Vapor Talks #40: you still feel them out there, don't you

Your favorite slushwave producer’s favorite slushwave producer

As the pandemic came to an end, a new wave of artists poured into the slushwave scene, following in the footsteps of groundbreaking producers such as desert sand feels warm at night and MindSpring Memories. The anonymous project with the mysterious name you still feel them out there, don’t you (self-stylized as ｙｏｕ　ｓｔｉｌｌ　ｆｅｅｌ　ｔｈｅｍ　ｏｕｔ　ｔｈｅｒｅ，　ｄｏｎ＇ｔ　ｙｏｕ; hereinafter referred to as ysft) caught my attention as early as its first release in 2023.

One reason for this is that not too many vaporwave artists actually compose their own music on hardware synthesizers – they mostly rely on samples from other artists’ works and express their creativity through editing, looping, and the use of effects. Not so with ysft, however: He chooses to create tracks from scratch and then apply his slushchain to these original compositions, rather than sampling existing material by other artists.

This extra effort has certainly slowed down his release schedule, especially when compared to the productivity of other artists in the scene, but this stoic focus on quality over quantity has earned him the respect and admiration of many of his contemporaries. After just three extremely atmospheric albums and a few URL live sets, ysft has already become something of a “producer’s producer.”

In true vaporwave style, ysft has chosen to remain anonymous, but I was fortunate enough to be able to send him a series of questions and receive written answers that actually revealed more information than I had expected – even though there were certain aspects he preferred to keep to himself, such as the origin of his poetic-sounding pseudonym and the name of his main project outside of vaporwave.

Read my written interview below with the Florida-based musician and producer, and catch him live later this month at the Slushwave Festival.

all images from the artist’s Bandcamp page

Where did you grow up and where are you currently residing?

I was born and raised in Central Florida, just outside of Orlando. I still live here.

Did you grow up in a musical household? What kind of music was played around the house when you were a kid?

Yes, definitely. Both my parents have always loved music, and there was almost always something playing, especially in the car. My dad was into more rock-oriented music, 70s psychedelic rock and classic rock. He also played drums when he was younger. My mom liked a lot of 80s hits, reggae, and jazz. She’s also a painter, so that creative influence was always present as well.

My older brother was another big influence. He played guitar in a few local bands as a teenager and introduced me to a lot of grunge and shoegaze music.

What kind of music did you get into in your teenage years?

I grew up with a lot of interest in punk, emo, and grunge types of music. That led me towards more aggressive styles of music like metal, hardcore, screamo etc. throughout my middle school and early high school years.

Later in my teens, I started exploring a wider range of music online. I found a lot of interest in calmer and more experimental types of music – a lot of post-rock, ambient, and instrumental music, and a lot of the indie music that was coming out around that time. I also got really into jazz and math rock.

Did you learn instruments or get musical training? Did you play in bands throughout high school and/or college?

I’m mostly self-taught. I learned piano and drums on my own and taught myself how to use DAWs for production. I was lucky to have a lot of friends who played music, so I always had access to guitars, drums, and other gear long before I owned much of it myself.

I played in a couple of bands during high school while also making electronic music in FL Studio. Since then, I’ve been involved in bands pretty consistently throughout my 20s and up to the present.

When did you start producing music on a computer?

I downloaded a cracked version of Fruity Loops 4 or 5 when I was 12 years old. I played around in that for many years and sort of got the grasp of mapping chords, melodies, and drum patterns out through MIDI. A lot of practice with song arrangements and songwriting. I got my first synthesizer around that time too, a MicroKorg, and also began practicing piano.

Did you work on any musical projects before ysft?

Yes, quite a few actually! I’ve had another solo project that’s been releasing music since 2014, and I’ve played drums in several bands over the years. I’ve also recorded and contributed to a lot of my friends’ projects. I think in total I have around 20 albums and EPs I have been a part of that are outside of the ysft project.

When exactly did you discover vaporwave? How did you find the music?

I discovered vaporwave around 2014 or 2015. Pretty sure it was on YouTube. I was already listening to a lot of lo-fi types of music and had an interest in cassette tape recording. I don’t really love the genre term, but I listened to a lot of “chillwave” during its peak in the late 2000s into the early 2010s prior to hearing vaporwave for the first time, artists like Washed Out, Neon Indian, etc.

I was also really into city pop and Japanese music in general, so hearing some of those familiar sounds recontextualized in a completely different way was something I found really interesting.

What did you like about it? What drew you in and what kept you there?

It was the lo-fi atmosphere and overall energy of the music. I also really connected with the aesthetic. I’ve always had a lot of nostalgia for 80s and 90s media, so that part resonated with me.

Who were some of the formative artists and releases that influenced you?

Within vaporwave and slushwave, t e l e p a t h テレパシー能力者 is an easy answer. I don’t think I need to go into much detail there since they’re one of the biggest influences for most slushwave artists. MindSpring Memories and early desert sand feels warm at night works were also very foundational for me.

Outside of vaporwave, the album Person Pitch by Panda Bear (of Animal Collective) was a big turning point for me with music. Hearing that album as a teenager completely changed the way I viewed what music could be. It was the use of texture and all of these “non-musical” elements that really stood out to me. The density of the music was unlike anything I had heard before. Animal Collective’s follow-up album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, really solidified those ideas for me, and I’ve been fascinated by that approach ever since. They’re still my favorite artists to this day.

Did you connect with the online vaporwave community?

Not at first. When I discovered vaporwave, I wasn’t very active in online communities outside of the social media I was already using to keep up with my friends. It wasn’t until I started the ysft project that I made an effort to connect with communities online, mainly through Discord and YouTube URL events.

Your first release as ysft came out in 2023. Tell me about the genesis of that debut album.

Prior to my initial work on that project, I was experimenting with a sample-free vaporwave/synthwave sound, using a lot of cassette tape recording and leaning into 80s and 90s sort of synthesizer and drum machine sounds. I made a few tracks for that project that I would like to officially release some day under a different alias.

Around the same time, I was also making a lot of ambient music for my other solo project. I didn’t really want to flood that project with ambient releases since it wasn’t specifically an ambient project, so I thought of starting a separate alias for that material. I got heavily into the newer slushwave that was happening around that time, so I thought I could combine the two newer projects I was working on already and make it something more akin to the slushwave sound. Listening to desert sand feels warm at night’s sample-free albums solidified the idea that that was what I wanted to do with the project.

You’re creating most of your music from scratch on hardware, which is quite unusual for slushwave and vaporwave in general. What does your creative process entail?

Yeah, I think that mostly comes from spending so many years playing and performing with hardware. I’ve accumulated a lot of gear over the years, and I definitely prefer the more hands-on approach that it offers. I’m a big gear nerd for sure.

The process usually starts with either a drum pattern or a chord progression I’ve been playing around with. I kind of just bounce ideas around until something clicks. During this part of the process, I’m writing and recording everything at a faster tempo and higher pitch than what will eventually become the slowed-down, slushed version of the song.

Once the arrangement is finished, I’ll usually record it to cassette tape and then transfer it back into a new project file. From there, I add the slush effects and any additional layers the track might need. Mixing in this part of the process can get pretty tricky because the tape naturally compresses everything, causing certain details to become much more prominent while others sort of disappear. It usually takes a few passes of going back to the original project, adjusting the mix, recording it back to tape, and repeating the process until it feels right.

So far, your Bandcamp page features just three releases. It’s interesting, because most other vaporwave producers are so prolific. Does that have to do with your work process as well?

Yes. Since ysft is a sample-free project, I write and record every element of the song from scratch. It’s definitely more time-consuming than finding a sample that’s already written, mixed and mastered to work with. The process is definitely slower; for example, each album has taken me roughly six to eight months to complete. It’s a lot of trial and error until I’m satisfied with the sound.

I also try to be pretty intentional with the music I make for this project. It’s the first thing I’ve done that has a defined theme, and it’s not really something I want to force if I’m not in the headspace to channel it. I also have other projects outside of this that I have been busy with since ysft’s inception, so my free time to explore creativity and make music is divided.

Some people in the scene still think that only sampled music can actually be vaporwave, but original music has been a part of the culture for a very long time. What makes your music vaporwave/slushwave? Isn’t it just ambient music?

I can see a lot of valid points for both sides of the sampled vs non-sampled music in vaporwave argument. I don’t necessarily think my music is especially ‘vaporwave’ sounding, so I usually don’t try to push that or convince people of that. I think slushwave is a bit more open-ended since it lends itself to a more ambient listening experience than traditional vaporwave.

I try not to concern myself too much with the logistics of genre and cataloging things that way though. For me, it’s more about the sonic atmosphere of everything. Capturing that energy or sound is more important than the Bandcamp tag you put on it.

So far you released three albums between 2023 and 2025. How would you describe the development of the project since its inception?

The first album, 最 後 に 永 遠 に (finally, forever), was an exploration of me trying to figure out how to work with slushwave production while still holding onto the ambient and lo-fi elements I had been experimenting with in earlier projects. The album was created during a more difficult period of my life dealing with grief, loss, and confusion. I wanted to use the project to process and explore those emotions by putting them into songs. At the time, I thought this project would be a ‘one-off’ sort of thing that I wouldn’t necessarily come back to.

With the second album, 幻 の そ の 他 (phantom other), thematically I wanted to create something more on the darker end of the emotional spectrum, and a bit more hi-fi in terms of production. A few of the songs on this album I already had in the works towards the end of completing the first album. Some of the songs on this album are my personal favorites that I have done with the ysft project. I think this record feels like the conclusion of many of the themes introduced on the debut album.

The third album, 自 然 | 恋 | 絶 望 (nature | love | despair), is a three-part work, with each section exploring one of those themes. It’s supposed to be a rebirth or reincarnation sort of album and a reflection of the human experience. I think in a way it encapsulated the ideas I was working with with the first two albums but from a different perspective other than my own.

Where do you see the future of slushwave heading? What do you think about the state of innovation in the scene, and who are the most innovative producers out there?

I think slushwave has been in a renaissance era for the past few years. In my opinion, Perli tal-Passat by desert sand feels warm at night and days of blue skies was a big turning point. The album is the first I’m aware of that was heavily utilizing stem splitting samples in their process. This opens up so many new possibilities of what can be done with samples. Beyond its creative approach, it’s also just an incredibly solid album. It was actually the release that inspired me to start a separate alias for sample-based music, 发光的 e c h o e s, and begin experimenting with stem-splitting myself.

All of days of blue skies material after Perli tal-Passat is some of the most innovative slushwave that has happened to date in my opinion. Everything from the sample usage and layering and the effect chains he comes up with are very unique and distinct. He utilizes a lot of effects that aren’t widely used in slushwave. Bit-crushing is a big one that comes to mind and I think is a big part of his signature sound.

I also think Psicadence’s rise in popularity has had a big impact on the scene. His more bass-heavy production and use of electronic music-oriented samples brought a fresh sound to the genre that is undeniably incredible. I notice a lot of other newer artists leaning into this more groove or dance oriented type of slushwave. His more recent releases seem to be a bit more focused on ambient and experimental sections as well, which I have really been enjoying.

What’s your relation to other subgenres outside of slushwave, like signalwave or barber beats for example? Are you listening to other stuff, and if so, what in particular?

Outside of slushwave, signalwave is the genre I am the most interested in. victory over death has been one of the most interesting artists I’ve found in the scene in general. I’d highly recommend checking out their work if you haven’t already. Other than that, I still enjoy a lot of the more classic vaporwave sound.

What are you interested in outside of vaporwave, in terms of music, art, films, other media?

I listen to music from all over the world, and there honestly aren’t many genres where I haven’t found something I love. Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of jazz.

Outside of music, I’m a big fan of international cinema, especially East Asian films. I love Japanese horror, and I’m also a huge fan of the more experimental films the Shaw Brothers were making throughout the 70s and 80s. I’m also really into film photography, which has been a hobby of mine since my teenage years.

Is music a hobby or a career option for you?

Most of my life revolves around music and art in one way or another, so I’d say it’s a bit of both.

What are your musical plans, what are you working on right now?

Most of my time recently has gone into preparing my live set and getting ready for my trip to Belgium for Slushwave 2026. I’ve also been slowly working away at the fourth ysft album. I’m hoping to have it finished before the end of the year, but I’m not trying to rush the process.

I’m also working on another album for my sample-based project, 发光的 e c h o e s, which should be out fairly soon.

I can’t say too much just yet, but there may or may not be a vinyl release of the first ysft album in the near future.

Listen to ysft on Bandcamp

ysft’s Top 10 Vaporwave Albums

(unranked)

• t e l e p a t h テレパシー能力者 – アンドロメダ (2014)

• Desert Sand Feels Warm At Night – 新世界の弟子たち [New World Disciples] (2021)

• Psicadence – 過去の共鳴 (2025)

• Tupperwave – Grocery Store Sunset (2024)

• vcr-classique – exotics (2019)

• Infinity Frequencies – Shrines (2013)

• 骨架的 – Holograms (2010)

• MindSpring Memories – e a r l y t r a n c e (2017)

• death’s dynamic shroud.wmv – 世界大戦OLYMPICS (2014)

• 猫 シ Corp. – OASYS ♁ 博物館 (2016)