Interview: DJ Trip

David Hollingworth has a sit down with a DJ who specialises in the sweet sounds of retro gaming.

We met DJ Trip – AKA Tyson Hopprich – at the Game On exhibition down in Melbourne. He was speaking on a panel about game collecting, and he waxed lyrical about retro games, groovy sounds, and more. So lyrical, that we thought he was a natural to feature in the mag.


Atomic: What came first? The musical leanings or the gaming obsession?

DJ Trip: Firstly the music, indirectly; I learnt to count on a 7in jukebox and then came the game playing and collecting obsession. This was ignited, partly, due to my father and grandmother. They were both gamers addicted to the Coleco-Vision console back in the early 80s (that’s one cool grannie – ed) and when it was eventually handed down to me it was ‘Game Over’. I now have an ever growing collection of rare games, CD and vinyl soundtracks, weird controllers, Japanese merchandise, nerdy t-shirts and other related game books. Finally music appeared again, this time directly after buying a Commodore Amiga in high school, after which I learnt to compose using various audio trackers.

Atomic: How did you get the idea to start mixing music and games?

DJT: Before I started to write music I used to record the sound tests from favourite games to tape, and I was extremely obsessed with C64 chips and tunes, and the Demo Scene music. My new release ‘SID Vicious’ is my way of offering a homage and paying respect to the music that I had listened to and learnt so much from in my early years. I don’t really use sounds from games in my music but rather use the sound chips from obsolete computers and consoles. My current kit is the Commodore Amiga, Commodore 64, Nintendo Game Boy and a PC. I am also currently experimenting with the PlayStation Portable for live composition.

Atomic: Do you only use retro games as musical sources?

DJT: No. I use a combination of raw materials, old to new pending on the goal and project. In scores for theatre, dance and film I compose with an up-to-date PC and record various session musicians to help build my sound palette for a project, and then combine various low-bit textures to keep my signature sound. On the other hand ‘SID Vicious’ is a very focused EP based around the dirty, fat, lo-fi sound of old consoles, giving the proverbial punk finger to current music equipment.

Atomic: How is your music received when you play live?

DJT: In a live club environment my music usually goes down quite well with a dedicated bunch of geeks and freaks busting crazy moves on the floor and at each other.

Atomic: What’s the feedback been like from the media on your music? Is there a problem with critics just not ‘getting it’?

DJT: Media-wise people understand it a lot easier than when I started in 1998. The eight-bit scene and the gaming community are more prominent than they used to be. The internet has also made it all a lot more accessible and global.

Atomic: And the ubiquitous question about file-sharing, and piracy. Where do you stand on the distribution of music?

DJT: As a musician and DJ I prefer to buy my music on CD; firstly support the artist and because I love the artwork, quality and packaging of a CD. I respect artists who put their music for free download as creative commons, though. Sometimes you need to put love out to get it back. I believe file-sharing really kills your passion and love of music. People just end up with their iPod’s full of ‘filler not killer’ music.

Atomic: And finally, the important stuff. What’s your favourite game of all time, both musically and just to play?

DJT: To listen to it switches between Super Castlevania IV and We Love Katamari. To play it has to be Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time.


If you want to know a bit more about DJ Trip, check out his site. Incidentally, his EP, Sid Vicious, is on high rotation in the Atomic HQ. Track it down if you want to get some warm fuzzy retro sounds in your life.