" means that you'd like to start making your own chiptunes eventually?

I recently met with chiptune musician TIGER BREATH and had my first LSDJ experience. I don't know if I will create my entire original songs with LSDJ, its a little intimidating, but who can say? It certainly increased my appreciation for the Chiptune musicians who use this software.

It seems a lot of your work has some drum and bass, vocals, and other instruments along with the chiptunes.  Is there a reason you decided to go in that direction rather than just have straight up chiptunes?

Good question. The short answer is I like how it sounds. The long answer is longer; Many Chiptunes have a quiet low-end, it's kind of the nature of the beast. The old DMG Gameboys and other equipment used for making chiptunes wasn't intended to be pumped through a giant sound system. In a live performance at  a club, convention, or bar, many Chiptunes barely graze the subwoofer, and while some chiptune musicians have founds ways to make it knock, there's a lot of variance from tune to tune. So when needed, I cut in the high fidelity drum sounds or samples and beat-match them to the Chiptunes. The idea is to create an audio experience that has the soul of a Chiptune, with the body of a studio-produced track.

What inspires you to do a remix?  Do you just hear a song and think "yeah, I could do something with this?"

Haha, pretty much! I also take game requests :]

I noticed that, although you do have individual songs up on your site, you also have long sets, some of them an hour or more.  Is there a reason you don't break those down into individual tracks?

All of my mixes are intended to be longer pieces, with songs playing off each other, transitioning, and building theme. I spend a lot of time choosing the right songs and order, I feel it's very important to the overall flow. Some of my diehard fans may have noticed that when I release a new mix, I often still update it for a day or two, taking feedback from my audience to assure it moves properly and is as solid as can be. Some of my mixtapes, like "Dubtropolis", have narrative elements that continue throughout the mix that would lose meaning if played out of order.

Do you sell any of your work or do you just have it all up on your site?

All of my mixes are free, and they will always be free. Nearly 100% of the tunes I spin and mix are provided for free by their creators, and I'm echoing that sentiment. Sites like 8bitcollective, 8bitpeoples, and livingelectro are huge resources of free music you can't get anywhere else. With the collapsing of the corporate record and tv industries, I think it's more important than ever to provide quality content for free. I sell merch like T-shirts, sunglasses, and pixel art at my shows for those who want to show support. Or they can add me on facebook

What cities would you say are the prime spots for the chiptunes scene?  For example, when I was up in Boston, it seemed like there were a number of upcoming shows, whereas here in Houston, I get funny looks just by saying "chiptunes."

Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Brooklyn are all cities I've experienced vibrant, rock-awesome Chiptune scenes. 

Do you have any favorite game soundtracks?

Ooooh, tough question. I'll name three, Chrono Trigger, Sonic The Hedgehog 3, and MegaMan 9.

Who are some other chiptune artists you enjoy?

There is so much talent in the global Chiptune community, there are really too many to name. Some of my favorites right now are Smiletron, Shirobon, Knife City, FantomenK, and Chipocrite. I keep an updated list of artists I've interacted with on my facebook page.

Who are some non-chiptune artists you enjoy? 

The Protomen, The OneUps, The Icarus Kid, Monster! Monster!, and Dethklok 

Do you sell any of your work or do you just have it all up on your site?

All of my mixes are provided for free. Nearly 100% of the tunes I spin and mix are provided for free by their creators, and I'm echoing that sentiment. Sites like 8bitcollective, 8bitpeoples, and livingelectro are huge resources of free music you can't get anywhere else. With the collapsing the record and tv industries, I think it's more important than ever to provide quality content for free. I sell merch like T-shirts, sunglasses, and pixel art at my shows for those who want to show support.

What made you decide to create your blog, Video Game DJ?

As I got more involved in the Chiptune and free music scenes online, I knew I had to have a place to store all the great stuff I came across. I had tried some other services out, but the Wordpress platform just made the most sense to me. Now it gives me a great avenue to present my new work, and to get the word out about Chiptune events and other artists, as well as other geeky things. VideoGameDJ.com is a fun time and nice way to get the word out.

Any projects you're working on that you'd like to talk about?

I just released a live dj-set "Live@MoonShadows", which is a little of a different speed for me, a two-hour set of electro/pop/house remixes, a little more mainstream, but tons of fun. A few weeks ago I released "BLiND TRANCE", an all video-game remix by legendary OCRemixer and trance producer bLiNd. bLiNd was great to work with, really supportive and provided me with a ton of very high quality music.

I'm beginning work on ChipTuneMusic Vol. 3, which will unravel more of the story of the Year 20XX, expose "The Hunters" mentioned in Vol. 2, and feature some absolutely undeniable Chiptunes from around the world. I also have a BIG SURPRISE RELEASE for those attending this years Music and Gaming Festival (MAGFest.org)

Also posted on ProtoAttack.com !