Vaporwave is one of the strangest subcultures out there. The art style that makes it up is very fluid and loosely defined, but it all falls under the same rhetoric: cynical anti-capitalism. The imagery and music behind the movement are inspired by '80s and '90s popular culture, and the boundless, wide-eyed optimism of the era. The genre satirizes yuppie idealism by ironically worshiping it. But what does vaporwave look and sound like? I'll try my best to explain.
Aesthetic.
It's difficult to sum up the vaporwave aesthetic, you need to see it for yourself
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Vaporwave art combines elements of glitch art with imagery from a proto-digital age. Old Windows logos, Nintendo systems, anime, and other symbols of a dawning digital age.
The strange combination of retro-neon '80s colors with classic Roman sculptures is bizarre, but pleasing to the eye. Though the pictures often deal with themes of sadness and loneliness, the nostalgic imagery provides a pleasant juxtaposition.
Elevator music reborn
Vaporwave music is all about chopping and screwing old music. The source material is often derived from '80s and '90s elevator, pop and jazz. The music is slowed down and remixed in order to make a statement on what they consider corporate, or artificial, music. Take a listen.
And, arguably, the most famous vaporwave song of all time:
Take from this strange subculture as you will. It goes to show how the Internet can help artists with niche interests find and inspire each other. Who knows what's going to pop up next?
