𓇬 Intro to Vaporwave 𓇬
Origins
Vaporwave & Praxis
Keep Media Accessible
Further Reading
Proctect Your Digital Footprint
Origins
Vaporwave originated around 2010, stemming from a blend of seapunk, chillwave, and hypnagogic pop.
The primary visual aspect of Vaporwave takes the pastels and holographics of seapunk and adds elements such as retro advertising, neons, and Greco-Roman art/architecture. The term "Vaporwave" is derived from from Vaporware, which refers to computer software or hardware that is advertised to the public but not actually released.
Daniel Lopatin and James Ferraro can be credited with severing Vaporwave from Chillwave with the release of Chuck Person's Eccojams Vol. 1 (2010) and Far Side Virtual (2011), respectively. Ramona Xavier, AKA Vektroid, AKA MacIntosh Plus AKA New Dreams LTD subsequently released the album Floral Shoppe (of “リサフランク420 / 現代のコンピュー” fame) in 2012, which defined the genre through its prime.
Blank Banshee further popularized Vaporwave by mixing it with electronica, making it more palatable to the general listener. This new subgenre is often referred to as Vaportrap.
Vaporwave music began with a focus on sampling and remixing popular music from the 80s and 90s, as a form of plunderphonics. However, as the genre progressed, the focus shifted to more original mixes. Sampling is still prevalent in Vaporwave music, though the method of splicing and remixing has often become more complex when compared to earlier releases. Though many artists are still producing vaporwave to this day, the "peak" of the genre is considered to be between 2010 and 2016.
The aesthetic aspect of Vaporwave often highlighted VHS degradation ("glitches"), retro advertising, and the art and architecture of the 80s and 90s. A hallmark of the Vaporwave aesthetic is "dead malls"--shopping centers that have been nearly abandoned--that still retain the interior design of past decades. Because of the spotlight Vaporwave places on consumer culture, it is often viewed as a critique of late-stage capitalism. More specifically, Vaporwave art and music often reframes pre-recession consumerism as soulless or superficial, and this forces the audience to confront the overarching emptiness of consumer culture as a whole. Articles exploring this concept more in-depth can be found in the "Further Reading" section of this Carrd.
Praxis
Rather than leaving dead malls to waste away, advocate for these spaces to be turned into community centers, shelters, housing units, etc. If redeveloping isn't sustainable, there is the option to re-tenant with anchor stores that better fit the local demographic (see: What Should Be Done With America's Abandoned Malls)
Donate old tech that would otherwise become e-waste. Older (but still functional) computers, printers, etc. can be refurbished and put to use in educational settings. If a device isn't functional, it can still be recycled or otherwise repurposed (see: Places to Donate Used Computers and Other Electronics)
Extend the life of your devices by learning how to repair simple issues. This is often more cost-effective than purchasing a replacement and further reduces overconsumption/e-waste (see: Phone Repair Help: Learn How to Fix It Yourself)
Keep Media Accesible
General
r/piracyArt
National Gallery of Art
WikiArt.orgTV/Movies
KimCartoon
DopeBox
ThePirateBay
LimeTorrents
123Chill
DramaCool
AniWaveMusic
YTMP3
MP3 Download
Spotify MateBooks
Libgen
Sci Hub
PDF Drive
Project Gutenberg
MangaFireGames
GOG Games
My Abandonware
SteamRip
Further Reading
Vaporwave and the Pop-Art of the Virtual Plaza
Investing in Vaporwave Futures
Why Won't Vaporwave Die?
Vaporwave and the Observer Effect
Vaporwave is Dead, Long Live Vaporwave
Babbling Corpse
Beautiful and Haunted
Vaporwave's Little-Known Roots
Vaporwave Pedagogy
Vaporwave Is (Not) A Critique of Capitalism
Vaporwave and Punk Rock
Love in the Time of VHS
The Philosophy of Vaporwave
Plunderphonics
Do You Want Vaporwave, or Do You Want the Truth?
Tumblr and MTV Killed Vaporwave
The Evolution of Vaporwave
Vaporwave and the Dissection of Record Production
Burned Out Myths and Vapour Trails
Music Optimised for Abandoned Malls
Disaster Theory
The Irony of Vaporwave
The Vaporwave Family Tree
Digital Footprint
ArgoVPN
ProtonVPN
TunnelBear
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AdBlock
Cookie AutoDelete
Privacy Badger
Decentraleyes
Ad Nauseam
TrackMeNot
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Viber
Wickr
Pryvate
Threema