For our upcoming event on the 11th September Why fashion should play in the gaming sector, we’re thrilled to welcome gaming music afficionados GamerDisco which will be providing the soundtrack for the evening and bringing an exciting retro game Mao Mao Castle for attendees to enjoy!
Since 2010 GamerDisco has hosted regular monthly club nights in London based on the premise of combinbing gaming and music. The company has a licensing and talent arm, as well as an events side hosting parties at all kinds of gaming and non-gaming shows! Here’s GamerDisco’s own Head of Events, Gareth Swann (Swanny) and Head of Music and Talent, Rory Steele (a.k.a. DJ Jet Set Rory), to tell us all about it.
So tell us more about GamerDisco….
Swanny: GamerDisco was originally set up to officially support the launch of the 3DS (Nintendo’s 3D handheld console released in 2010), where we hosted a dance tent and experiential space for them as part of a UK festivals tour in Reading, V Festival, Isle of Wight and others. The concept was to engage consumers with the new portable console in a completely different environment and deliver a really fun space where everyone could play games if they wanted, dance if they chose to, or just have a drink and catch up with friends… remembering fun, passing the pad, and human interaction is what gaming is all about!
From that initial kick-off, through regular monthly events (sometimes 3 a month!) and constantly working with other publishers, partners & independent developers, we’ve established an events arm that I head up. We host after-parties and stages at shows like EGX, PLAY Expo, or awards shows like The Golden Joysticks, and Rory looks after all things Music and Talent!
Rory: Thanks! Over time, as Swanny says, we’ve also grown a talent booking arm that represents some incredible live acts & DJs that you can see playing at our nights already: really creative artists across a huge variety of styles, but all within the genre of gaming/tech and Chiptune.
At GamerDisco nights, we tend to play a mix of music you’d normally hear on a night out, blended with soundtracks and remixes from original games themselves and also Chiptune tracks and remixes from the producers we work with directly. We also license some of their music for games, films and TV and we even work with artists such as DJ Yoda, on The History Of Gaming show which is a LOT of fun.
How do you think Gaming has impacted fashion over the years?
Swanny: There’s always been close links between the two and gaming now impacts so many areas of popular culture... music is just one of those and film is another. Because fashion, film and music have always been synonymous, there are these amazing sub-cultures emerging all the time. Communities all over the world are taking influence not just from game characters, game art styles and the worlds created within them to influence their own designs and concepts, but also adapting new technologies to make interactive wearables, combining old technologies to make accessories, jewellery and costumes, for example.
Rory: You can see the influence of gaming on fashion through brands such as Insert Coin and Numskull Designs which have worked with game companies to create clothes not only inspired by specific titles but directly replicating designs worn by in-game characters. Games have been offering players the chance to customise their characters, including creating and designing the clothes they wear for some time, with communities building around specific titles and sharing designs with other players. It makes sense then for fashion labels to bring their eye and expertise into the gaming world, so that interplay between real-life designs and brands and their digital equivalents can be further explored. And of course, with the mix of music and gaming we have at our events, crisscrossing genres and fanbases, we get a range of styles in attendance - even cosplay!
So what can we expect to see and hear on the night?
Rory: We’ll be providing the backdrop for the evening, before and after the panel, playing a mix of music that reflects the vibe of our events, so while classic and contemporary game soundtracks and remixes will be present, expect to hear lo-fi electronic music and beats from artists creating music that emulates a retro gaming sound with current trends and sensibilities.
Swanny: We’ve also invited indie developer Asobi.tech, owned by the awesome Quang Nguyen, and they’re going to show off their as yet unreleased game Mao Mao Castle which we LOVE. It uses this amazing LEAP motion technology… It’s a bit like the old classic Space Harrier, only with a Cat Dragon… and you control it using just one hand… Quang, can explain it far better than me though!
Quang: MaoMao Castle is a game about a magical flying Cat-Dragon, on a fantastical journey to free its friends. Head back to their castle, collect rainbows and avoid obstacles along the way! We actually conceived it at a game jam in a Swedish Castle in 2016, where 300 developers created over 70 games in 5 days and even though it won prizes for best music, best graphics and best overall game we’ve spent the last 3 years showcasing it, refining and improving it, and getting it ready for release! It has been showcased now at 60 events, from EGX (Euro Gamer Expo) to MCM Comicon and Gamescom, where it was received joyfully by people of all ages, gender and abilities.
On the tech side, when showcasing it at events we use a LEAP motion controller, to interact with the bright and bombastic game. The LEAP motion tracks your hand movements, which translates into moving MaoMao in the game world, giving everyone a real visceral connection with the Cat-Dragon as you fly along the waves of obstacles and collect rainbows.
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Where can people find out more about GamerDisco and the events you do?
Swanny: Generally our Facebook page is the best place to hear about regular events and to see pics from the nights too. Over on Twitter we announce upcoming events, music and new releases and also post mixes from our events, which we host on MixCloud. We do have our mixes on YouTube as well where we’ve got some more clips from the night and interviews we’ve done, but we don’t use it nearly as much as we will be in the coming months!
If you wanted to have a chat about an upcoming event, talk about booking an artist or DJ, or if you’re looking for music for your game/new line/show, then we’d love to hear from you, just get in touch on Gamerdisco@gmail.com!
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