What draws us into the vapor
by: Will Wade
Lo-fi hip hop fans gather side by side with metalheads and bass junkies to groove to what my dad calls elevator music, and why? Well there's a myriad of reasons and classes that act as a catalyst for vaporwave. I can’t speak for everyone of course, but in this brief moment I have with you I would like to shed light on some common connectors I have observed between the patrons of the larger vaporwave scene. First of all it is undeniable that vaporwave is an experimental genre, which I find quite interesting as it has attracted fans of all different types of music, some sects not so experimental such as EDM or lo-fi house, DJ fodder as a precursor to future funk and anyone who likes tame impala for some reason. There are infinite backgrounds present in vaporwave, all of which i cannot hope to cover in one article, but these are just a few of my favorite level-1 vaporwavers as I see myself or my friends reflected in them.
First, you have “the collector.” This fan spends hours updating their discogs collection and wantlist, constantly searching for that grail. Vaporwave being a niche genre, very much rooted in a DIY ethos, limited edition is all the physicals can be out of necessity. In the early days (2014-16) pretty much every tape drop was an event, a mad grab to add a possibly rare artifact to your collection. Flippers made this an interesting endeavor, as they are universally hated for driving up the price of certain releases, but if we’re being honest with ourselves the collector in all of us relishes the possibility that one of our favorite tapes is rare or collectable, and i don't see that as a bad thing at all, the joy of the hunt and the score has opened me up to many different genres, such as 60s psych, jazz, IDM, and especially vaporwave.
Second is the musician. Any musician who tries their hand at vaporwave finds something in it for them, because it's not terribly difficult to make—a fact that's been beaten to death by its detractors, yet not a bad thing. Just because the process of creation isn’t difficult doesn't mean the end result is worthless, by this logic the only good music would be some fugues and some sweaty sweep-picking note fury that I am seriously not in the mood for. Simplicity has a way of broadening a musician's horizons, and showing them what is possible with very little mechanics. I have found similarities in noise music, another relatively “easy” genre to make, yet creating something worthwhile from a format that is simplistic can be challenging, and also rewarding. Musicians that reach a roadblock in their creation should turn to a genre where creative expression is the sole tastemaker, vaporwave is a prime example of this.
Last, the factor that you can't shut a vaporwave fan up about, THE COMMUNITY. Yes, the community is great no matter what detractors or vaporwave has-beens would like you to believe. We have one of, if not the most inviting community that music has to offer. It has the feel of your classic hometown punk scene, sans the assholes, and plus everyone is listening to each other’s music. This is something sorely missed by most members of any EDM scene that have been vaporwave converts. My good friend enraile has expressed his discontent with the dubstep scene and how unsupportive it is in terms of constructive feedback, or even getting people to actually listen to the music you post.
The thing about the vaporwave scene is you just have to be active and above all, ask! Ask a label to put out your work, ask a show streamer to get you a slot on the next stream, make a group chat with your favorite vapor friends and ask them to share your album. Most people in this scene have a love for it and want to give back in the way that it has given to them, an ever-loving caring cycle of music and enjoyment.
