Internationally renowned chip tune musician Pixelh8 / Matthew C. Applegate makes his music from reprogramming vintage computer systems such as the ZX spectrum, Commodore 64, Game Boy and more.

His unique blend of Electronica has taken him across the globe, performing at Microdisco in Berlin, Apple iTunes in California, Assembly 2008 in Helsinki Finland, Game in The City Festival Holland, BBC Maida Vale Studios for Radio 1 in London, The National Museum of Computers, Bletchley Park and most recently Liverpool’s massive Abandon Normal Devices Festival for FACT.

Highly regarded in this emerging genre of music he has been featured on CNN, BBC Television, BBC Radio 1,3,4,6 and World Service, as well several magazines and websites all over the world.

In 2006 he won a MySpace competition to open for Grammy nominee Imogen Heap on her UK tour and in March 2008 he won “Playback Album of the Month” from Sound On Sound Magazine with his second album “The Boy With The Digital Heart”. Further to this he has created music for video games and stage productions all over the world as well as notable commissions from BBC World Service, Radio 1 and 1xtra.

Pixelh8 has also created software like the Pixelh8 Music Tech Game Boy Synth, Pro Performer and Music Tech Master Stroke for other musicians such as Imogen Heap, Damon Albarn and thousands of others.

His most recent commission “Obsolete?” is a study of The National Museum of Computing, at WWII code-breaking centre Bletchley Park, the people, the history and the machines. Using the old computing machines such as the Colossus Mark 2, Elliot 803 and others to create a whole new palette on which to create the music with. The study culminated in two sold out evening performances on March 20th and 21st, 2009. The piece was commissioned by The National Museum of Computing and funded by The Performing Rights Society Foundation New Music Award and has already been featured on BBC News 24, BBC Look East, BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio Suffolk, BBC Three Counties, BBC World Service, New Scientist, Games TM, Future Music, Dazed & Confused Magazine and many more.

Parallel to his involvement in music performance Pixelh8 lectures and runs music and computer related workshops across the United Kingdom and is patron of the Access To Music Centre Norwich and is currently studying for his Masters Degree at UCS Centre for Design Innovation a lecturer at both University Campus Suffolk and Suffolk New College. He is also a STEMNET Science and Engineering Ambassador and a supporting member of the Computing At School Working Group, a member of the Society for the study of Artificial Intelligence, and is on the 2012 Turing Centenary Advisory Committee.

Matthew C. Applegate has designed and run workshops, events and lectures for FACT Liverpool, Aldeburgh Music, NESTA, V&A South Kensinton, Musician’s Union, Institute of Astronomy Cambridge University, Ipswich and Colchester Museums, Suffolk Foster Care Unit, IP-Art, Ipswich Borough Council, Town Hall Galleries, Foster Care Associates, Access To Music Norwich, Brighton and York Centres, The British Academy of New Music, New College Suffolk, University Campus Suffolk, Sufolk e-learning Forum, Bedford Creative Arts, Sprites Primary School, Deben High School, Holywells High School, Games Eden, Sound Network & many more.

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