MGC Main Stage
Behold! Our 2025 Main Stage line up!
Friday, April 4
Zac Shipley
Zac started DJing in radio in Baltimore almost 20 years ago, and plays indie rock, classic hip hop, and video game remixes to varying degrees in any given set.Online: http://zacshipley.com
8-bit Autopsy
8-bit autopsy dissects and remixes well-known NES arrangements LIVE with video accompaniment. Arik from Mechanical Life Vein will be slicing and dicing familiar tunes from games based on movies and TV while David from Subspace provides some choice visuals with a retro flair. You can also expect to hear tunes from a handful of NES classics, as well as a few choice selections from relatively unknown NES games from the 80s and 90s.
Byte-Off Awards
In the annual NESmaker Byte-Off competition, users are given a month to create a playable demo based on a common theme, and the event culminates in an awards show.
Smoothbrain
Smoothbrain is a synthetic humanoid, mechanically engineered in the cold void of space and biologically modified to produce nearly undetectable radiation known only as “smoothwaves”. Not much is known about this subtle wavelength, but it is known to have brain-altering effects.
Aimlessly drifting among the stars, Smoothbrain radiated these Smoothwaves until a cosmic rift tore him from the sky and sent him down to Earth. Now he wanders as a whimsical musician, spreading his neurological radiation through chipstyle music.
https://smooth-brain.bandcamp.com
https://on.soundcloud.com/pBqkY45oACeHt17k6
https://www.instagram.com/smoove.brain?igsh=d2lpMTRtazliOWRl
Black Lines, Din Sky
TYLER ST CLAIR is a music producer who has built an unconventional reputation for his inventive use of obsolete electronics. He was part of the first wave of musicians to re-purpose video game hardware into musical instruments, he’s affiliated with opening one of the world’s first D.I.Y. synthesizer hackspace/storefronts MODULAR ADDICT, and his record label RADIOGRAFFITI has become a hub for like-minded boundary-pushers and lo-tek sonic destroyers.
Though he’s taken on many roles under numerous aliases, none have captured his creative ambition like his latest project, BLACK LINES, DIN SKY. In 2022, his ANTISUMMER CLUB SPC-700 mini-album envisioned a world where K-pop and mid-90s cyberpunk SNES X-Band modem hacking overlap in surprising harmony. This lo-fi/hi-concept approach was further cemented with unique merchandising, including a 52-page self-published book chronicling its creation.
In 2023, he followed up with WRECKAGE DISPATCH, a beat tape so diverse that listeners mistook it for a compilation of multiple artists. Adding to the mystique, each cassette included a spliced tape fragment that, when combined correctly with others, revealed an additional “dispatch,” creating an immersive listening experience.
Though the early days of AMIGA home computer speedcore sound battles or warehouse rave-ins with Detroit S.W.A.T. are behind him, that same defiant energy remains at the core of his work. With his focus now firmly on Midwest Gaming Classic, he is dialed in to unleash an all-new set of jolting 8-bit music, delivering a sound only he can.
http://blds.teardownmusic.club
Saturday, April 5
Goosaphone
Goosaphone, also known as Goose or simply Kaitlyn from Ocabanda, is a cosplayer and musician hailing from Wisconsin, USA. As part of Ocabanda, David Erick Ramos’ American ocarina septet, she plays the Bass C ocarina, traveling across the country to play at various video game music events. She has performed with Goosaphlute, a duo act composed of ocarina and flute, which was featured at the American ocarina festival. Goosaphone is known for incorporating cosplay into her performances, which matches the theme of the show.
https://x.com/Goosaphone
Raftronaut (Jordan Davis)
NES homebrew musician, game developer, and technical artist proudly based out of Milwaukee. Founder of Raft Labs Interactive: creator of Space Raft Deluxe (Switch/Steam/NES), co-creator of The Storied Sword (NES, Dreamcast), and chiptune composer on over 36 modern NES titles.
DJ’ing modern chiptune classics from the independent NES homebrew scene.
https://www.raftlabsinteractive.com
Subspace
Subspace is a collective of video-mixing DJs. We mix music to a wide array of 8-bit, pop culture, and found footage video; cut up and glitchy for a mind-melting AV experience! We spin only the finest and most choice of EBM, Industrial, chiptunes, house, and synthetic beats!
https://facebook.com/TeamSubspace/
King Quartz
King Quartz is a Detroit based artist who has been making music since forever, he is estimated to be roughly 700 years old. His sound has been described as “ethereal, transcendent, Donkey Kong meets Final Fantasy, dreary ephemeral nonsense”, according to the internet. His blend of electronic, trap, breakbeat, and chopped and screwed adjacent songs keep people dancing, but they dont know why or what for.
Theology
Hey everyone! I don’t like third person bios so I’m gonna speak to you directly. My name is Theology and I am a VGM Remix producer and DJ from Minneapolis, MN! I’m also a mental health activist and I believe that, if harnessed properly, video games can be amazing for our mental health. Thus, my content ecosystem explores the ideas found within video games and how they can improve us as humans.
I have been DJing and producing for 16 years and I am a veteran of the trance scene (my previous music being supported by Above & Beyond, Cosmic Gate, and Fatum), but I also create every single genre of EDM. My remixes are melodic and beautiful (as video game music is) but I combine this nuance with really uplifting chords and incredibly dirty bass.
You may have seen me recently at 2D Con, VGM Con, or MagFest, and I have also just made collaboration remixes with the likes of Vector U, Player2, Noteblock, Goosaphlute, Stemage, The Limit Breakers, and more. It has been such an honor to collab with so many of my heroes and be a part of this community! The VGM scene truly has the most talented and accepting people I’ve ever met.
Video Game music is special to all of us, and I hope the journey that my music takes you on inspires you in some way shape or form. It’s a weird world out there, so let’s not only escape together, but come out on the other side better-equipped to spread love!
FrankJavCee
FrankJavCee is a music producer DJ and internet artist from Los Angeles known for his vaporwave, lo-fi, and electronic video game music, blending nostalgic aesthetics with surreal humor and experimental sounds!
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3nHKeOa45XrUplL3NiGy7E?autoplay=true
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/FrankJavCee
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frankjavcee/?hl=en
Beaker
BEAKER is a 3-piece band that incorporates the upbeat sounds of modern pop, punk, funk, ska, and progressive rock. BEAKER puts on a high-energy interactive show focused on fast paced dance-able original music. BEAKER injects humor, lighting effects, and crowd interaction into all of its performances.
For more see:
BEAKER – Squirrel Killer [Cascia Films] – YouTube
Arcade Mode
Arcade Mode plays video game jazz music with ripping guitar solos. Catch them playing jazz/rock covers of gaming music or online at https://arcademode.bandcamp.com.
MGC Cosplay Championship Finals
Come see one of the most fun Cosplay contests around on Saturday night at 7pm at the MGC Main Stage! With prizes for the best male, female, and group costumes, this is a fun event to watch or participate in! Entry for main categories is free. All participants need to register as contestants during the day. Click more information below for full Cosplay Contest Rules.
Want to be a contestant? This year, we’re pre-judging the entrants to help ensure the smooth operation of our tournament! Stop by our Cosplay HQ on the second floor during the day to register (12pm-2pm or 4pm-6pm). Then return at 6:45pm near the Main Stage to be ready for the finals!
Sunday, April 6
Mike Neumeyer
Mike Neumeyer is a musician, educator, and composer based in Milwaukee, WI who has recently been featured by Marimba One, Modern Marimba, Wisconsin Music Ventures, Vibesworkshop.com, Desperate Housegeek Magazine, and Los Angeles Jazz Society!
Mike recently recorded vibraphone and percussion as a guest artist with The Grovelers, Lost Tribes of the Moon, Conundrum, Damien Cockenpot, Teus Araujo, Ukulele Jack and more. His new album named “Starting to Dream” is on the horizon.
Mike is on faculty at Milwaukee Area Technical College, is the co-caption head with The Oak Creek Marching Knights and works with the Oak Creek-Franklin School District as a percussion specialist.
Mike is a Marimba One Educational Artist, a Salyers Percussion Education Team Member and endorses Encore Mallets.
Brian Koenig
Brian Koenig (the Baron from Lords of the Trident) has brought heavy metal to new and original arrangements of classic video game music. Raise the horns to music from the NES, SNES, 64, Playstation, and more, all with accompanying game play footage.
Mechanical Life Vein
You’re invited to celebrate Mechanical Life Vein’s TEN VEINY YEARS at the Midwest Gaming Classic! Across their MGC tenure, Mechanical Life Vein have performed music from Castlevania, Metroid, Life Force, Super Metroid, Ducktales, Super Mario Bros. 3, Ninja Gaiden II, Super Mario Kart, and more! Don’t miss their unique A/V art-rock style, as musicians on drums, bass, sax, and guitar perform classic video game soundtracks in real time alongside LIVE gameplay. ALL THE MUSIC is on the table: we’re talking item grab jingles, boss themes, end-of-level fanfares, and everything in between! There is a lot to take in at The Midwest Gaming Classic, but you’re not going to want to miss this chance to rock out, GET VEINY, and lose yourself in some classic video game jams at the mainstage!
YT https://www.youtube.com/@mechanicallifevein3404
Hi Score
With nostalgic melodies from beloved game franchises like Mario, Zelda, Halo, Sonic, and more, Hi Score offers a fresh take through improvisation and high-energy performances. Influences include Japanese fusion bands like Casiopea and T-Square, as well as seminal jazz artists such as Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, whose music originally inspired many of these iconic video game tunes
blu.shell
Hey! I’m blu.shell, a DJ from Milwaukee, WI. I blend modern electronic jams with retro VGM to create eclectic and nostalgic multi-genre sets. I’m just trying to get everyone dancing to my favorite retro beeps and boops.
