Apologies for posting my own work, I wanted to message you instead, but here's something I wrote about vaporwave's legacy and a great book you might not have yet
So excited about this series. Lots of names from the past and tons of new artists/albums to listen to! I remember the first time I heard the terms vaporwave, witch house, and chill wave, that must be a few years after the period you’re talking about... September 2013.
I remember because it was when I stumbled upon a track by TWOS' called "Don't Give Up"
TWOS was a SoundCloud producer - everything he had online is long deleted besides a few youtube uploads (and a feature on our website from that time). Not sure if it's okay to share here, but if you google TWOS - Don't Give Up it will show up. Curious what you think!
Speaking to the punk aspect of this... When I first got into vaporwave... l thought that it was equivalent to steam punk music. There were the social aspects you mentioned, but then the fact that steam is a form of vapor.
Thank you for this comprehensive guide on the early days of a genre I haven’t really delved into yet. Perhaps unjustifiably, I’ve often felt that much of the music was a bit sloppily arranged or overly plasticky in its production (I get it that this might be intentional and part of the appeal of the genre). I’ve long had the sense that BSBD (e.g. see the screwed version of their 2008 album Late Night Cinema) were operating at a technically higher level, both in arrangement and engineering, years before the term “vaporwave” even existed. In fact, very few productions within the genre seem to have reached that standard.
I’m curious how you see BSBD’s potential influence, along with that of other ambient- or soundscape-leaning beatmakers from the 2000s, on the development of the genre. Or perhaps, given my limited experience with the genre, I’m simply drawing connections where none really exist.
Hey Carsten, thanks for your thoughts! So I have a bit of a problem with the idea of judging music by the level of technical advancement in arrangement or engineeriing or the fulfillment of certain 'standards' (whoever gets to define these). That's probably due to the fact that I am not a musician or a producer myself but just a writer and curious listener, and in that role I go mainly by the emotional resonance of the music, which might be more of a subjective take but the only one that is truly valuable to me, and one that has led me to a deep appreciation of many vaporwave releases (not all of them of course, there's a lot of generic, boring stuff as well).
That being said, I haven't heard BSBD in a very long time and never associated any of their music with vaporwave but will check the album you mentioned!
Great essay and project! I've really enjoyed your latest posts about vaporwave, they've introduced me to artists I wasn't aware of. Looking forward to the rest of the series!
Apologies for posting my own work, I wanted to message you instead, but here's something I wrote about vaporwave's legacy and a great book you might not have yet
https://open.substack.com/pub/georgedhenderson/p/wave-theory?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=9ni9m
So excited about this series. Lots of names from the past and tons of new artists/albums to listen to! I remember the first time I heard the terms vaporwave, witch house, and chill wave, that must be a few years after the period you’re talking about... September 2013.
I remember because it was when I stumbled upon a track by TWOS' called "Don't Give Up"
TWOS was a SoundCloud producer - everything he had online is long deleted besides a few youtube uploads (and a feature on our website from that time). Not sure if it's okay to share here, but if you google TWOS - Don't Give Up it will show up. Curious what you think!
Fantastic!!! Very excited to know more,. By the way are you on instagram ?
Have fun! Nope, not on Instagram (or much other social media).
ok thank you for letting me know !
damn this sounds like some major work incoming! Nice one.
Speaking to the punk aspect of this... When I first got into vaporwave... l thought that it was equivalent to steam punk music. There were the social aspects you mentioned, but then the fact that steam is a form of vapor.
vaporwave = steam punk
Fascinating
great post x
Thank you for this comprehensive guide on the early days of a genre I haven’t really delved into yet. Perhaps unjustifiably, I’ve often felt that much of the music was a bit sloppily arranged or overly plasticky in its production (I get it that this might be intentional and part of the appeal of the genre). I’ve long had the sense that BSBD (e.g. see the screwed version of their 2008 album Late Night Cinema) were operating at a technically higher level, both in arrangement and engineering, years before the term “vaporwave” even existed. In fact, very few productions within the genre seem to have reached that standard.
I’m curious how you see BSBD’s potential influence, along with that of other ambient- or soundscape-leaning beatmakers from the 2000s, on the development of the genre. Or perhaps, given my limited experience with the genre, I’m simply drawing connections where none really exist.
Hey Carsten, thanks for your thoughts! So I have a bit of a problem with the idea of judging music by the level of technical advancement in arrangement or engineeriing or the fulfillment of certain 'standards' (whoever gets to define these). That's probably due to the fact that I am not a musician or a producer myself but just a writer and curious listener, and in that role I go mainly by the emotional resonance of the music, which might be more of a subjective take but the only one that is truly valuable to me, and one that has led me to a deep appreciation of many vaporwave releases (not all of them of course, there's a lot of generic, boring stuff as well).
That being said, I haven't heard BSBD in a very long time and never associated any of their music with vaporwave but will check the album you mentioned!
Thank you for your reply, Stephan. While your at it, I highly recommend checking Mike Boo's Dunhill Drone Committee (2004) as a potential predecessor.
Great essay and project! I've really enjoyed your latest posts about vaporwave, they've introduced me to artists I wasn't aware of. Looking forward to the rest of the series!
What a great read. I’m looking forward to the continuation.
fantastic essay