After four years of covering the explosive Chipmusic scene in New York City and producing the internationally acclaimed documentary, “Reformat the Planet,” filmmaking crew 2 Player Productions packed up shop and made for the Pacific Northwest to bring Portland its first monthly Chip show, dataPort.

Following in the footsteps of its wildly successful East coast counterparts, Pulsewave (NYC) and 8static (Philadelphia), dataPort presents a showcase of innovative, experimental, and lo-fi music with an emphasis on exploring the untapped potential that lies just beneath the plastic shell of vintage computing and gaming consoles such as the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy.

Head out to Ground Kontrol (511 NW Couch St.) on February 3rd to experience the first installment of this exciting addition to Portland’s electronic music scene and the ever-growing global Chipmusic community at large. The show kicks off with local act Spamtron followed by not one, but_two_veterans of the increasingly epic Blip Festival, Leeni and Trash80.

===Trash80 (Los Angeles, CA)===
http://trash80.net/music
Video: Trash80 “Missing You” @ Pulsewave
=================
An evocative and tuneful blend of chip and classic electronic instrumentation that will have fans and neophytes alike shaking their asses (or any functional equivalent) on the dancefloor.

===Leeni (Seattle, WA)===
http://leeni.us/
Audio: Leeni “Awake”
=================
Sometimes sweet, other times sultry New Romantic- and Synthpop- tinged tunes that you can either make out or break up to. If your Facebook Relationship Status is listed as, “It’s Complicated,” attendance is a must.

===Spamtron (Portland, OR)===
http://www.myspace.com/spamtron
==================
A delicate balancing act of fast-paced fist-pumpers and moody, spacey soundscapes that combine to conjure images of robotic combat, interstellar exploration, and other various epic adventures in between.

WHAT: dataPort, a live chiptune showcase featuring Trash80, Leeni, Spamtron
WHEN: Wednesday, February 3rd, 9pm
COVER: $5, 21+ only

Presented by 2 Player Productions

- Posted by Art

Portland’s most popular arcade honors some of the most popular video game companies ever with a celebration sure to warp you back in time: the Nintendo Party!

Not just limited to Nintendo, play classic Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis games on our stage! Who knows what else we’ll dig out of the attic?

Prove your d-pad skills in tournaments and flex your nerd knowledge in trivia, and win some cool prizes!

We’ll also have cleaned & refurbished systems and games available to purchase so the pixelated action can continue in your own home!

WHAT: Nintendo Party featuring NES, SNES and Genesis free play, trivia, and tournaments

WHEN: Thursday, January 28. Game play starts at 7pm. Tournaments will start at 8pm and will happen throughout the nite. A round of trivia will follow each game tournament.

- Posted by Art

Ace of Base reference aside, Ground Kontrol is finally getting lit outdoor signs, and we have the photos to prove it. (click thumbnails to see full image)

Nice, huh? The glow behind the “GROUND KONTROL” lettering isn’t a Photoshop trick; it’s the effect of white LEDs facing backwards inside the letters, lighting a blue panel behind them.

Here are mockups of how they’ll look on the building:

Signs will be installed this coming Wednesday and Thursday (Jan. 27th and 28th) between 8AM and 3PM. The electrical work needed to light the signs at night will be completed a month or so later.

We think the new signs will be quite eye-catching when viewed from the sidewalk, street, or MAX trains. Be sure to swing by and check them out!

- Posted by Anthony

We’re looking for some friendly faces to represent Ground Kontrol’s awesome customers in a short photo shoot for an upcoming ad campaign!

Interested? First of all, you must be 21+ years of age (with valid I.D.) and be available from 3pm – 6pm on Wednesday, January 27. You must also be willing to sign a photo release, and supply your own logo-free attire. If you can answer yes to all of those questions, submit the following to models@groundkontrol.com by Sunday, January 24:

• 3 photos of yourself in casual, “weekend night out” attire: headshot, profile, standing
• your age and height
• your favorite game!
• your contact phone number

We’ll respond to our selected candidates ASAP on Sunday/Monday with further details. In exchange for your participation, you’ll get free entry to the Free Play Party starting after the shoot, and a Ground Kontrol t-shirt!

Thanks in advance to everyone who is interested!

- Posted by Art

Now that we’ve defeated the boss at the end of level 2009, it’s time to advance to level 2010.  But first, a look back at some of last year’s highlights:

January
Our first “new” game of 2009 was Taito’s 1986 classic,  Bubble Bobble.  We also hosted our first wedding!

February
This month saw the 3rd installment of our Slugfest fighting tournament.  We also upgraded our Mortal Kombat II to a dedicated Midway cabinet with a 25″ CRT.

March
In March we debuted our custom Multi-Capcom cabinet, adding Aliens vs Predator and Vampire Savior to our collection.

April
We had our first Portland Pinbrawl pinball tournament, with 121 contestants.  We also added our Namco Classic Collection multigame with Dig-Dug, Pac-Man, Galaga, Mappy, Rally-X, and Xevious.

May
May saw Rock Band Tuesdays house band Mario Speedwagon jet off to Atlantic City to compete in a national Rock Band competition. They lost, barely, but they’re still the champs of the Pacific NW!  Golden Tee returned to the arcade, sharing a cabinet with World Class Bowling, another trackball game.

July
New pins – Cirqus Voltaire and The Machine: Bride of Pinbot, the latter with a rad LED lighting retrofit.

August
In August we celebrated our 10th birthday! To celebrate, we threw a weeklong party including our fourth Micropalooza chiptunes event.  We also acquired a Killer Instinct 2 cabinet, in which we’re currently running the original Killer Instinct 1.

September
We upgraded our pinball collection again with Williams’ classic Tales of the Arabian Nights.

October
As a special Halloween treat, we debuted House of the Dead.

December
In the spirit of the season, we gave you several “new” games to play:

• Street Justice: The Old Town Beatdown, a custom multi-game featuring Bad Dudes Vs. Dragon Ninja, Final Fight, Ninja Gaiden, and Two Crude;
• the classic shooter Big Buck Hunter; and
• Finally, our pride and joy: a custom built and restored 6-player X-Men featuring a 42″ LCD display!

Looking forward to 2010. We have big plans!

- Posted by The CEO