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We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

MMC1: Power up the Chips

by Multi-Memory Controller

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $6.66 CAD  or more

     

  • USB Flash Drive + Digital Album

    You get a 4GB USB drive in the shape of a credit card, with the cover and back art printed on it. It contains the album artwork and two versions of the tracks: one in ultra-high 24-bit WAV lossless quality for the audiophile, and one in high-quality standard MP3 files perfect for moving around in your collection, on your phone, etc. Put it on display at home or carry it around as extra storage - and show off your awesome taste! (it fits in a wallet)

    The first 38 copies shipped with a lock of my hair. They are all gone now. The rationale is posted below for archival purposes.
    A lock of hair? Why?
    Hair is a symbol. In the metal music world, it attests for authenticity, as sociologists have written; in mythology, it stands in for might or vitality (check out the Wikipedia page for "lock of hair"). For me, it symbolizes a few things. This is a rite of passage; you can never have a second first album. It symbolizes the time I have spent working on this album; when I started experimenting with chip sounds, I had shaved my head in support of my best friend's wife who had cancer. My hair is a literal measure of the time spent working on this. It is finally a memento mori, a reminder that our time is counted and that inevitably, we will die. Making the most of our time is a need (the death drive or thanatos) and this album exists because of that. More intimately, in all likelihood I will be going progressively bald a few years from now. I am giving you a piece of me, just like the time and energy I have invested into making the music. The music comes from a body that lives and ages, and by buying the album, we share an experience.
    "Eww, that is gross / creepy / freaky / narcissistic! I don't want this, I just want the USB drive!"
    Like all symbols, it only holds the meaning we give it. Feel free to write a note when ordering saying you don't want it. Or throw it in the compost or backyard, and let nature claim it.

    Includes unlimited streaming of MMC1: Power up the Chips via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ... more
    ships out within 3 days
    9 remaining

      $13 CAD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Nothing beats a good CD as a collector's item? No worries, get your disc here. Not only is the disc compact, the packaging also is. The cardboard cover is folded like a postcard or greeting card. It features Nate Horsfall's wicked artwork on the front, and the tracklist on the back. The interior is white. Everything holds in place when you keep the disc and cover in its durable quality plastic sleeve. It is shipped in bubble wrap to make sure nothing happens to it.

    The first 38 copies shipped with a lock of my hair. They are all gone now. The rationale is posted below for archival purposes.
    A lock of hair? Why?
    Hair is a symbol. In the metal music world, it attests for authenticity, as sociologists have written; in mythology, it stands in for might or vitality (check out the Wikipedia page for "lock of hair"). For me, it symbolizes a few things. This is a rite of passage; you can never have a second first album. It symbolizes the time I have spent working on this album; when I started experimenting with chip sounds, I had shaved my head in support of my best friend's wife who had cancer. My hair is a literal measure of the time spent working on this. It is finally a memento mori, a reminder that our time is counted and that inevitably, we will die. Making the most of our time is a need (the death drive or thanatos) and this album exists because of that. More intimately, in all likelihood I will be going progressively bald a few years from now. I am giving you a piece of me, just like the time and energy I have invested into making the music. The music comes from a body that lives and ages, and by buying the album, we share an experience.
    "Eww, that is gross / creepy / freaky / narcissistic! I don't want this, I just want the CD!"
    Like all symbols, it only holds the meaning we give it. Feel free to write a note when ordering saying you don't want it. Or throw it in the compost or backyard, and let nature claim it.

    Includes unlimited streaming of MMC1: Power up the Chips via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ... more
    ships out within 7 days
    4 remaining

      $13 CAD or more 

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 5 Multi-Memory Controller releases available on Bandcamp and save 15%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of MMC2: The Serpentarius Arcana, Thirteenth Zodiac, MMC1: Power up the Chips, Collaborations, and The Chipforge Years. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      $16.82 CAD or more (15% OFF)

     

1.
First came the Word A prime voice in the dark of the Void The One became Many A Legion of waves, sharpened like blades… On the 6th day Of the 6th month In the 6th hour The Beast had come To Power up the Chips In the Flames of Metal
2.
Out in the night atop a skyscraper high The city lights are shining on and I know they’re worth fighting for I try my best to justify the meaning of my quest I long for peace and that is why ironically I have to fight In 200X when the world’s in decay And the heroes of yersterday passed away A new man will rise and for makind he’ll fight In the Year 200X Running through the halls of a maze of crystal and ice The Master waits beyond the gates with the power to freeze time When you face your demise your weapon will be mine I can take on anything as long as I keep trying There can be life from bones and steel A metal heart can start to beat Man and machine And nothing in between Oh, when will I see it? Peace everlasting Man and machine and nothing in between. In 200X Fire spreads out, the oceans are swelling And storms shake the ground When science has failed my heart and soul still prevail I will save the world In 200X In the Year 200X
3.
A meteor falling, aliens invading The future is darkened and dreary A threat is emerging, Red Falcon looming Send out a Contra force Waist-deep in water we’re wading along To the heart of the island to strike at the core (Soon you’ll know fear) The enemy’s here, this is our war The world’s fate rests on our bare shoulders Contra Force is rising Throughout the jungle machine guns are sounding the fight Their bullets are speaking, defending our homes They’re fighting for a better future for all For blue skies to shine again Jump! (Jump!) Avoid the falling rocks! Jump! (Jump!) To the top of the waterfall! The Red Falcon bleeds and falls to the ground As we defeat all their soldiers around Into their base, gate after gate, Shooting machines, blown down to smithereens Contra Force is blazing Throughout the snowy peaks and high-tech factories beyond They’re reaching the end of their struggle at last The alien heart is the last thing to blast Soon we’ll be free again (Through fighting and bravery, freedom has been won back And now the Earth is at peace, at last) Their battle was yours, friends you must understand These wars for your God or for riches, for land Hurt us all in the end. Contra Force returning Throughout the nations, celebrations resound The lesson’s been learned and united we stand The future is bright and the skies blue again The world’s fate is ours to make Five years later, the alien invaders Have come back repeating our history Their spaceship is firing, civilians are dying The Alien Wars begin!
4.
A flash of the blade, the sad twisting of fate Blood spilled and dyed by the moon’s light Your legacy makes no sense to me Oh Father I must understand Why you died The day after he disappeared, in father’s room, I found a letter adressed to me. I read it. Nothing seemed real. The ancient sword, the way of the Dragon… Whoever did this won’t get away. I will get my revenge! Where are you? I am here Still searching for the final clue I will fight ‘till I find All the answers that I seek In shadows I’m running, in my hands I’m holding These mystic statues with power imbued I’m starting to realize I’m now on the inside Of a secret race for the future of mankind Another death, another puzzle piece Yet another unsolved mystery These cryptic words echo through my ears : "When the Black Moon shines, Light and Dark break apart, The King of Darkness howls…" Here I stand, in my hand The Dragon Sword of my bloodline I will fight ‘till I find The temple’s evil mastermind Look in my eyes, see the child that has died The Ghost of my Father will be my guide You won’t escape the edge of my blade Nothing will save you from my fiery rage Who is he? This can’t be! Father, you must snap out of it I will fight for your mind I won’t let the demon rise Concentrate / without haste / swiftly strike / when time is right Plan your move / catch your breath / for the Black Moon / brings creeping death…
5.
The roar of the engines is lagging behind As we all go over the 500 miles per hour The landscape’s a blur, colors are melting away in a haze Ever faster No time to blink when the walls come crashing at you Ride on fire My friend, that’s 26th century racing for you F-Zero Racing, a sports for the rich Their money is buying out our will to resist Capitalism on a cosmic scale Where under the race tracks the poor slave away Profit’s the logic, I’m a modern man A bounty hunter with the most primitive code of honor A hero today, which is to say a mercenary yesterday Show me money I’ll show you whole galaxies where the blind’s leading the blind Get back on track (Follow my tail lights or you’ll crash and burn) F-Zero Racing, a high-risk escape From worlds sterilized and where all life is chained We pilots have something the rich cannot buy Up on the race tracks we’re living today (You’re going to break down! Stay put behind or you’ll find There’s nowhere you can hide from my ride I’ll crush you in between the curved lines) Straight to the sky, come and fly You must be willing to die At breakneck speed Like we live our lives (Like we live and die) F-Zero Racing, collective revenge On a system that rules us and where no one decides What do we do with our lives ‘till we die? Out on the race tracks we’re leading the way Ever faster, ride on fire forever There’s only one way to find out what you’re worth In this day and age : F-Zero Racing
6.
…veiling the moon with the Light of Eternity It brings another promise To Mother Earth With a bounty and mercy High in the sky, I’m facing alone My darkness inside, so far from home Could this be the chance for me to atone? For the sins of my past I hear the wind, it’s whispering (in my ear) A servant of doom is guarding the tomb Climbing the steps, I’m facing the test To break from my past and be free at last And as darkness recedes, all becomes clear Still I will go on I see the Light, it shines so bright (feel the fear) Piercing the black, tearing down my mask As I’m staring at myself, in the mirror someone else Stands alone facing me, this is who I’ve come to be There’s so much he wants to say, but he silently obeys The orders he was given by a Dark Sword shunned by heaven I’m searching for my soul Can I fill the hole? (You can’t) Doubt takes its toll (Again) Heart and mind alike, so many have tried (and failed) To walk that fine line (Beyond death and life) Facing the darkness, I’ll conquer myself And bring out my best As I’m staring at myself, in the mirror someone else Stands alone facing me, this is who I’ve come to be There’s so much he wants to say, but he silently obeys The orders that he received from a father-king long buried The Holy Light shines down on me, It revealed the face hidden behind the mask The spineless man I was before is no more
7.
One to be born from a dragon Hoisting the light and the dark Rises high up in the sky to the still land above Am I the chosen, the savior of my race? The crystals are shedding their light silently They’re calling, they’re holding the key To my people’s fate (Rise up my friend and do as I tell Your deeds will be sung for centuries to come) Sometimes at night, I hear someone fight Like a voice trapped inside that is trying to bring back the light I’m garbed all in black but there’s light left in me How I wish you could see beyond the mask (The crystals will open the way to the moon) The crystals will open the way to the moon He’s just a dark knight, shadows clouding his sight He gave up the fight and has forever forsaken the light His soul is consumed, in darkness entombed Now he’s helpless to see beyond the mask Who has been causing these evils before? Have I lost my mind or was I bound to obey? Was I not speaking through my own voice? Was someone behind, or even leading the way? I wish I could say someone else made me do all these things against my own will But I think that I may have resisted If not for a dark side in me I’m guilty Brothers we are, born from the moon Hoisting the light and the dark We’ll be rising, beyond the skies And beyond our masks The madman will pay for all he took away My conscience, my free will, my existence itself Were stolen from me to further his goals But revenge will be mine One for myself, Two for my king, Three for our planet And four for the sake of your kin Hate, fear, regrets and the darkness they bring Form a mask on ourselves we must break Sometimes in life we aren’t given a choice But we can always strive to see the world Beyond the mask
8.
Hatred Hatred eternal Trapped inside the moon’s core, for centuries I’ve grown so bitter I tried to command other minds to claim a new land My kin’s hope is gone and the Blue Planet shined so bright I said we should take the humans’ earth and seal their fate (Light guide my hand, for darkness consumes all) (Piercing the black, I’ll make the madman pay) Born from the chaos, the dark of the void Is all mine to doom and destroy I’ll feed on the light ‘till galaxies die And flare into life with bangs of pure Hatred Hatred Eternal So it ends for me in the darkness of space Redemption can be far but never out of reach
9.

about

This is the waking call of the MMC project, awakened after the 10-year period of experimentation known as the Chipforge Years, rising from the grave of my former 8-Bit Metal project (active 2005-2010 on...MySpace!).

These original compositions pay homage to classic video games: Mega Man 2, Contra, Ninja Gaiden, F-Zero, Final Fantasy IV, and the arcade era.

credits

released October 10, 2020

Mixing & mastering by Erik Peabody (Viking Guitar)
Cover art by Nate Horsfall (Lightning Arts)
Generously funded in part by the OICRM (Observatoire interdisciplinaire de création et de recherche en musique)

Dépôt légal, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, 2023.

All game titles, artwork, scenarios and characters are the property of their respective owners:

Mega Man © Capcom Co., Ltd.
Contra © Konami Holdings Corporation
Ninja Gaiden © Tecmo Co., Ltd.
F-Zero © Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Final Fantasy © Square enix Co, Ltd.

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Multi-Memory Controller Montreal, Québec

A one-mind band fusing power / prog metal with unholy chiptunes, writing original music on classic video games. Welcome to the world of chipmetal.

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