Hoo boy, where do I begin with Vaporwave? Well, I got into Vaporwave as an aesthetic back in high school (so 2014-2015 for me), and at first, I was just amused by it as a meme. If you remember when Vaporwave first gained popularity on the Internet, then you'll definitely remember Macintosh Plus.
Now, Vaporwave as a whole didn't start with this song or this album. But it is one example of the early iterations of the genre. This is what people usually think of when they hear "Vaporwave" (music that's slowed/pitched down, chopped and screwed, etc.).
So even though Vaporwave seemed to be nothing more than just slowed down 80s music, I was fascinated by the visuals. I had always had a passive interest in the 80s and bright colors and such. But something about Vaporwave just scratched a certain itch for me. And once I started to dig deeper into the music and found more serious work, I needed more of it all!
Eventually, I ended up becoming obsessed with Vaporwave, both as an aesthetic and as a music genre. Some of my favorite artists are: 猫 シ Corp., Infinity Frequencies, Dan Mason ダン·メイソン, FM Skyline, and SAINT PEPSI.
As far as favorite albums go, I have a ton, but one album that I absolutely love to death is w w w . d e e p d i v e . c o m by Webinar™.
This album is phenomenal at capturing the feel of the early 2000s through its sound. If you're into Vaporwave, Frutiger Aero, 2000s nostalgia, etc., then I highly recommend you give this album a listen! My personal favorite track is "
Mind Mirage ドット 通信". This artist also has another album called MicroVista that has a very similar feel that I also think is worth a listen!
If you're curious, you can also check out my Bandcamp profile to see what other stuff I'm into! Although you won't find much besides Vaporwave of course, lol.
So not only did Vaporwave influence my music tastes, but it heavily influenced my artwork as well. The bulk of my personal artwork tends to have bright color palettes, use of gradients, and primarily focuses on "old" things (old tech, old patterns and designs, etc.). One example is my persona, Lazer Lilac. Her design is actually inspired by the once-popular "Memphis" style of the 80s!
I love that there's still an active Vaporwave scene on the Internet, even after its mainstream attention came and went. It's been fun to see it evolve and I'm still discovering new artists and music to this day. I also love that it exposed me to other aesthetics like Frutiger Aero and Synthwave, which are also influences on my art. And I'm glad to see there are other people out there that are just as enthusiastic as I am about this Internet subculture.
All GIFs used on this page are from here.