A childhood deeply immersed in gaming has come full circle for Dave King, the Vancouver-based electronic musician better known as Longwalkshortdock.
“Growing up, those video games were what was the most interesting to me,” he says. “Other than sports and school, vids were my main interest because I didn’t really give a damn about girls then.”
King says there was just something about the sounds on those old video games that appeal to him. Sometimes he takes the time to deconstruct hardware he’s curious about, going so far as to record sound from a hacked Nintendo cartridge and purchase hardware off eBay with the sole purpose of opening it and trying “to make it freak out,” he says.
“I really like the tonality of the sound chips in those machines,” he says. “They’re really gritty and bitey. You really don’t have to look too hard to find elements of that in modern music.”
King believes that other musicians of his generation have similar experiences to his when it comes to nostalgia towards vintage gaming. And because modern-day musicians have grown up with gaming, its influence has made its way into popular culture.
Aside from gaming, Longwalkshortdock also produces infectiously upbeat and high-tempo music. But his latest release, 2011’s Bigger Fish Frying, marks a darker, more mature, and more memorable sound when compared to his debut EP, 2009’s Casual Tea.
And perhaps more than the music, King’s shows are memorable for having that guy on stage dancing harder than anyone. This is fitting, since a piece of King’s gear has a sticker that says “If you can read this, you’re not dancing hard enough.”
“I don’t know—I think it’s partly a lot of bottled-up nervous energy,” says King on dancing non-stop during his performances. “Even if I’m tired at the time, I’ll find some kind of energy tank to unleash.”
King’s story truly came full circle when he worked on the soundtrack of the recently released video game SSX Tricky for Electronic Arts. The boy who spent his time with video games instead of girls is now seeing his hobby pay off.
And when he comes to Victoria on March 31, he’s planning on bringing something new to his local fans.
“Victoria is really my favourite place to play,” he says. “For the show coming up we’re gonna be trying a bunch of new things. I’m gonna try and drift away a bit from the all-one-tempo stuff, try and surf around on some other BPMs.”
Longwalkshortdock
Sugar Nightclub
Saturday, March 31, $21.50