While artists like DJ Jazzy Jeff are releasing tributes for Michael Jackson in the U.S., there's at least one mix dedicated to the late King of Pop across the Pacific as well. Japanese chip musician Saitone plans to release his MJ 8bit Tribute Mix later this month through iTunes and HearJapan.

This is far from the first chiptune cover of "Thriller" -- Jake "Virt" Kaufman released an excellent mix five years ago, and SeanBad's more recent version is also worth a listen -- but Saitone puts on a great performance in the video above, dancing along and fiddling with his sampler throughout the song.

You can hear more of Saitone's music and an excerpt from his "Smooth Criminal" cover on the artist's MySpace page.

[Via Nobuooo]