What defines vaporwave music?

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Vaporwave music is defined by its distinctive aesthetic, sound, and cultural references. It is a genre that blends elements of nostalgia, surrealism, and critique of consumer culture. Here's a breakdown of its defining characteristics:

1. Sound

• Sampling: Vaporwave heavily relies on sampling, often using slowed-down or pitched-shifted tracks from 1980s and 1990s pop, smooth jazz, elevator music, funk, R&B, and new age.
• Tempo and Effects: Songs are typically slowed down to create a dreamy, hypnotic, or melancholic atmosphere. Effects like reverb, echo, and pitch modulation are common.
• Lo-fi Quality: A deliberately degraded or grainy audio quality is often used to evoke a sense of age or memory.
• Repetition: Loops and repetition emphasize a meditative or trance-like vibe.

2. Aesthetic and Imagery

• Nostalgia for the Past: Vaporwave draws heavily on retro-futuristic aesthetics, 1980s and 1990s visuals, corporate logos, VHS artifacts, and old internet graphics.
• Japanese Influence: Japanese text, kanji, and references to anime or city pop are often integrated.
• Surrealism: Abstract, dreamy, and sometimes dystopian visuals (e.g., glitch art, virtual landscapes) are paired with the music to create an otherworldly feel.

3. Cultural Themes

• Consumerism: Vaporwave critiques and recontextualizes capitalist and consumerist culture, often sampling advertising jingles, mall music, and corporate hold music.
• Irony and Parody: The genre blends sincere nostalgia with an ironic take on the emptiness of mass consumerism and hypercapitalism.
• Digital Escapism: It captures the sense of being lost in virtual or imagined spaces, reflecting early internet culture and digital worlds.

4. Key Artists and Albums

• Key Figures: Artists like Macintosh Plus (e.g., Floral Shoppe), Vektroid, Saint Pepsi, Blank Banshee, and Oneohtrix Point Never have shaped the genre.
• Iconic Tracks/Albums: Macintosh Plus's “リサフランク420 / 現代のコンピュー” (from Floral Shoppe) is one of the most iconic vaporwave tracks.

5. Offshoots and Subgenres

• Future Funk: A more upbeat, danceable style that combines vaporwave's retro aesthetic with disco and funk influences.
• Mallsoft: A subgenre mimicking the ambiance of shopping malls, focusing on background music and empty consumer spaces.
• Hardvapour: A darker, harsher variant, often incorporating industrial or techno elements.

Vaporwave isn't just a music genre—it's a cultural and artistic movement tied to internet subcultures, making it a fascinating blend of music, nostalgia, and critique of the modern world.