We just received a head's up from a chipper named Mandrixx about his new website, Plopbox.net. It's a "jukebox" written in Java that's loaded up with all the great chiptunes (or "ploptunes"), classic and modern. You can even register on the site and create your own playlist, or just trust the judgment of the other users and play highly ranked tunes. At any rate, this is about the easiest way I know to listen to chiptunes, and Mandrixx seems dedicated to expanding and refining his site. Check it out and let us know what you think!

Protonic StormTo put it mildly, I'm a big fan of electronic and computer music. Please don't confuse that with techno, dance, trance, or house music. While I have nothing against these other sub-genres of electronic music, I, er, don't listen to them. Think instead of acts like Tangerine Dream (my hero), Klaus Schulze, Vangelis, Jarre, and, to some extent, Kraftwerk. However, my latest obsession is with a genre I've recently discovered: Space Synth. What's great about this genre is that unlike most electronica, these tunes actually have melodies (i.e., you'll be humming them for weeks after you've heard them). I think I've found where all the talent ended up that lost mass consumer appeal in the late 80s! At any rate, I've found a website where you can sample some excellent space synth and see what you think.