Vaporwave is a microgenre of electronic music and an internet-based art movement that emerged in the early 2010s. Originating from experimental genres like Hypnagogic Pop, its sound is defined by the use of chopped, slowed-down, and reverb-heavy samples from 1980s and 1990s smooth jazz, R&B, and lounge music. The music creates a surreal, melancholic, and nostalgic atmosphere, evoking the uncanny feeling of wandering through a deserted shopping mall or hearing muzak from a forgotten corporate training video.
The aesthetic's visual style is a distinct collage that blends certain elements of 1980s interior design evocative of malls and lobbies (classical Greco-Roman statues and columns,[1][2][3] palm plants, pink and cyan pastel colors, tiled floors), Japan's 1980s economic boom, television, 1990s web design, early CGI, and logos of obsolete brands.
Vaporwave is widely interpreted as an ambiguous critique and parody of consumer capitalism and technological utopianism, using the "dead" aesthetics of a recent past to evoke a sense of nostalgia for a future that never materialized.[4][5][6]
History[]
Etymology[]
The term "Vaporwave" is a derivation of "vaporware," a term used in the computer software and hardware industry to describe a product that is announced and heavily advertised to the public but is never actually manufactured or officially released.
This linguistic connection is directly relevant to the genre's philosophy. Just as vaporware represents a corporate promise that never materializes, Vaporwave music and aesthetics explore the "lost futures" promised by late-20th-century capitalism. By sampling and distorting the "trash" of consumer culture (like elevator music, infomercials, and corporate Muzak) the genre creates audiovisual content that feels like a memory of a future that never arrived.
The name also alludes to the Marxist concept that under capitalism, "all that is solid melts into air," reflecting the genre's focus on the ephemeral, disposable, and hollow nature of digital and commercial existence.
Development[]
The genre emerged in 2011 from online communities, such as Turntable.fm, and has roots in plunderphonics (a music genre in which tracks are constructed by sampling recognizable musical works). In subsequent years, it gained popularity through websites such as Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Tumblr, Last.fm, 4chan, and YouTube. Its rise in popularity coincided with the decline of Seapunk, and while the two certainly share similar aesthetic choices, there is a distinct difference between them.
The key difference between Seapunk and Vaporwave is that Seapunk had a much more focused aesthetic based on early '90s CG images and aquatic life. On the other hand, Vaporwave cast a broader net for its aesthetic cues, choosing to highlight the period from the 1970s to the early 2000s. One of the big early inspirations for the Vaporwave visual aesthetic draws direct inspiration from the Memphis Design Group, a collective of post-modern designers founded in Milan, Italy by Ettore Sottsass in 1980. The bright colors and simple shapes of Memphis Design would later inspire media and products aimed at youth of the era, which became a core part of the Vaporwave aesthetic's nostalgic source material.
Vaporwave has garnered significant attention from the music press, with artists such as Vektroid, HKE, Infinity Frequencies, and 2814 being covered by numerous music sites and blogs. This has also led to the creation of several Vaporwave zines, with the most notable being Private Suite Magazine.
Visuals[]
The visual style of Vaporwave includes, but is not limited to, anime and cartoons from the '70s to '90s (such as Sailor Moon and The Simpsons), Classical sculptures like the Apollo Belvedere, and elements of consumerism, often displaying brand names and logos such as Adidas, Pepsi, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Arizona Iced Tea, and Fiji Water. Computer hardware and graphics from the '80s to early '00s are central, with the Windows 95 operating system being a particularly common motif. Symbols of exotic vacations (palm trees, dolphins) are also used. Common colors include pastel pink and cyan.
The aesthetic frequently employs imagery of city skylines, malls, and liminal spaces to evoke a sense of surreal nostalgia. Visuals are often intentionally degraded with glitches and given unnatural hues to create a sense of altered reality. A gratuitous use of Japanese characters and full-width Latin characters is also a defining feature. There is an intentional ambiguity as to whether Vaporwave artists are celebrating consumer capitalism, ironically mocking its hollowness, or simply using the visuals for their nostalgic appeal, leaving the interpretation up to the audience.
Music[]
現代のコンピュー (Music Video)
Vaporwave originally started as an offshoot of the genre hypnagogic pop. The genre was first characterized by its heavy use of samples from 1980s and 1990s music, typically pop, smooth jazz, or Muzak. Samples are often pitched down, layered, or altered in a classic chopped and screwed style. However, vaporwave has started to incorporate more original compositions in a range of directions, from the faster-paced sounds of artists such as Surfing and George Clanton to the more distorted and surreal sounds of artists such as 2814 and Nmesh. Artists have also released their albums on a variety of physical media, from conventional vinyl and cassettes to unusual formats like MiniDiscs and floppy disks.
Artists[]
- Vektroid (a.k.a Macintosh Plus, PrismCorp Virtual Enterprises, Virtual Information Desk, dstnt, Laserdisc Visions, New Dreams Ltd)
- Daniel Lopatin (a.k.a Chuck Person, Oneohtrix Point Never, sunsetcorp)
- James Ferraro
- Devon Hendryx (a.k.a JPEGMAFIA)
- Cities Aviv
- Skylar Spence (a.k.a Saint Pepsi)
- George Clanton (a.k.a ESPRIT 空想)
- S U R F I N G
- BNDBlazrt
- Windows96
- t e l e p a t h テレパシー能力者
- Infinity Frequencies
- ２８１４
- R23X
- Nmesh
- 猫 シ Corp. (Catsystem Corp.)
- Angela Regina Rossi
- Blank Banshee
- Luxury Elite
- Tupperwave
- Yuni Wa
- Stux.Io
- Cosmic Cycler
- マクロスMACROSS 82-99
- Vantage
- Moe Shop
- Desired
- BarbWalters
- サクラSAKURA-LEE
- bl00dwave
- LensCorp™ International
- Subliminal Network
- MILLENNIAL DREAM CORP
- TOWERS
- Death's Dynamic Shroud.wmv
- AKANE IN TOKYO
Subgenres[]
As the Vaporwave scene grew, it splintered into numerous subgenres, each emphasizing a different facet of the original sound and aesthetic. The most prominent and enduring of these are:
- Future Funk: An upbeat, dance-oriented subgenre that evolved from the disco and house elements of Vaporwave. It is faster-paced and less melancholic, characterized by its heavy sampling of 1980s Japanese city pop and its use of vibrant anime visuals.
- Mallsoft: A subgenre that amplifies Vaporwave's lounge and muzak influences to create the atmospheric soundscape of a vast, empty, and often eerie shopping mall. It explores themes of consumerism, nostalgia, and liminal spaces.
- Dreampunk: An atmospheric subgenre that combines the sonic textures of Vaporwave with influences from ambient music, techno, and the soundtracks of cyberpunk films like Blade Runner. It focuses on creating immersive, cinematic, and dystopian soundscape.
For a more comprehensive list of microgenres, see List of Vaporwave subgenres.
Media[]
The Vaporwave aesthetic is primarily an online phenomenon, but its influence can be seen in various media that either inspired it or adopted its style.
Web Series[]
The themes of decaying consumerism and corporate nostalgia central to Vaporwave are extensively documented in YouTube series that explore abandoned commercial spaces. Dan Bell's Dead Mall Series and Retail Archeology are prime examples, with their footage of empty, echoing shopping malls providing a real-world counterpart to the Mallsoft subgenre. Other series, like SkyCorp Home Video, create a pastiche of 1980s and '90s corporate and instructional videos, directly mimicking the source material that Vaporwave often samples.
Video Games[]
Ecco the Dolphin
The 1992 Sega Genesis game Ecco the Dolphin is a foundational influence on the Vaporwave aesthetic. Its surreal, aquatic visuals and dreamy, atmospheric soundtrack were a direct inspiration for early artists; the cover of the seminal album Chuck Person's Eccojams Vol. 1 is a direct screenshot from the game's packaging, and the prevalence of dolphins in Vaporwave imagery can be traced back to this influence.
The aesthetic of the TV series Miami Vice (see below) served as a main influence on the game GTA: Vice City (2002) set in the 1980s.
In more recent years, the Vaporwave aesthetic has been adopted by independent video games. The most notable example is Broken Reality (2018), which is set entirely within a 3D-rendered internet parody world that is a direct homage to the visual language of Vaporwave.
Film[]
While less common as a central theme in mainstream film, the visual style of Vaporwave has influenced major productions. The animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) notably incorporates elements like glitch art, vibrant neon color palettes, and a layered, collage-like visual style that aligns closely with the aesthetic.
Due to its setting in 1980s Miami, themes of consumerism, and trend-setting role, the TV series Miami Vice (1984-1989) abounds in motifs that are central to Vaporwave (and Synthwave), such as 1980s music and technology, palm trees, the ocean, glass bricks, neon and pastel colors.
Distinction from Synthwave[]
Due to some similar aesthetic cues, most notably neon grids, palm trees, and sunsets, it can be easy to confuse the aesthetics of Synthwave and Vaporwave. However, they are two separate aesthetics with different goals. Vaporwave is more political and satirical, using consumerist media and presenting its nostalgia in a dreamy or trippy way with faded pastel colors and glitched visuals. It often incorporates Japanese visuals, reflecting Japan's economic and technological boom during the era it references.
Synthwave, on the other hand, is a more earnest celebration of 1980s television, music, and video games. It has a more dramatic color palette, featuring vibrant neons in contrast with dark blues and blacks, and its music is typically faster-paced and inspired by the emerging synth scene of the '80s.
Criticism[]
Vaporwave has been accused of appropriating and commodifying elements of various cultures, particularly from East Asia. This includes borrowing imagery from Japanese pop culture and incorporating kanji characters without fully understanding or respecting their meaning.
Vaporwave's tendency to rely on recurring motifs and visual clichés, such as palm trees, statues, and VHS artifacts, can be seen as formulaic and repetitive. Critics argue that this can result in a lack of innovation and originality, with many vaporwave works appearing similar or derivative.
Resources[]
Lists and Guides[]
- RYM Ultimate Box Set > Vapor parent genre
- RYM Ultimate Box Set > Vaporwave
- Vaporwave Resources
- Vaporwave on RateYourMusic
Sites[]
- Nightwave Plaza - An internet radio site that features Vaporwave-styled music and UI.
Communities[]
Vendors[]
- Vapor95
- Catori Clothing
- Palm Treat
- Public Space
- POPKILLER
- Ishihara Design
- In Control Clothing
- Staycool
- Pink Dolphin
- Neon Talk
- Iced Tea Aesthetics
- MoonLambo
- ToastyCo
- Coolshirtz
- Pit Viper
- Crazee Wear
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ "In an attempt to introduce grandeur into the home, classical Greek and Roman-style columns and even statues became popular." - "Remember 80s decorating? Iconic 1980s interior designs and home accessories" by Rachel Homer
- ↑ The Miami Vice 1985 episode "Golden Triangle, Part II" features a 1980s interior including an ancient-Greek-style column and statue
- ↑ 1980s interior-design ads: https://www.reddit.com/r/VaporwaveArt/comments/1mbm2hb/scanned_interior_design_ads_from_the_80s/
- ↑ "Vaporwave" on en.wikipedia.org
- ↑ Zhang, H. Arts Studies and Criticism Vaporwave—Anti-Capitalism Internet Music.
- ↑ Nowak, R., & Whelan, A. (2018). “Vaporwave is (not) a critique of capitalism”: Genre work in an online music scene. Open Cultural Studies, 2(1), 451-462.
[]
| Vaporwave Aesthetics | ||
| Primary Aesthetics | ||
| Fusion and Inspired Subgenres | ||
|
Barber Beats ✪ Future Funk ✪ Dreampunk ✪ Vaporgoth ✪ Simpsonwave | ||
| Conceptual Aesthetics | ||
| Music Genres | ||
|
Rock & Metal Electronic & Dance Pop, Hip-Hop & Folk Folk & Traditional Other | ||