Chip Bit Day Interview: Wil Morgan “Morgnator”

Chip Bit Day Interview: Will Morgan “Morgnator”

Here’s an interview about someone we haven’t talked about; the compere of this years Chip Bit Day, Wil Morgan ‘Morgnator’! Known as everyone’s friend in chiptune, Wil has been following the scene for ages, from going to ‘MAG FEST’ in USA, to the relic known as ‘Superbyte’. Will also has creating his own music through his pseudonym ‘Morgnator’, using LSDJ and a Otamatone.
https://m.soundcloud.com/morgnator https://www.facebook.com/Morgnator/

If you’ve been enjoying the interviews so far and are thinking about coming down to watch, you can get a ticket via the link below:
https://igg.me/at/chipbitday19/x/13352619

1. Who are you, what is your artist name and where do you come from?
Wil aka Morgnator from Loughborough, East Midlands.

2. What music do you make & what instruments/hardware/software do you use?
Original chiptune using 1x LSDJ on DMG Gameboy as well as LSDJ covers of pop songs with an Otomatone accompaniment and some vocals.

3. How did you get into the chiptune scene?
I first learned of chiptune’s existence through OneUp.com’s Sound Test podcast, in an NES special they played Remixes from NES games including a track from Chiptuned Rockman, a free Mega Man remix album which I then downloaded. I fell in love with Virt’s tornadoman mix then when I went to MAGFest 9 back in 2011 I discovered a whole new world. Then in 2012’s MAGFest X Virt and Danimal Cannon’s lunchtime performances blew me away and I was forever changed. I was introduced to Brandon Hood aka Chipwin’s President Hoodie at a party and my world opened up as a fan. Years later after attending Joe Bleeps’ LSDJ workshop at Superbyte, I bought an LSDJ cart and started messing around with it until artist friends I’d made in the scene from going to events gave me an opportunity to play my stuff live.

4. How has your music evolved since then?
My early tracks were unintentionally a progressive trance style, likely due to my upbringing of EDM being in the 90’s, though I’m actually a rock/metal fan generally. I tooled around with adding an Otomatone and playing badly (they’re genuinely hard to play well) and with its amusing sound thought it’d be funny to cover a Vengaboys song with it as lead vocals melody. It got a lot of laughs so I’ve worked on some more dumb covers of dumb pop songs for a kinda Shitflute style comedy performance.

5. Where have you played?
Chip Bit Day 2018’s pre-party. Super Megabit 2018 I performed and also was MC for the event. I’ve also previously performed chiptune DJ sets at various anime/gaming conventions around the UK and a nerdy clubnight in Leicester on a regular basis.

6. What has been your favourite venue you’ve played at?
The Angel Microbrewery in Nottingham, because it’s a legendary venue when it was The Old Angel and I’ve seen many up and coming bands perform there as well as almost every local friend who’s been in a band at some point so to finally get to play there myself was pretty amazing.

7. Describe your music in one word (or emoji).
Sweepdrunk

8. What’s been the highlight of your musical career?
Shirobon laughing his ass off at my dumb show and telling me after it was one of the funniest things he’d ever seen.

9. What’s your favourite artist and song at the moment?
Hot Bottom Feeder by Clutch. It’s a genuine bluegrass rock song about a recipe for crabcakes that’s hilarious, catchy AND informative.

10. What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting out in chiptune?
Make a thing, play it to your friends, both chiptune knowledgeable and not, you can get surprisingly good feedback from people who aren’t into the scene and are coming in with undistorted, honest opinions on this music they’ve never heard of. Take advice as constructive but let your individuality come out in your music, this whole scene is really experimental so just because something doesn’t fit any obvious moulds it does not mean it isn’t good. Art IS expression, after all.

11. Favourite game soundtrack?
Currently The Messenger because I recently played it. (Dude has excellent taste -Richard) Rainbowdragoneyes really made an amazing chiptune album that also happens to be a videogame soundtrack. Of all time however, it’s going to have to be the most obvious answer ever I’m afraid: Mega Man 2. It’s just THAT great from the title screen right through to the end credits.

 You’ll be able to catch Wil Morgan at Chip Bit Day 19:
compering the whole damn event, June 15th, Atma, 11 Stevenson Square, Manchester M1 1DB.

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