The weekend of March 7-8 closed out the spectacle of the second edition of Boston Bitdown, called “one of the largest gatherings in the world for chiptune,” with shows in the musical genre extending from Salem to Somerville.

Saturday was jam-packed with crowds bouncing back and forth between The Rockwell and Crystal Ballroom in Somerville’s Davis Square. The festival threw all the spaghetti against the wall with mosh pits, twirling ribbons, propeller hats, a playground parachute and dinosaurs.

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Yes … Dinosaurs.

LEX the Lexicon Artist

Coming from New York, Lex the Lexicon Artist, who had performed solo in previous years, rapped her way through the set with a full band.

Gulfwargameboy

The solo punk, emo and chiptune artist from Austin, Texas, joked with the audience, letting them know how many times he would curse during his performance. Middle fingers soared high and Gulfwardgameboy’s coarse guitar pedals were turned up to 11.

This Bliss

This Boston indie electronic duo projected art as a backdrop to its set. In addition to playing experimental music, This Bliss are the owners of New Alliance Gallery, a community of visual artists and musicians with a mission of giving art a place.

Ultra Deluxe

The experimental, postrock, metalcore Ultra Deluxe brought the fun from New York. The stage show included inflatable dinosaurs, a playground parachute, a bubble machine – and the artist stepped outside for a Coke midshow.

Lemon Drop

Massachusetts’ Lemon Drop brought the Game Boys, using multiple handheld devices during its set.

Boston Typewriter Orchestra

The Boston Typewriter Orchestra used outdated writing machinery to create beats, rhythms and melodies. The classic dings and satisfying click-clacks were put to good use. Ding!

MC Lars

From Oakland, California, the postpunk laptop-rapper MC Lars is a pioneer of nerdcore and founder of lit-hop — a subgenre that blends classic literature with hip-hop. A large projection screen in the backdrop screened music videos about Edgar Allan Poe while MC Lars rapped alongside.

Gosh Diggity

Propeller hats and “Midwest kitchen techno.” What else could you ask for? Gosh Diggity delivered, all the way from Chicago.

Mobius Trip

Boston’s premier Sonic the Hedgehog cover band Mobius Trip paid special attention to the OST (original soundtrack), plus a few other gems.

Mega Drive Rex (David Javelosa)

The former Sega of America audio director, composer and sound designer (1989-1996) performed solo as Mega Drive Rex. Javelosa, in a dinosaur costume, performed a mix of his classic game music, as well as some unreleased material that never made it to a game, and finished his set with a computer-style rendition of “Tequila” by The Champs.

Los Microwaves

Techno punkers Los Microwaves formed in San Jose, California, in the 1980s as a trio consisting of David Javelosa, Meg Brazill and Tod Rosencrans. More recently the band introduced a lead singer, Anno. Los Microwaves rocked out with synths, classic new wave vocals and a colorful ambiance.

Siberia Zero

Thirteen-year-old Boston electro DJ Siberia Zero has been hailed by fans as the next generation of chiptune. With a contagious smile and energy during the set, the performer left the audience awestruck.

Disposable Planet

The solo music project from New Jersey’s Brett Molé, Disposable Planet, built chiptune sounds with a Nintendo Game Boy and Dirtywave M8 Tracker.

Bubblegum Octopus

From New Jersey, Bubblegum Octopus is a cat that can’t be tamed. The artist ran across stage in an iconic pink dress and played music inspired by “spazz pop” to close out Saturday night with chip-rave fun.

A finale that almost wasn’t in Salem

Sunday’s Boston Bitdown schedule experienced a hiccup. The final day of the festival was scheduled to be held at Moon Base One, an all-ages arts venue operated by the nonprofit MOON in downtown Salem.

The venue announced on social media a week before the event that it was navigating licensing issues with the city and all upcoming events were either canceled or postponed indefinitely. Was the final day of Boston Bitdown doomed?

Salem’s Bit Bar, a barcade and music venue, which has served as a participating venue with MOON’s annual Moon Over Salem festival, agreed to host Boston Bitdown’s Sunday lineup on short notice. All remaining events were relocated.

Selected highlights from Sunday’s Boston Bitdown

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Carson Paradis

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