JAPANESE.mall Ⓥ Ⓟ ⓇMallSoft | VHS Pop | FutureFunk
I'll always be in debt to vaporwave for keeping me “cool” during a time in my life when the cool was quite literally being sucked out of me by career professionalism and the onslaught of “adulting” responsibilities that rudely show up in your early twenties—just as you’re finally allowed to have any real fun. This genre feels deeply personal to me because it was born from my generational peers. Its purpose is to express the essence of growing up half in the sweet, pre-9/11 era and half in the height of the war on terror. Naturally, the genre speaks directly to an integral part of who I am. It resonates with my demographic: those of us who experienced young adolescence during that pre-war, peak economy in the most hyper-materialistic version of the USA imaginable. An era of endless shopping malls, massive discount department stores, and mind-numbing rom-coms galore.
One of the reasons I love vaporwave is that it—just like our entire generation—captures the “cheugy” essence of our era in the most unapologetically cliché way. Is vaporwave political? Sure, but only to the extent that it feels like it’s doing it for the Facebook likes. Does vaporwave enjoy all the privileges of mainstream acceptability while loudly proclaiming it’s underground as hell? Absolutely. To me, it’s no surprise that Gen Z has recently embraced vaporwave and taken a liking to it—they fit right in.
I was a total mall rat from 1997 to 2000. I found myself among the many non-consuming, klepto teenage patrons loitering outside the east entrance, bumming cigarettes from passersby. So, I wanted to create a playlist that captures the feeling I get when I immerse myself in a heavy dose of late ’90s nostalgia. A playlist that oscillates between the blissful joy I felt as a kid in an ideal economy and the melancholy realization, now as an adult, that it was all a complete lie. A mood only vaporwave can embody.
This playlist has all of my favorite, most danceable, groovy vaporwave tracks that are perfect for daytime kick-backs with friends at the park. If you're into the more traditionally "glitchy", experimental, or noise categories of vaporwave; this playlist will leave you highly unsatisfied. This is the stuff you can rhythmically bob your head to without being too thrown off by a glitched snare drum here and there.
All of my playlists have a thoughtfully curated 'Top 11' that tries to represent the whole vibe of the playlist in the first 11 tracks. So if you're not vibing with those first 11, then you can be almost certain that playlist is not for you.
Be sure to follow the playlists you like so that you can ALWAYS have access to them!
JAPANESE.mall Ⓥ Ⓟ Ⓡ on Spotify