The first time I stepped foot in Innsbrook Mall, I was a freshman in college still feeling out of sorts navigating an unfamiliar town. I needed my license plate renewed and did a quick search for the nearest DMV, expecting the experience to be no different than stepping into any other DMV in America. When I got there, my gut instinctively told me that I was in the wrong place. There was a small stairwell that had been roped off and two broken escalators on either side. I awkwardly stomped up the unmoving escalator and was greeted by the eeriest environment I’d ever found myself in. It was as if I’d been transported back to 1983, but as someone who usually would have been comforted by the nostalgia of the distinctively 80’s signage and cheesy jazz wafting from outdated speakers, I felt weirdly on edge. I was the only person there. Every storefront was frozen in time in a way that made it feel as if these shop owners left with the kind of hastiness only a zombie apocalypse would bring about.
The DMV experience was as uneventful as I’d expected. It was one of two shops still operating inside of the mall and was almost as stuck in time as the rest of the place (the other one still in operation was a quinceanera dress shop) But I left with a newfound obsession. The eerie feelings I’d experienced, the stark contrast between the comfort of being in what is essentially a time capsule and the adrenaline rush of being in an abandoned space that almost feels forbidden had me hooked. In true retro nostalgic fashion, I bought a film camera to capture the details of this mall I found so charming/creepy. I brought friends to see it, promising them that this was unlike anything they’d seen before. Some found it as exciting as I did, others were confused by my bizarre enthusiasm for what was basically a barren, decrepit strip mall that smelled like mothballs. After researching the mall’s history a bit more I was led to and embraced by a community of people who were as hooked on those feelings as I was.
Innsbruck Mall
Innsbruck Mall was built in 1966 and was a product of its time. America was still figuring out what a shopping mall could and should represent, and Innsbruck was not immune to this period of experimentation that dropped off during the '80s and '90s as malls became more formulaic. Innsbruck Mall had a Bavarian/German theme, with some of the storefronts designed to look like something out of a Bavarian village (but in practice ended up looking a bit more like one of those Medieval Times Dinner and a Show places). It’s two big “anchor” stores were a Winn-Dixie and a Brendle’s Catalog Showroom, which went out of business in 1996. The mall was considered more or less “dead” after its closing, meaning that Innsbruck hasn’t been in operation (besides the DMV and quinceanera shop) in over 25 years. This left me with so many unanswered questions. What system was the quiet overhead music running on? It was such distinctively '80s mall music I could only assume it’s remained largely unchanged throughout the decades. When was the last time the hilariously overgrown indoor plants were pruned? And most importantly, what did this mall look like in its heyday? I was lucky enough to come across an absolute gem of an ad for Innsbruck from the mid-'80s, one that perfectly encapsulates the cheesy optimism that was '80s consumerism (and one that will be stuck in my head for years to come).
I discovered early on that this dead mall obsession was a very specific phenomenon that attracted people on a deeper level than the hobby of urban exploration in general. People were drawn to the nostalgia of '80s and '90s hyper-consumerism, memories of childhood innocence, the feeling that these spaces were such an essential and permanent part of American culture. The downfall of the shopping mall came as little surprise following the rise of online shopping, but it still represented the death of an iconic cultural institution. The ability to experience these once perfectly manicured, impressively modern spaces as overgrown, deserted, outdated ruins is such a unique experience. Each dead mall represents more than just an abandoned space, it represents abandoned memories and the death of a more carefree and optimistic way of life. It’s similar to what draws people to Vaporwave as a genre, that yearning for a place in time that exists only through relics like music and defunct technology. There’s actually a huge overlap between these two communities, and retro nostalgia is what bonds the two.
In some ways, my skeptical friends had a point. They are just abandoned spaces, no more than a few boarded up shops and outdated signs advertising things at hilariously low '80s prices ($3.99 for jeans is one I’ll never forget). Is there really a significance to this eerie, forgotten place that will soon be demolished? If the people I’ve met online throughout this journey have taught me anything, I’d say yes. There are few things that sum up what the 1980s represented better than a shopping mall. And to experience the somber remnants of that is the coolest experience. I’ll never forget my Innsbruck Mall experiences and I’ve made a point of exploring other abandoned malls around the country. If there are any near you (which, with the rate of mall closures in the past 20 years, there’s a good chance there is) I’d recommend checking it out and getting those mothball induced goosebumps for yourself.
A Trip Back in Time: How to Build a '90s Retro Gaming Rig
Nostalgia trends have been growing and growing recently. The value of Pokémon cards, for example, skyrocketed recently as recent influencers like Logan Paul and Randalph of the Sidemen have gotten involved into collecting. Tamagotchi has been making a comeback and Bandai has even released modern versions of them. Old school anime like Cowboy Bebop seem to revive themselves every year and even old school Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures keep popping up in my timeline. Maybe it’s all a side effect of the Mandela effect (which may or may not have something to do with that big ole’ particle collider).
Naturally, when you follow the nostalgia train all the way back to things like Samurai X, Beetle Borgs, and Power Rangers, you can’t help but think back to old school gaming and the classics that defined modern gaming that would follow. Sure, classics like Duke Nukem, Street Fighter, Sonic the Hedgehog, Unreal Tournament don’t have the incredible graphics and immersive, hyper-stimulating graphics of modern classics like Halo and God of War. But what they lack in graphics, they make up for in powerful story, era-defining combat systems, and all-round fun.
All this being said, if you’re looking for a kick of nostalgia and have some time and extra cash to spend, then this guide is for you. We’ll take a look at how you can put together an old school rig and get back to enjoying the classics that made gaming what it is today.
1. So Why not just Emulate?
If you’ve played a classic Pokémon game on a PC before, then you’re quite familiar with the concept of emulation. In a nutshell, emulators are computer programs that are designed to mimic the experience of classic games or games that aren’t intended for the PC, like Pokémon Yellow.
Unfortunately, however, due to the advancements in operating system and hardware capabilities, a lot of the original gaming experience is lost, especially the audio experience. There’s just something special about hearing game sound played through a square wave generator on an old mother board.
Now, let’s start diving into the nitty-gritty of putting one of these bad boys together.
2. Let the Game Choose the CPU
As with all ventures in life, the best way to start is with a concrete idea of where you are going. It would be a shame to put together a massive '90s rig just to find out that your game of choice does not run well on it. Get started by coming up with a list of games that you are likely to play on your rig and use that as a roadmap for building your parts.
In my case, I’d love to jump back into Diablo, Doom, Warcraft II, and Duke Nukem. So, we’ll be taking a look at MS-DOS era parts to get started.
As a computer nerd like myself, it's natural to want all of your parts to be the absolute best and fastest parts available for the time. There’s a counterintuitive twist with regards to retro games though. Due to the way the AI in many games were programmed, faster processors sometimes can mean unbeatable AI. You see, the faster your processor speed, the faster the AI can make a “decision” about how to punish your mistakes. Many games can simply be unbeatable.
Think about playing Metal Slug on the hardest difficulty, except now the AI can act faster than human reaction time. Yeah, not exactly a laid-back way to spend your Friday evenings. You’d probably end up rage breaking your monitor (and if it’s a CRT, you won’t likely get another one)! So, let’s avoid monitor-shattering rage with a wise processor choice.
In my case, the retro PC build begins with a Pentium Pro, which clocks up to 200MHz. Since I’ll be blasting heads in Doom and I don’t feel like fighting AI plugged directly into Skynet, the 200MHz processor is ideal.
If you’re looking for games that are dated around 1998, then try to get your hands on a Pentium III or Athlon, clocked at 1GHz. You’ll have plenty of processing power without the annoying ultra-powerful AI.
3. The Graphics Processing Unit
GPUs are an easier choice to make in a retro gaming rig and actually have a lot of room for shortcuts. Of course, there are a lot of old school 2D and 3D graphics adapters, but luckily for us, there’s a shortcut! By 1998, Nvidia and the other major GPU producers like 3dfx and ATI had produced adapters capable of both 2D and 3D resolution.
Of course, this is overpowering the rig a bit for a game like Doom, but it won’t come with the same annoying AI drawbacks as an overpowered processor.
For this build, I’ll be rolling with the Voodoo3 by 3dfx. This was the most popular adapter on the market at the time but there’s a catch. No 24-bit color. If you want a full spectrum of glorious '90s gaming performance, then look into the Riva TNT2 by Nvidia. You’ll get 24-bit color and a slight performance upgrade from the Voodoo3.
4. Choosing a Mother Board
Motherboards are kind of an easy choice to make once you’ve landed on a GPU and CPU. If you’re going with Intel, then your best bet is to avoid the Intel 820 and 840 like the plague. These motherboards used a “new” type of RAM called Rambus Ram. Rambus Ram was initially heralded to have higher performance than SDRAM, but performance issues were common, and Rambus RAM would often flop under pressure.
If you’re still committed to Intel, then an 810 or 815 should be ideal.
Dell motherboards are a no-go as well, unfortunately. I know, I know. Those TV ads are popping into your head too. As awesome as it would be to pay homage to the things that once interrupted Dexter’s Laboratory, Dell motherboards from this era used a 6-pin CPU power connector, which has a unique pin configuration. Meaning, that the chances are extra slim that you find the appropriate power supply in 2021. We’re talking struck-by-lightning slim.
For this build, I’ll be rocking with an AMD K6-2 motherboard. You’ll want to ensure that whichever motherboard you choose, it's an ATX board. Otherwise, getting a case for it will be difficult or impossible.
5. Choosing the Rest of Your Parts
Now that we’ve gotten most of the core components selected, it's time to dive into power supply choice, storage space, optical drives and sound cards.
Power Supply Unit
The K6-2 motherboard is an ATX 1x board, which uses a 20-pin power connector. Lucky for us, nowadays there are still low-end Chinese power suppliers that you can find in this format. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a specific example to link to, so this is one of those parts of the blog you’ll have to search through eBay for (and there’s gonna be a whole lot of that happening anyway, trust me).
RAM
Since we’re running a K6-2 motherboard, we’ll need PC100 memory to work with it. K6-2 motherboards use Super Socket 7, and PC100 is the most compatible for it. Try to go for dual-sided modules when picking your RAM. These sticks have low-density memory and usually work better with the older chipsets.
Hard Drive
To minimize load times (probably a good idea considering our social media-debilitated attention spans), you’ll want to burn a copy of your game onto your hard drive. With this in mind, 40GB of space should be more than enough to store the few classics you’ll be playing, with room for plenty more.
Optical Drive and Sound Card
Last on the list we have something which may as well be considered extinct to modern gamers: a CD drive and sound card. Most modern mother boards come with limited CD drive compatibility (if any) and default sound cards at best. This wouldn’t fly in the '90s.
Sound cards and CD drives were mandatory for gaming, at least until you burned the game onto your hard drive. No particular advice on the type of CD drive, just make sure you get one. Technically, you could still download an old ROM and play without the need for a likely impossible-to-find disc.
6. Finding Your Parts
Unfortunately, there’s not a ton of guidance that I can give with regards to finding specific parts. The processor, power supply unit, motherboard and RAM can usually be found on eBay. The processors will be the easiest to find, but you may have to do some digging for the remaining parts.
Searching your local thrift stores, antique stores or pawn shops might yield something. Also, as GaryVee would say, garage sales are huge. There are a surprising amount of retro machines out there just waiting to be sold off for $20. Don’t be afraid to go on a nostalgic adventure, pop in to random garage sales, and start your next retro gaming rig.
IN CASE ANYONE MISSED THE FOURTH VAPOR95 LIVE STREAM...
We've uploaded September's full show for you here:
It was a privilege to bring thirteen artists together for a visual and auditory spectacle and to share that with our fans and friends was an honor. Thank you to everyone who joined us to talk and vibe with the artists, fellow fans, and supporters!
Special thanks to ΛDRIΛNWΛVE, CVLTVRE, Neon Vectors, Limousine, Pad Chennington, Future Girlfriend Music, Vaperror, Macross 82-99, Flamingosis, Android Apartment, Lola Disco, kissmenerdygirl, and Tupperwave and the Vapor95 friends and family! Follow, explore, and support these musicians if you had a good time at Vapor95 Live 4.0!
We're excited to do more of these shows so stay tuned for upcoming digital concerts by following the DARKNET Recordings Instagram, the Vapor95 Instagram, or our Facebook. You can also sign up for our mailing list on the bottom of our store's homepage.
How did you each start your artistic journeys? What brought you together? And what made you dive into the world of 3D design?
During 2014, the three of us met at college in upstate New York. As college students sharing strong creative passions we immediately started collaborating on personal artistic projects involving music and digital art. We began experimenting with 3D design, video editing, game development, and other digital and visual tools in an effort to explore new artistic directions. While combining new skills we had been teaching ourselves with skills we have been building throughout our lives, we realized that 3D design resonated with us because it allowed us to open ourselves to many new creative possibilities. By early 2017, we decided to start an official collaborative project on Instagram that combines the music we were producing with this new art we're creating. This is how Blunt Action officially formed and would begin its journey into the growing studio it is today.
Please tell us about the team's creative process. How are your designs created? Where do you draw inspiration to create these alluring worlds?
At the beginning of our creative process, we take various elements from our inspirations, and conceptualize designs for visual representations of our ideas. We utilize 3D software, game engines, and video / audio editing workstations to bring these ideas to life. We are really passionate about history, futurism, technology, music and want to interpret these themes in our art to explore alternate realities. We also take inspiration from places we’ve traveled around the world such as Japan, Italy, and Greece.
How do the external world and current events influence Blunt Action's art, culture, and creativity?
We take influence from various countries, cultures, and time periods throughout the world. In addition, we are continuously keeping up with current events and pop culture as well as educating ourselves on historical periods ranging from ancient Greece to the Younger Dryas, and as far back as the Big Bang.
Could you tell us more about what you're creating/working on right now?
Currently, we are working on a few projects such as video games, animated shorts, original music, new 3D art, AR/VR experiences, and collaborations with other artists. Our game Battle Snakes: Legends of the Galaxy is in production right now and a BETA can be found on our website. We are releasing our first official music project and Blunt Action merchandise over the next few months. We also have client projects that we are working on daily such as custom 3D sculpts, branding and merchandise designs, music videos, and cover art.
If you weren't artists, what would you do for a living?
If we weren’t artists we might be working in the technology, science, or business industries. We all have a similar entrepreneurial and creative mentality, and therefore we would likely still be designing and producing something whether it is art, music, or food as either a hobby or side job.
What is your ultimate dream to accomplish through Blunt Action? How do you see the group at its highest point?
Getting to run our own studio and making a living by doing what we love is already our dream. At our highest point we would like to increase our studio size, take on larger client projects, and continue to produce our own art, movies, music, video games, and unique experiences. Ultimately, we want to have as large a reach as possible leaving the longest lasting positive influence possible.
Let's say you get full artistic freedom on a billboard on the busiest road in a huge city where millions will see your message. What would Blunt Action's message be? Any combo of words and images is fine.
"Save The Trees"
You work with a lot of big clientele and collaborate with other artists, how do you manage to bring their concept to life while also staying true to your own art aesthetic? Or is it a non-issue?
To this point, we have been lucky with the clientele we have gotten to work with. A majority of our clientele and artist collaborations have transpired because they already vibe with our aesthetics. When we work with others, we get to blend their ideas with ours and bring something incredible to life. Collaborations are a big part of our creative process. It’s important to try to keep an open mind because you never know what crazy ideas end up working perfectly.
What was your first major project for a client? How did it come about? What advice would you give to artists wishing to branch outside of making art for themselves and their audiences to working with brands and musicians?
During the Summer of 2018, we were presented with some of the most notorious projects that we have had the pleasure of working on. We were hired to design a promotional animation for the Wu-Tang Clan’s 25th anniversary, and create stage visuals for Lil Uzi Vert’s Summer Tour. We would say the best advice to give is to always be setting and updating goals for yourself. It’s also important to never turn down any opportunities because a different perspective can always teach you something new and building relationships is how you really grow.
You have an amazing portfolio of work, from music videos and concert visuals to product realization and architectural visuals - what has been your absolute favorite project to work on? Why?
We try to work on a diverse range of projects, and each comes with its own perks. Our absolute favorite in house project has been the development of our cross-platform multiplayer game Battle Snakes: Legends of the Galaxy. We have learned a lot and have been able to harness our game development skills. In addition, we have a lot of favorite client projects, however an anime styled music video we recently created is currently one of our all time favorites. As big fans of anime art, getting to work in this style was a lot of fun and the finished video came out great.
According to your Instagram, Blunt Action has produced a lot in a few years. All artists face days where they lack inspiration and drive to create but Blunt Action seems to be able to push through together as a team and make it happen. How do you deal with these moments of lack of motivation, hesitation, or doubt?
When the inspiration isn’t in front of you, sometimes you need to go searching for it. When we experience moments like that we look to the internet, music, books, architecture, and travel for concepts and motivation. Behind the scenes we are continuously experimenting with new concepts, softwares, and improving our skills. We are often trying to learn new skills to enhance our art and expand what we can produce.
Finally, what would you say to up-and-coming artists who want to pursue their passion?
You get out what you put in.The most important thing isto practiceandstay consistent.
The Bizarre History Of Nintendo Before It Was Today's Nintendo
There are likely only a handful of people on the entire planet who’ve yet to learn of Nintendo. In fact, these people would have somehow managed to never have come into contact with much of the technological world we live in.
That’s not to say it isn’t possible. North Sentinel Island, for example, has remained largely isolated from the modern world and the people there have probably never even heard of soda, let alone video games. There are a few other isolated societies who can claim a similar status. For the rest of us, we’ve likely grown up owning a Nintendo system or two.
Nintendo has had massive cultural impacts across the globe. The Pokemon phenomenon has now survived over twenty years and the Super Mario franchise continues to grow and expand to this day including legendary titles such as:
The Legend of Zelda
Donkey Kong
Super Smash Bros
Kirby
Animal Crossing
In this article, we’ll be taking a brief look into how Nintendo was established and some of the significant turning points that led it to become the giant it is today.
(No, this won’t simply be a list of hit games. We’re going back back.)
The Origin of Nintendo
Nintendo was originally established as Yamauchi Nintendo in September of 1889 by the original founder Fusajiro Yamauchi. The original purpose of the company was the production and marketing of Hanafuda, translated as “flower cards”, a type of playing card used for a variety of games in Japan.
These cards were produced completely by hand. They quickly gained popularity, initially in Kyoto but eventually throughout all of Japan. As a result, expansion was required in order to continue meeting demand.
Interestingly, Fusajiro Yamauchi had no son to pass his business onto as his retirement approached. Following Japanese custom, he adopted his son-in-law Sekiryo Kaneda, who would later expand the company into the production and distribution of a variety of card types.
Not the Start Most Would Expect
It's obvious that Nintendo is an incredibly old company if you consider all of its iterations. I was surprised to find out that the company was established in the 19th century. It’s currently more than thirteen decades old and showing no sign of slowing down.
Originating as a card company, Nintendo would actually continue down this track until Hiroshi Yamauchi would inherit the seat of president in 1949. Change was not immediate. In fact, the inspiration for change would only strike in 1956, when Hiroshi Yamauchi paid a visit to the United States Playing Card Company.
During his visit, Hiroshi was struck by how incredibly small the offices were for the biggest playing card company in the world. To him, this revealed the limited possibilities of continuing along the rather unidimensional path of playing card production, which were primarily used as tools for gambling.
The Pivot that Shifted Nintendo Forever
Arguably the biggest change in the company’s history was its 1959 deal with Disney that allowed for the use of Disney characters on Nintendo’s playing cards.
In a genius pivot, Nintendo would also create books that would explain the various games that Japanese households could play with the new Disney cards. Making them a near instant hit. In fact, the new cards got so popular that they sold more than 600,000 units in the first year.
This year of massive success and the success that would follow is what gave birth to the Nintendo we know today. In 1962, the company was taken public as a direct result of its massive growth and in 1963, it was officially redubbed “Nintendo” instead of “Nintendo Playing Card Co., Ltd.”
The Ups and Downs that Followed
Following the massive injection of capital from the success of its new playing cards and going public, Nintendo began to expand its horizons as a company. Between 1963 and 1968, Nintendo would start and shutter a few business ventures including:
A “Love Hotel’ line
An Instant rice food company
A Taxi service
A vacuum Cleaner (pictured below)
Alongside all of these ventures, Nintendo began experimenting with making toys and given current societal context, only toymaking managed to survive.
Despite the economic boom happening throughout Japan, Nintendo’s stock would unfortunately take a massive hit in 1964, dropping from 900 Yen to 60 Yen. The playing card market would simply become oversaturated with products and households soon began to stop purchasing new decks.
The Final Major turning Point
Despite how bleak things looked, hope would be around the next bend for Nintendo. One day while carrying out an inspection of a Hanafuda factory owned by Nintendo, Yamauchi noticed an extending arm created by Gunpei Yokoi.
Gunpei had been hired as a maintenance technician for the assembly line and had constructed the arm for his own enjoyment. Yamauchi instructed Yokoi to redesign the arm to be suitable for release as a Christmas toy and this decision would be Nintendo’s next big hit.
The “Ultra Hand” would go on to sell over a million units and Yokoi would be taken on as a product developer where he would go on to create several other blockbuster hits for Nintendo, including the Nintendo Beam Gun game, which was developed in collaboration with Masayuki Uemura from Sharp. The success of the Ultra Arm gave Yamauchi the insight into the novelty of electronic toys that would eventually lead them into video game console production.
Following the success of the Beam Gun in Japan, Nintendo would sign a deal with Magnavox to produce the “Shooting Gallery”, a light gun accessory to their Magnavox Odyssey, the first ever commercially available gaming console. Following this, Nintendo found massive success with Laser Clay Shooting systems, which became so popular that they rivaled bowling as a major pastime in Japan.
The success of the Magnavox Odyssey taught Nintendo an important lesson on the success of video games and would lead them to not only produce successful arcade games based around the light gun and other systems, but would lead them to develop the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Game and Watch Handheld device. These were arguably the two most pivotal releases in their history, since these systems gave rise to cartridge-based gaming and gave birth to all of the series that we know and love today.
We’re super excited to feature you in the Employee Spotlight this month! What's the first thing that came to mind when you found out you were next to be featured on Vapor95's Employee Spotlight?
Thank you. Excited to be featured! When I first heard I was going to be the next Employee Spotlight I was curious about what the questions would be. They tend to be pretty creative.
First, tell us a bit about yourself and what you do at Vapor95.com. What does your day to day look like?
I live in Brooklyn and work remotely, handling marketing and PR at Vapor95, specifically working on influencer strategy and relationship building, managing brand partnerships, creator design collaborations, planning live streams, and events, and reaching out to editors for press coverage. My day to day varies a lot depending on what projects I’m working on. I can say that I do a lot of emailing, researching, and planning every day, and have to be pretty organized to stay on top of everything that I’m working on at once.
How did you find yourself working for the company?
I was friends with River (the founder of Vapor95) before working for the company. He knew that I was working really long hours at my previous job and wasn’t super happy there. He asked me to come work for Vapor95 and it was the greatest work decision I’ve made.
What did you do before Vapor95?
Before Vapor95, I was a Digital Strategist working on influencer strategy for a creative agency. I worked with a variety of lifestyle, beauty, and tourism clients as an account lead for everything influencer related.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was a kid, I wanted to grow up to be a treasure hunter or an actress. I went to performing arts schools and had dreams of becoming a movie star, which is funny to me now because as I’ve gotten older I really don’t like being in the spotlight. When I initially went to college, I went thinking I wanted to pursue a career in creative writing. I later switched gears and went into marketing.
What are your passions and interests outside of work? What's your creative outlet?
Before the city shut down due to COVID-19, I would spend a lot of my time going to shows, mostly to see local Brooklyn bands, but also made sure to see larger bands I love when they made it to NYC. I like to snowboard in the winter, when I am able, but unfortunately didn’t make it out this past year. I wish I could say I have a creative outlet currently. I think I’ve had ‘start writing again’ on my to-do list since I graduated college. I have started getting into genealogy over the past few months while we’ve been stuck at home and have discovered so much about my ancestors. It might be lame, but in general I love doing research and discovering personal histories.
How do you relax when work finishes? What's your ideal weekend?
Working remotely, I sometimes have a hard time establishing a good work-life balance, partly because I’m excited about what I’m working on and also because I haven’t set up a consistent hourly routine for myself, so I often work late into the night. To relax, I like to take a bath, journal, read, light candles, and listen to music like Mazzy Star, Beach House, or J. Mascis. Pretty standard stuff I guess.
My ideal weekend is being outside in the sun, laying and hiking around in nature. I feel so deprived of it after being stuck in a little apartment for months. I think I need to get more plants for my room!
What is your favorite part about working for Vapor95? What are you working on now?
My favorite part about working at Vapor95 is feeling like I’m heard and respected, and that what I have to contribute is valued. I am able to be super creative and try out any ideas I have. There is an opportunity to get involved in all parts of the business that interest me, and I think that’s pretty invaluable.
Everyone at Vapor95 is super cool and easy-going. There is an immense opportunity for everyone working here to grow and learn new skills as the company grows.
Right now I’m working on a few things: finalizing our marketing calendar for the remainder of the year, launching new influencer merchandise collections that I helped design and am really excited about, managing co-branded collection drops, launching a new women’s collection, reaching out to the magazines about Vapor95 news, and managing our influencer and creator partnerships.
What's a secret about you that your co-workers have never heard before?
This question is reminiscent of having to go around the classroom and introduce yourself with one interesting fact about yourself, but worse. Working remotely I haven’t really had the opportunity to get to know all of my co-workers on a super personal level so there is a lot they probably don’t know about me.
If you had to choose, what is your favorite design at Vapor95, why?
My favorite Vapor95 design is the Severus, a limited edition, embroidered hoodie. I love all of the details that went into the design. I’ve been trying to get River to bring it back forever.
I’m also a big fan of the Vinne Art designs, especially CyberVision, Prototype, and Always Cute.
We ask this question to artists we interview here. Letʼs say you get full artistic freedom on a billboard on the busiest road in a huge city where millions will see your message. What would your message be? Any combo of words and images is fine.
If it’s possible, maybe a semi-translucent, holographic billboard that simultaneously casts rainbows and the shadow of the words printed on it onto the road below. The message:
Remember Magic
Or maybe just this quote by Ernest Hemingway:
Live the full life of the mind, exhilarated by new ideas, intoxicated by the romance of the unusual.
If you weren't working at Vapor95, what would you be doing?
Most likely working for another lifestyle brand involved in the music or snowboard industry doing marketing, events, and influencer stuff.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Where do you see Vapor95 in five years?
In five years, I hope to still be with Vapor95. I think we’ll be doing really big things and I’m so excited to see the brand evolve and to be involved in that growth.
Which year of your life would you like to relive?
Is this a situation where you go back to change something knowing what you know now about life? I don’t know that I would want to relive one specific year in my life, but I do look back longingly at my childhood and wish I could relive portions of it. The simplicity of life, when the most important things to me were playing outside with friends, and logging into AIM as soon as I got home. Summers spent climbing trees, catching hermit crabs at the beach, and believing in magic. When days felt like they lasted as long as my weeks do now, and memories of my favorite times were easy to recall. When I would stay awake all night to devour books and write plays that I’d make my family act out. I would go back to those moments when things felt calm, simple, and happy.
What message do you have for the vapor95 fans and customers reading this who admire the brand and want to create something or do something similar?
First and foremost, thank you! Thank you for being excited about the brand and a part of our community. The customers and fans of Vapor95 are the most amazing, kind, and creative people I’ve encountered. Working for a brand that you feel good about and connect with is so rewarding.
As cliche as it sounds, just go for it. Put aside any fear of failure and know that there will always be people out there who relate to and connect with what you’re doing. It may take time, and a lot of hard work, but you will find your audience or community.
We're so happy to feature you on our darknet blog since you've been collaborating with us on designs! Tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you've been doing art.
Thanks for having me! I've been drawing for the majority of my life. I've only gotten serious at it when I was around 17 and wanted to pursue a career in the game or animation industry. I was never hired anywhere but I did end up paving my own career through social media instead.
Tell us a little bit about the designs you've created in collaboration with Vapor95. What inspired these works? If you had to pick a favorite, which one would it be and why?
A lot of the artwork I do is inspired by anime and Lo-fi and Vaporwave aesthetics. I like to mash all the aesthetics I love into one piece. That's why all my work has small elements of anime, Lo-fi, Vaporwave, and sometimes Cyberpunk in them. If I had to choose a favorite, it'd probably be my Konohagakure piece (named Ramen Village on the site). It's just a favorite of mine.
Your style is incredible, inspired, but as original as they come. Please tell us about your artistic journey.
My style wasn't always just line art and flat colors like you see now. I used to do a lot of paintings with many textures and tried to make them look like oil paintings. I used to draw that way because I absolutely hated doing line art. But ever since I started experimenting with line art more, I've really leaned into it and enjoy it now.
Could you tell us more about what you're creating/working on right now?
Right now I'm working on various projects I can't talk about at the moment. But I'm always doing fan art of various series.
Do you listen to music while working on your art? If so, please share your favorite artists or albums with us!
Yes, I listen to a lot of Lo-fi and Chill music. Right now, my favorite artists are probably Powfu and LUND.
You are a world creator. Your designs look like they could be from animated feature films. Where do you get your inspiration from to build these worlds?
A lot of times they're actually fan art from anime series or films so that's no surprise! I like to take specific scenes or ideas from films and try to recreate it with my own spin.
Every artist faces days where they lack inspiration and drive to create. How do you deal with these moments?
When I'm not motivated, I simply take a break and do something else for a while. A lot of times, that's gaming or reading manga and watching shows. After I've had my fun, I'm usually ready to work again.
If you werenʼt an artist, what would you do for a living?
I'd probably end up being a pro gamer or something lowkey.
What is your ultimate dream to accomplish with your art? How do you see yourself at the highest point of your career?
The highest point I can imagine myself is having my work recognized by practically anyone who uses the internet.
Anyone who sees my work will instantly know it was made by "Seerlight".
If you could blast a text message to every phone on the planet to deliver one 160 character message, what would it say?
Boobs.
Finally, what would you say to up-and-coming artists who want to pursue their passion?
Take it easy. Don't force yourself to work more than you should. You should always be having fun with your work.
Seven Ways To Bring Some Aesthetics To Your Apartment
Apartment design usually seems like a really ambitious project. Repainting, relocating furniture, cleaning up before, cleaning up after. It’s probably seemed, for a long time, like something you can simply do later. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for you, we’ve all been forcefully given some extra time indoors. So, right now might be your best shot at actually getting some work done on your apartment.
Adding some style to your place doesn’t have to be a herculean undertaking though. There are a number of very simple things you can try to get that aesthetic look you’ve been searching for, without a ton of effort. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
Full disclosure: many of these come from Vapor95.com.
#1: Philips Hue Lighting
One of the most obvious considerations when redecorating an apartment is repainting. Painting your walls can create a dramatic change in the ambiance of your apartment. This isn’t just a weird psychological trick. There’s actually a scientific basis for why this works.
Physical objects have a tendency to absorb visible light and other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. The color of an object is determined not by the colors they absorb, but by the colors they reflect or fail to absorb completely. So, an object that appears primarily red, is actually all colors but red.
Trippy? Yes, but core to understanding the next point.
The reason the “feel” of a room becomes cooler when you paint a wall blue, is because there’s slightly more blue light bouncing around the room now. This affects how you perceive things in the room, since the colors will appear slightly different.
This same effect can be achieved without all the effort of repainting an entire room by using the Philips Hue Lighting System. This system allows you to fully customize your lighting, switch colors when you’re bored, change the color and intensity for romantic ambiance, or even create epic shows that groove with your music.
#2: Heisei Accent Poster
The word “Heisei” refers to the period of time in Japanese history and culture which started in January of 1989 and ended on the 30th of April 2019, when Emperor Akihito abdicated from the Chrysanthemum throne. That probably sounds way too cool to be true but it’s a fact, not a video game story line.
This period in Japan’s history is characterized by a large expansion in the availability of technology and has thus promoted the spread of Japanese artwork and themes across the globe. This Heisei poster captures something of that period through its use of the color palette and a gun-wielding anime girl. If you’re looking to add something unique to your room in addition to lighting, this is a solid choice. Given it’s use of color, this poster doesn’t even need lighting to be an accent.
#3: Gasmask Geisha Poster
In a weird juxtaposition of traditional culture, beauty, and modern warfare, the Gasmask Geisha can make an interesting accent piece in any room. There isn’t a ton of background info on the poster, though it clearly draws inspiration from anime-styled animation and even hints to some extent at the possibility of violence among the flirtatious musings of the geisha.
Being black and white, this poster can take on a number of tones and work well in pretty much any mood lighting you choose. It’ll also look stellar in a lighting music show.
Regardless of how bland or boring your apartment may be, it’s hard to make a Zen garden flop. If you can afford to get a Zen garden sized for your apartment, setting one in front of the TV or as a centerpiece in your living room can be an incredible addition.
Zen gardens offer a ton of aesthetic value and make a significant contribute to a relaxed feeling in most apartments. If you can’t get a large garden, there are options for tabletop ones that offer similar value aesthetically. You can even make your own.
#5: Himalayan Salt Lamps
True Himalayan salt is harvested from the Khewra Salt mine in Pakistan. The salt here is argued to be millions of years old and gets its distinctive pink color from minerals found in the salt. Lamps made from this salt are believed to be healing in nature and provide a few benefits like:
Clean the air in your home
Soothe allergies
Increase feelings of well-being
While we cannot explore the veracity of these claims in this singular blog post, we can confirm that Himalayan Salt lamps, do lend an awesome, warming atmosphere simply by being placed in a room. If you’re hoping for a romantic movie evening or just good lighting for falling asleep, this is a solid bet.
#6: Miniature Cacti (And other easy to maintain plants)
Jokes aside, a few well-placed plants can make a tremendous difference in any room, especially if they flower. Normally, the idea of taking care of something is a turn off, if you’re not a maintenance-oriented or care-giving person. The plants we suggest, however, are all easy to maintain and bloom without much difficulty.
They are perfect additions to our aesthetic list of easy things to do to make your apartment a cooler place.
Cross room themes can be a good way to add some consistency to your apartment and “extend” an aesthetic to multiple places. Take for example the Scanset blanket and beach towel from our site. If your room and bathroom have similar base colors (like beige or white walls), then having this design as a center piece can catch your eye and fill the space nicely.
The best part of using a blanket or towel as a center piece besides the practicality of them, is their cost. Buying a blanket for room aesthetics is far cheaper than repainting and takes way less time to get set up. At the worst, you’ll actually have to make your bed to maximize your aesthetic. Not a bad way to start a good habit.
This combo can be replicated with many of the designs found on our site, since our blankets and towels come in many designs. If you’re feeling ambitious or are just very committed to color, there are a number of posters and framed prints which also fit this aesthetic.
We're so happy to feature you on our darknet blog! Tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you've been doing art.
Thank you! I am a full-time artist based in Los Angeles, California. My days are usually spent packaging up and placing orders, making art for clients, and making art for myself. I love going on hikes in the mountains here, and going to the beach. When I have free time, I prefer to spend it underwater scuba diving.
When did you start your artistic journey? And what made you dive into the world of collages?
I started making art as POST WOOK in June 2018, but I’ve been making collages here and there since I was 12. I don’t know exactly what sparked my interest in collage vs. other forms of art, but I enjoyed the process of cutting things out and pasting them more than learning how to draw or paint. My grandmother is a classically trained oil painter and after seeing how much time and effort she had to devote to her craft, I respected it but took my creative musings in a different direction. Oddly enough, we make similar art even if its a completely different medium.
Please tell us about your creative process, how are your art pieces created? Where do you find the components of your works, are they also created by you?
I make my art on Photoshop now. In the early days way before POST WOOK, I used to cut out pictures and textures from magazines but found that Photoshop provides a way more compact and less messy outlet for what I want to do. I find my images all over the internet, and did a deep dive into copyright law before I started posting art publicly. The most important thing for finding art on the internet is making sure it's royalty free. Occasionally, my friends and followers who are photographers will send me their photos to use, and in the future I plan on getting a camera myself and taking some of my own photos to use as well.
How do the external world and current events influence your art and creativity?
I try not to make art solely based on current events but rather my feelings and emotions that derive themselves from whatever I’m seeing and feeling. Sometimes my emotions are inspired by current events, but I’m more so enthralled with the world around me.
Have you ever reflected on what draws you to surrealism? If so, what did you come up with?
I’ve always had an imaginative brain, and I didn’t realize how odd my worldview was until Istarted talking to other people about their perspectives. I’ve never gotten a medical opinion, but I’m almost positive I have synesthesia -- I can see and feel sounds in a way that I really can’t describe. My boyfriend is an audio engineer and sometimes when he’s putting something together I’ll describe it as ‘the smell of old leather’ or ‘ripping apart bubble wrap’ and he has no idea what I’m talking about but it makes sense to me. When I look at people’s faces, they look much like Picasso’s cubism portraits which is why I tend to not use people in my art-- I never can find the place for them. When I listen to music, I see a world that looks like my art in a dynamic reality. I guess I make art that reflects the way I see things in a multi-layer, colorful and dysfunctionally functional world.
Could you tell us more about what you're creating/working on right now?
I’m very presently in an in-between phase with my clients, but I am doing a year-long project with the California-based, craft beer company Firestone Walker. I just wrapped up another year long project with the science and space publication, Inverse, and I’m currently working on a few projects I legally can’t discuss! But for myself, I’m planning on expanding my online store a bit more towards the end of summer to include new tapestries, blankets, and notebooks in addition to the maelstrom of prints that my followers and supporters love so dearly.
You have worked with big brands and musicians. Tell us about your favorite collaborations and the process of working with others.
This is such a good question! I really love working with Firestone Walker because the team is so laid back and fun to work with. I worked with Zillow in the very beginning of my career and that was also a very exciting project as well. I’ve been lucky enough to work with a lot of amazing clients though, it’s hard to pin down a specific project!
The process is just a lot of emails back and forth. It’s not super glamorous, now because of COVID it might be more zoom calls than anything else, but I’m usually just sitting on my couch taking notes and then revising projects. Depending on my direct and physical involvement in the project, something can be as hands-on as traveling for the brand and creating in-person content, or quite literally sitting on my couch revising it. With most things in entertainment, the big picture comes together once the project is finished and out in the public. That’s usually when I can celebrate the triumph.
If you werenʼt an artist, what would you do for a living?
I actually loved my last day job and would do it again if I had to. I was an assistant for a private events team in a luxury hotel here in Los Angeles, and I really enjoyed that job. I’m an extrovert to my core and enjoy being around people and putting something together that makes them happy. I also love the logistics that go into event planning and execution, and the hospitality industry at large was the best industry (outside of art) that I’ve worked in.
What is your ultimate dream to accomplish with your art? How do you see yourself at the highest point of your career?
I really want to keep making an impact on the surrealism art world, and bring a new perspective to art. I’d love to see my art break into fashion at some point -- seeing my art on clothing in a runway show is definitely a goal of mine. I’d love to diversify outside of just digital art and start making more physical pieces for galleries and public art displays. I guess my tip top goal would be having my art as the display on the Los Angeles Convention Center, or to collaborate by name with a large brand like Gucci or Prada. I try not to think too much about the ‘means’ that lead to the ‘end’ because I’ve found that the path is always different that I anticipate.
Letʼs say you get full artistic freedom on a billboard on the busiest road in a huge city where millions will see your message. What would your message be? Any combo of words and images is fine.
Oh, I have so many things I could say. Before I even made art, I worked in politics and still have a deep affinity for reforming campaign finance because it can be a very dark place, so maybe ‘Overturn Citizens United’ -- or just ‘Vote’ if I’m taking the political route. Without words, I’d probably just make a nice landscape piece that portrays the surroundings of the billboard. I’m also a fan of abstract, almost troll-like art, so knowing me, I’d just put a big mirror on a billboard for no reason.
Finally, what would you say to up-and-coming artists who want to pursue their passion?
There’s so much! The most important thing is to think about the long term and your goals for the future. Invest in learning your craft as much as you can, and honing in your own style that sets you apart. Inspiration is great and can get you on your feet, but finding a new path to carve out will be far more helpful than trying to run someone out through their shadow. Google is a great resource for most questions, and you can learn a lot from different fields and people’s experiences. Become an expert in social media because the days of only getting recognition from galleries is over, and content is king.
Learn how to be your own agent and manager until you can find those people. I think all artists, not just visual artists, think there will be some superman that will do all of the logistical work for them so they can just make art. That might be true later, but learning how to be your own business manager will help you so much -- from correspondence with clients, to negotiating rates, managing a website, and organizing documents like contracts and tax documents. Art and business should go hand in hand if you want to succeed!
We're so happy to feature you and your incredible art on our blog DARKNET! Tell us a little bit about your background, share your story with us!
My name is Davansh Atry, 3D artist from India. I was an Electronics major at college and graduated in 2016. I was never much interested in a job in that field, majorly because I sucked at it. Haha. Art wasn't my thing from the very beginning. I stumbled upon it by mistake and it just stuck with me. And, i'm glad it did.
How long have you been creating art? And what was the deciding factor for you to pursue it professionally?
I have been creating art for almost three years now, started out sometime in 2017. Like i said, it wasn't my thing from the beginning, initially it was like a hobby that acted as an escape from what I was doing at that point in my life. And as time passed, people started approaching me with opportunities and it was then, when I decided to roll the dice and see where it goes.
Tell us about your process - how do you manage to make your ideas come to life and how close are they to your initial inspirations?
It usually starts with an emotion/thought and then I decide a scene set up for it, a concept, if I may. I then work on it until I'm able to somewhat bring out that emotion through it or basically until I'm satisfied with it.
The real treat is when the audience is able to feel the emotion/thought I felt while creating the artwork.
Do you listen to music while working? If so, what do you usually listen to? How do you see it affecting your final product?
Music is definitely one of the major sources of inspiration for me.
Where do you see yourself at the pinnacle of your career? What would be your ultimate dream come true involving your artwork?
I'd say working with some of my favorite artists would be both a dream come true and where I'd be at the pinnacle.
What would you tell passionate up and coming artists who want to pursue their art?
The only thing I'd say is "never give up". Consistency is the key, as they say, "Rome wasn't built in a day", so the more time you spend on it the better. Plus, share your work with the community as much as you can.
We're so excited to feature your art on the Darknet blog and learn more about you! Your art style is really unique and mesmerizing! Please tell me a little about yourself!
Hi! Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me, it’s always a pleasure to share about art with others. 🖤
I’m Alycia Rainaud, a 24 year old French graphic designer and digital artist currently living in Montréal, Canada. Some people on the internet might also know me as Maalavidaa. I feel like I’m some polymorph kind of person, as many creatives. Back in 2009, I used to be a hairdresser and somehow, in 2018, I graduated with a graphic design master’s thesis, because, of course, life’s not always considered as a straight path. That’s probably why, in the meantime, I started creating digital artworks under the name of Maalavidaa in 2016. I guess I get easily bored and always need to do several things at the same time :)
How long have you been creating art professionally? And what was the deciding factor for you to pursue it as a career?
From what I recall, I was already working on small client contracts back in 2016 besides school work. Everything came together pretty gradually. The more I shared my work on the internet, the more I had requests popping in my mailbox.
Honestly, I remember having the same feeling of gratefulness as I do now every time someone decides to support and trust my work for a project to happen. I guess it would explain why I became a freelancer right after I graduated in 2018.
To be fair, I felt — and always feel — so lucky that I was able to live from what I enjoyed doing at such an early stage of my life. I didn’t have any true professional experience apart from a lot of internships and it just felt like a blessing to have such creative freedom. There was absolutely no doubt about the fact that this job felt like home to me. I knew it from the beginning back when I started my graphic design studies. There’s something about passion, when you have it, when you find it, you know it and everything just falls into place. It felt like the right thing to do. :)
The way you use color to express mood is so incredible. Have you studied color theory professionally or are you self-taught?
Thank you so much! With graphic design courses, you indeed have to learn about color theory. I remember having quite a few lessons about that topic, it’s a recurring and really important lesson in my opinion. Most of the time we would evoke color theory for technical reasons or communication purposes. Of course, it really lifted my knowledge with colors in general. However, I’m always interested in learning new things and I read quite a few about (color)therapy as well which is such an interesting process.
Please tell us more about your artistic process! How do you go from concept to finished piece? What software do you use?
Somehow, when it comes to artworks, I feel like I don’t have any precise concept in mind. That’s why abstraction is a great tool, to me at least. I just get to go with the flow, listen to myself, and picture the mood I’m in. My process is quite simple and based on the analogy between tangible and digital work. I always start with a mixed media acrylic painting I previously made then digitalize with a scanner or a camera. Then comes the post-production part mostly using Photoshop, Cinema4D or Processing to enhance colors and movements, add some stars, make it spacey.
Your abstract work is heavily tied to feelings and emotional well-being, can you tell us more about what this means to you? Do you create to release and process your own feelings or to elicit specific emotions in the viewer?
From as far as I remember, emotions and mental health have always been heavy topics in my life. I’ve been quite early diagnosed as a hyper-sensitive precocious child. To say the least, I had to face quite a lot of unpleasant things in life, as a lot of us do. The more I grew, the more things got worse. I met quite an amount of therapists from an early age to 18, mostly because of major anxiety and depression. I feel like being so close to therapy all the time has led me to (over)analyze myself and others in a way that it also became a topic I’m passionate to learn about. I can’t even begin to express how much it means to me, but I found that my work could. I’m always curious to see what would happen if I’d merge topics together. As soon as I felt comfortable with graphic design and art, I tried to imagine how I’d be able to convey emotional intelligence into my work and maybe increase mental-health sensitivity. This thought crystallized itself when I met my latest therapist (she was Jungian oriented).
Jungian therapy encourages creative exercises in order to release and let go of thoughts and emotions. That’s what actually led me to create Maalavidaa and explore abstraction daily in order to have a safe and soothing space to breathe. Somehow I ended up sharing these bits and bobs on the internet and it resonated with people. It’s such an amazing feeling to see that artworks are able to become such strong emotional concepts without having to include any figurative elements. It’s a process you know, we’re leaning on each other, healing with each other, one step at a time. I couldn’t be more grateful.
We know you've done many collaborations! Which have been your favorite and why?
Oh, this is a tough one! I’ve done so many amazing collabs these past few years that it would be so hard to choose any favorite one. They’re all unique and witnesses of beautiful relationships built over the internet with talented humans.
Considering this thought, I’d say that my collaborations with Aeforia would be my favorite ones. Besides being a fan of his work in the first place, he became one of my closest friends. Alexy is so easy to work with and his aesthetic is unique. I feel like our work combined really well in an easy way. Maybe because both of our arts are so heavily tied to emotions. When we collaborate, things just fall into place naturally and I’m always pleasantly surprised with the results. It also pushes me out of my comfort zone with colors and sceneries. Such a pleasure to work with such a talented and caring human :)
Do you listen to music while you create? If so, what kind and how do you see it affecting your finished piece?
Definitely, all the time! It’s pretty hard for me to work without music since — you guessed it — my work is heavily inspired by moods and what a better way to picture a mood than music? Most of the time I just go for my Chilling and Crying on the Internet playlist on Spotify. It’s long as hell and full of artists I love. However, I sometimes find myself too stuck in my own taste. I love discovering new music because obviously, new music means new moods and new inspiration so I actually enjoy browsing other’s playlists. There’s quite a heavy relationship between music and artworks to me. Indeed, most of the time, my art pieces are titled because of a specific song, also because I’m not good with titling. Sometimes it’s easier to borrow other's words to describe a feeling you’re unable to put together.
Where do you see yourself at the pinnacle of your career? What would be your ultimate dream come true involving your artwork?
To be fair, it’s pretty tricky for me to capture myself at such a stage. I guess I’m kind of a pessimistic person. I’m always afraid of things crumbling apart at any moment. I guess that’s why I’m not setting any precise goals when it comes to work except for work more. But if I had to, I’d love to see myself as an honest and successful director. I’d love to share with people, work on the road with other creatives, brands I enjoy and stand for, do workshops, exhibitions, conferences. Take my work to another level, bring it to the tangible world. Maybe do some work for Tame Impala. Most of all, I’d like to see myself happy and mentally healthy.
Letʼs say you get full artistic freedom on a billboard on the busiest road in a huge city where millions will see your message. What would your message be? Any combo of words and images is fine.
Mmmm I guess I’d say It’s part of the process. That’s a message I usually shout. Meaning, it’s okay to feel the way you feel during your journey through feelings and failures. It’s part of the process. Somehow it’s gonna be alright, trust your gut, you have to go through this. Let the universe flow through you.
What advice would you give to passionate up and coming artists who want to pursue a career in graphic design?
Don’t be too harsh on yourself. Sometimes you’ll undervalue your work, and it’s okay. Sometimes you’ll think that there’s nothing more about you than you work. It’s wrong, and it’s okay. Sometimes you’ll not be able to disconnect from work, and it’s okay. Passion takes time to process. Sometimes you’ll not be able to create and it’s okay. Sometimes you’ll have to start everything all over again, and it’s okay.
Stay true to yourself, because when you feel like what you’re doing isn’t worth it, it will resonate with someone, and raise passion into them. Enjoy the circle.
The desire to explore the “limits” of our consciousness is a natural one and Astral Projection is one of many ways to do so. We currently live in a time that is physically, spiritually, and scientifically revolutionary. Much of what ancient mystics once commonly practiced, which modern scientists at one point dismissed as bunk, immaterialist pseudoscience, is being proven as fact by discoveries in unified physics.
If you haven’t forayed into meditation or another method of exploring consciousness so far, you’re probably extremely skeptical right about now. Even if you have been meditating regularly, the idea of a consciousness that possibly expands beyond the limits of your five senses and body might seem a little unrealistic.
So, how about you don’t take my word for it? Let’s explore a few statements made by minds far greater than my own.
Nassim Haramein can be argued to be the current world leader of unified physics and has been working at the bleeding edge of this field for 30 years now. Recently Dr. Haramein has described a “zero point field”, through which the universe has constructed a forward feeding loop of information, which allows the universe to self-observe.
He quite literally describes this as the universe observing itself, observing itself and in doing so it is becoming more organized and wiser. This closely mirrors one philosophical definition of consciousness which is the ability to know you exist. Effectively, one can argue that universal consciousness is one, the “separation” we experience is merely the result of individualized points in this universal consciousness feeding information into this loop.
From this standpoint, does astral projection seem so far-fetched?
Probably, but at least it’s somewhat less so.
Now that we’ve done the necessary work of dispelling some level of the skepticism that comes with a healthy mind, let’s jump into how you can actually explore Astral Projection on your own.
Step 1. Setting Your Intentions/Imagining the Ideal outcome
It may seem like a silly place to start. After all, if you’ve continued reading to this point the chances are that you do in fact want to experience Astral Projection. Still, it’s a healthy practice to imagine yourself having achieved this goal and what you’ll feel like having done so.
Do you have a friend you’re exploring this with? Maybe someone in your family claims they have had an out of body experience and would be excited to hear about yours. Take a few seconds to get into a calm state. Neville Goddard (one of the world’s foremost spiritual teachers of the 20th century) would describe this state as one akin to sleep.
Sit in a comfortable chair or lie down and allow your body to relax. If it helps, count backwards from 100 as you do so, taking slow deep breaths and growing increasingly relaxed as you do so. Once you feel totally relaxed, imagine your ideal outcome. See in first person that conversation where you describe your experience to a friend. Maybe you simply see yourself “waking up” or returning from your Astral Projection and to no one in particular, you exclaim about how amazing it was.
Whatever you choose, ensure it feels natural to you and once it does, step one is complete.
Step 2. Becoming Aware of Spiritual Sensation
Regardless of which source material you choose to start exploring Astral Projection, you’re highly likely to come across the concept of the astral, dream, energy, light or subtle body. Various spiritual schools describe the astral body in similar but slightly differing ways. Even Christianity alludes to Astral Projection in Corinthians 12:1-4
“I know a man who was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in or out of body, I do not know.”
The concept is not as far off as you might be thinking. To illustrate, we can take some inspiration from Neville Goddard once more.
Tennis ball.
No, that’s not a typo.
Chances are, that right now you’re imagining a tennis ball in some way. Maybe it’s just by sight, which is a fine first step. Now imagine holding the ball, feel how soft and fuzzy the surface of it is. Maybe its an old ball so it’s a bit frayed or flat.
Now, change that ball into a rose or a slice of bread. Feel the difference?
What about a $20 bill? Feel the difference?
If you can discriminate between all these objects, then they must exist somewhere. What you’re currently doing is exercising your ability to detect spiritual sensation. There is an infinite reality that exists within us or that we are inextricably connected to...whichever floats your boat. However you’d like to describe the nature of that reality, the “body” we use to explore that reality through sensation is our astral body.
And now you’re starting to become familiar with yours. In order to have your first intentional Astral Projection or out of body experience, it’s a good idea to become familiar with this process. Be sure to practice a few seconds at a time each day, be sure you imagine good or pleasant things when doing so.
Step 3. Deepen Your Meditative State
Remember the state akin to sleep we discussed earlier? To achieve Astral Projection, we’ll be returning to that state and going as deep as possible without falling completely asleep. To do this, you can employ the use of white noise, trusted hypnotic guides or recordings, or repeat the deep breathing we described earlier from 100 to 0.
From here, your objective is to disassociate your astral body from your physical one. Don’t worry, this is a process that happens naturally or when you unintentionally have out of body experiences anyway. It’s what we’re built for so you have no reason to be worried.
The “Lifting Out” Method by Bob Monroe
As you begin to drift deeper into relaxation, you’ll naturally begin to become aware of a floating sensation, which will be accompanied by a pleasant vibration. Start focusing on the vibration and feel it reverberating through your limbs, you’ll likely feel a pleasant warmth along with it.
As you home in on this vibration, use it to “jiggle” your astral body and cause a separation between it and your physical body. As this separation widens, focus on “lifting” your astral limbs from your physical limbs one at a time, eventually, you’ll achieve a full separation and be on your journey to wherever you want.
The “Rolling” Method
Similar to the "Lifting Out" Method, as you drift into deeper consciousness, you’ll notice a vibration that you’ll want to fill yourself deeply with. As you do, slowly begin to “twist” your astral body without physically moving.
As you make your first full circle, you’ll feel a little strange, especially as your eyes may feel the need to follow your turning. If you’re struggling with this issue, simply return to deep breathing and try again once you feel completely relaxed.
Eventually, you’ll achieve a similar separation to the "Lifting Out" Method and be on your way!
The “Rope” Method
Once you’ve again achieved a state akin to sleep and are pulsing with vibrational energy, imagine a rope hanging directly above you. Lift one arm of your astral body away from your physical body and grab on to the rope.
Once you feel like you have a secure grip, lift the other arm and slowly pull yourself arm over arm until you are entirely detached from your physical body.
What Next?
Well, this part is entirely up to you.
You’ve now learned how to detach from your physical body intentionally. You are now free to explore as you see fit, try moving through different rooms of your house for starters, eventually you can be in entirely different countries or continents.
The show was incredible, featuring a roster of some of Vaporwave's most prominent names. It was so much fun hanging out with fellow fans and supporters!
Hello Danz CM! We're happy to have you as a very talented and unique musician with us on DARKNET blog! We know you're based in NY! Please tell us a little about yourself and your journey!
I'm from a small town in upstate New York called Woodridge. I moved to New York City to attend college. After taking some time off from school - and working several jobs at restaurants and retail, not knowing what I wanted to do with my life - I started to make music for fun, and chose the moniker of Computer Magic. To my surprise, people didn't mind it when I put my songs up online!
How long have you been making music and what was your first inspirational spark to dive into this world?
I've been making music since I was around 20 years old. I didn't know I had the ability to until I sat down and tried. I found out I could make music by ear- hear melodies and chords in my head, get them down on a keyboard without knowing the notes I'm playing. I was always obsessed with music (here is a Discogs list I made recently of my favorite records), but it wasn't until I was an adult that I learned I could actually put a song together.
We know you use analog synths! Tell us about the very first one you got and what are your favorites nowadays?
I do love analog synths. They're very warm sounding to me. The first one I got was a Moog Voyager that I no longer have anymore. I had to sell it to make rent one hard month in New York, and have regretted it ever since. But now I have a nice, albeit small, collection. The main obsession I have now is with small desktop analog modules, like the Moog Minitaur and Prophet 6. They sound great and are fairly portable. I want to build a custom rack for all my desktop modules eventually.
Photo Credit: The Synth Sanctuary in NYC
Tell us about your musical inspirations! Who are the artists you grew up listening to and who you look up to the most today?
I go through a lot of musical phases. Growing up I listened to a lot of Radiohead, Belle & Sebastian, Ladytron. These days I'm listening to a lot of Gary Numan, New Order, Giorgio Moroder. It's always changing, really, and I appreciate all types of music. The main songwriters I look up to are probably Paul Mccartney, Trent Reznor, David Bowie, Thom Yorke.
What does your creative process look like? How do you go from trying out new ideas and jamming to finished records?
Sometimes a song takes a day, sometimes it takes a little longer. Songs are easy to make, but the album process takes a while. I used to just record, mix and master all my songs, make some random artwork and throw them up online without thinking twice, (take the Dreams of Better Days EP for example) but now I like to release albums a little more thoughtfully (take Davos or Danz as an example). It's a long process especially since I self-release everything on my own label (Channel 9 Records) that I run solo. Not only is it creating the songs themselves, but it's having to get them mixed and mastered properly, figuring out artwork, possibly getting a distribution deal for an advance to make quality videos and hire PR, getting records pressed, figuring out a tour, etc.
If I'm doing a remix or a cover it's much faster, maybe a few days. Albums take longer only because I'm pretty particular about the process being just right.
Is Computer Magic your only project? And how often do you collaborate with other artists? Who would you want to work with the most?
I've been releasing everything as Computer Magic but I'm thinking of switching to just Danz or Danz CM for my next album. A lot of people think of Computer Magic as a band, probably because I have a session drummer when I play live, but in reality I'm doing all the songwriting and producing. All my socials are Danz so it just makes sense.
As for other projects, I also run Synth History, an online media brand that focuses on vintage synths and musicians that use and embrace them. So far I've gotten to interview Vince Clarke, Rick Wakeman, Pete Townshend, Suzanne Ciani, Oneohtrix Point Never. Having Synth History is a pretty neat way to get to talk to my heroes, or e-mail with them anyway. I wanna start doing reviews on synths and tech, etc.
As for my own music, I'd like to collaborate more, but I'm so used to working by myself! I grew up, for the most part, as an only child. When I see or hear things in my head one way, it's hard for me to compromise. My default is working solo, it's just a lot easier, so collaboration for me feels forced or unnatural a lot of the time. Although, I'm growing out of that headspace now and realize the benefits that other musicians or creative minds bring. My friend Cody and I have a rock-n-roll side project called Cody & Danz. We're both solo artists, normally... so we're pretty stubborn when we work together, but the end result is better for it.
How do you see yourself at the highest point of your career? What would be your ultimate dream to accomplish with your work and when do you see that happening?
My ultimate dream pertaining to music would be to score a feature someday. With Synth History, it's to keep the brand growing and hire writers. My general dream is to maintain creativity whilst being financially stable. I just want to be happy doing what I love for as long as I can.
How often do you perform and where could we see you live? Can you tell us a little about your upcoming shows?
I'll probably tour when my next record is out if COVID is gone!
Finally, we would love to ask - What would you say to up and coming artists who want to pursue their passion?
Hmmm.. number one is, stick to your vision. I remember when I first started making music I had a friend tell me that I didn't know what I was doing because I didn't go to music school and he did, yadda yadda. If I had listened to that friend, who knows where I'd be now. Be the number one believer in yourself and your art. Number two is, don't try to sound like other artists or fit a trend. Inspiration is cool, but there's only one David Bowie, one Stanley Kubrick, one Billie Eilish, one Van Gogh, etc. What makes any piece of art unique is the person or people who made it. If you try and sound like someone else it's just never going to work, people will see right through it. So essentially - and I'm aware it sounds cheesy but - believe in yourself, stay true to yourself.
ASK H E L I O S EPISODE TWO: I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT YOUR CHOICES
It happened through complete accidental luck.
A bunch of questions whizzed through the internet and plopped onto h e l i o s’ desk. In the stack of questions, I saw a beautiful pattern and the ultimate arrangement of ask h e l i o s equation appeared. Like a crop circle to a corn farmer, it was strange at first...until I stepped back.
Welcome to the second ask h e l i o s newsletter. Today’s issue uncovers the truth about the best decade of all time, how life-changing epiphanies really come your way, and whose mind you should actually read.
Together, we’ll soar through the nostalgic galaxy toward truth and transformation. Now, a question to which h e l i o s has already lived the answer.
I.
Why are the ‘80s the best decade of all time?
Besides the ‘80s being the birth decade of yours truly, there are a number of reasons why.
In many ways, the ‘80s were the first decade defined more by its pop culture than its political, economic, and all the other important happenings. Especially the movies, as they served as perfect modes of exposure for all the other elements of pop culture that no other decade had done before.
That’s why the best way to understand the ‘80s, in h e l i o s’ humble, selfish opinion, is to look at the films. You see, that’s how I consumed the ‘80s. Deep in the flicker of a television screen. It reminds me of the days where I sat alone in the living room while an endless stream of movies played to a curious crowd of one viewer: me.
Even now, I can close my eyes and imagine this dream world where my life is a cocktail of every ‘80s movie I’ve ever seen. If I could go back in time and turn my life into a movie, it would be an ‘80s movie. I would take bits and pieces of different ‘80s movies to create my entire existence.
What would the perfect decade look like for h e l i o s?
Well, I’d always have a witty quote ready for any situation like John McClane in Die Hard. Whenever I’m frustrated in this perfect decade, I’d express my true feelings like Ren in Footloose’s warehouse scene. I’d solve all my personal disputes with colleagues and friends with rainy, noir Highlander sword fights. My best dinosaur friends would be Duckie and Petrie. Other notable friends include the guy who makes the noises from Police Academy, the Shrunken Head guy from Beetlejuice, Sloth from Goonies, and Billy from Predator.
I’d dress like the cast of the Lost Boys when I’m in a bad mood. In good moods, it’s vaporwave aesthetics, of course. I’d have an Asian uncle like Mr. Miyagi who I’d spend a summer with learning karate. My biceps would look like Stallone’s in Over The Top. I’d live in a suburban dream home like Ferriss Bueller. I’d eat pizza and go shopping at the Ridgemont Mall (which reminds me a lot of our Vapor95 retro virtual shopping plaza). I’d live with my very own Johnny Five. My best friend would be Goose and he’d be the best damn wingman I’d ever met. My other home would be the pirate ship inside the cave in Goonies. I’d always have a killer one-liner like John Matrix in Commando. Mr. Keating from Dead Poet’s Society would be my high school teacher. Dr. Indiana Jones would be my college professor. When I’m confused about life, I’d go ask Zoltar and he’d sort me out.
The skies are always burning orange and red like they were in To Live And Die In LA. When the sun sets, the skyline lights up and inspires me for hours (see above). I drive a Tron motorcycle and Falcor is basically my vaporwave Uber. I’m woke AF like the dude in They Live. But, I’m constantly confused like Bill and Ted. My Big Trouble in Little China mullet is the perfect mix of business in the front and party in the back. Gizmo is my pet. And every day, I’ve got ‘80s Tom Cruise positivity swagger.
That’s a fine mix that jolts the imagination awake. It brings me joy on many levels, to imagine what that mash-up would look like. It’s simply the best, most nostalgic decade (even if ‘95 is the most special number of all time).
So, which ‘80s and ‘90s movies would you want your life to look like? Which movies give you that sweet retro, nostalgic, vaporwave feeling? Tell us below in a comment!
Watch enough ‘80s movies like me and you’ll have some crazy daydreams or some kind of epiphany about your life. Did someone say epiphany?
II.
My name is Donovan. I'm a sophomore in high school still aimlessly clawing through my time and trying to figure out what I want to do. My question to you is: what was an epiphanous moment for you that changed who you were?
The answer will probably disappoint you. h e l i o s has been searching for this "epiphanous" moment his whole life. Probably wishful thinking from all the movies he’s watched. I imagine this day where some big heartbreak happens and I’m totally, completely transformed.
After this epiphany, I start to appreciate life. I say “yes” to fun opportunities to play volleyball on the beach with my co-pilot or skip class and have a wild, unforgettable afternoon with my best friend and some random girl. I shed my insecurities. The flaws shake off like dead leaves. I drop the box of cigarettes in the bin. I throw the alcohol bottles away. I wake up before the sun. I throw on my Just Jazz hoodie and joggers. I hit the gym every day. My head is filled with 99.99% happy thoughts and the demons disappear.
But, it’s just a fantasy. A fantasy built around the epiphany fallacy. Because humans don’t really work that way. Especially not marble statues. No matter how much they love comeback stories.
You will, however, go through a bunch of moments. Some are minor dramas. Some break your heart. Some leave you with depression so cold you can’t see the other side. These moments don’t always feel like epiphanies. But, trust me...they are.
We’re so jazzed by the Hollywood depiction of an epiphany that these amazing moments happen in our life and they feel way too humdrum. They don’t feel epic or cinematic. There’s no orchestra to go with our breakdown. Nothing aesthetic about it. It leaves us disappointed. It leaves us expecting a real epiphany to come in the future. One day...
The moments you do have are actually really cool moments. Like little side quests in the game of life where you pick up some skills you never sought out to have. (And if you imagine them juxtaposed to the ‘80s music above, you’ve got yourself a pretty epiphanous movie montage known as “your life”. Add some retro aesthetics and now you’re in it.)
Since Game of Thrones recently wrapped up, here’s a Peter Dinklage quote from a talk he gave. You can substitute “defining moments” for “epiphanies.”
“Don’t search for defining moments. Because they will never come. The moments that define you have already happened. And they will already happen again.”
I love that quote. The moral here is: you‘ll never accumulate XP-boosting epiphanies by sitting there. You gotta go out and shake things up. Be vulnerable. Fuck up. Make mistakes. Start over. Start over again. Look back from time to time and realize how far you’ve come. Collect your little cadre of epiphanies along the way. h e l i o s sure has.
I hope with enough good livin’ and experiencin’, you can look back with your own nostalgic wisdom on all the little epiphanies you’ve collected. Even if they came as a consequence of foolish mistakes and terrible choices. My own terrible choices helped me answer questions like this from Ethan:
III.
Until just recently I felt set in my decisions. I believed I had made all the right choices. Now, I've begun to doubt that. The people around me have begun to act differently than I thought they would. Like, they're different people. I'm not sure I can do anything about this, but I was wondering if you had any mindreading tricks I could learn. Perhaps then I could make choices that lead me instead to you.
I will answer your question in three parts. First, the essential part of your question. Do I have mind reading techniques which you could learn? No. Not really. That’s overrated. But, wait. There’s more.
The people around me have begun to act differently than I thought they would. Like, they're different people. I'm not sure I can do anything about this.
Like I said, mind reading is overrated. You even answered your own question here. You see, people will continue to act differently than you think they will. Heck, we sometimes act differently than we think we would. People change. That’s a good thing. Don’t let this discourage you. Don’t try to read minds. Don’t try to play mental games.
Instead, understand humanity. In all its fickleness, volatility, and stupidity. The only mind you need to worry about reading is your own. The most powerful mind reading is done on yourself. It’s not easy to read through the bullshit you’re thinking and see the truth. But, it’s way more valuable than reading through someone else’s cranium. Reading your own mind will set you free.
Lastly, I want to talk to you about your choices. Indeed, this question comes from someone who made choices. Good choices. Great choices that led them to me, h e l i o s. You too, dear reader, have made choices that lead you to me here on this web page on the internet.
Now, dear answer-seeker, you think you made some wrong choices in life? It’s called being human. h e l i o s begs you not to look back on your choices unless they are with rosy nostalgia or blissful contemplation.
Speaking of contemplating your choices, here’s a cool thought experiment to show you you your choices have been a lot more fascinating than you think. I share this little experiment to show you you’ve been in control a lot more than you can imagine.
Warning: if you’re not into diving deep into the marble fountain of your mind, skip this exercise.
I’m going to paraphrase an exercise from Robert Anton Wilson's book Prometheus Rising and hope he “chooses” not to sue us.
Sit in a room where you will not be disturbed for a half hour and begin thinking, "I am sitting in this room doing this exercise because..." and list as many of the "causes" as you can think of. For instance, you are doing this exercise because your dear aesthetic overlord h e l i o s told you to try. How did you find yourself reading this newsletter? Where did you find h e l i o s? Did somebody tell you about Vapor95? How did you meet that vaporwave-loving person? If you randomly found us on the web, why did you happen to be on that particular page that day? Why do you visit the websites you visit? How did you become interested in the things you love? What things from your childhood brought you here? Why are you reading this blog on a computer instead of a tablet? Why are you sitting where you are? Why are you in this city and not another? Why in this country and not another? Why were you summoned into this aesthetic universe at all? How did your parents meet? Why were they at the right place at the right time? And, so on. Avoid answering through concepts like karma, reincarnation, fate, or coincidence. The point of the exercise will be rather mind-blowing when you think about all the great choices made to bring you here.
When you really think about it, could it be that you’ve actually created this whole vaporwave thing yourself? I mean, there’s really no proof that we created it. You may have created it in your own consciousness as a glitch in our modern day programming. Or because your brain was bored with modern style. Or because the reality you wish to live in so badly is becoming real. Can you prove to me that you’re not creating this newsletter in your own head as you reach each new word and letter? Send me an email with your proof.
Doesn’t reading minds seem pretty amateur when you realize you might be making reality up as you go?
Are you grateful to be here, my aesthetic friend? The greatest decade-its movies, music, culture, and clothing-is at our fingertips. We’re collecting mini-piphanies all the time and growing because of it. All our choices, decisions, and mistakes have brought us all together in this retro moment in time.
It sure is a great time to be...alive and aesthetic.
A tender adieu,
h e l i o s
P.S. Thanks for reading the second ask h e l i o s newsletter. It was a wild ride, I’ll admit. Feeling some heavy emotions? Wanna dress yourself in the finest retro clothing? Want an outfit that brings you closer to your greatest epiphany? Make your wisest choice and visit our store here.
P.P.S. Have you read our first ask h e l i o s newsletter? Check it out here.
The cosmic grooves of the internet’s funkiest little sub-genre, Future Funk, has come a long way… A long, long way.
It seems like just yesterday, I was typing in “Future Funk” on Youtube and a large selection of tracks would pop up, almost all the time with the same ol’ sorta stuff:
a solid, catchy measure of an old 80’s city-pop song on loop for 2 minutes straight
some fun simple drums
a nice fuzzy retro-anime gif to accompany the whole thing, most times not even synced to the kick of the song.
Very aesthetic indeed, and with a formula so repetitive, yet contagious, the emitted grooves brought out by this Vaporwave sub-genre became beloved by many around it’s birth in 2013… We saw titans spawn in this time period, future funk legends like MACROSS 82-99, YUNG BAE and Night Tempo just to name a few. Vaporwave existed for almost 2 years up until this point and most people welcomed in this higher-tempo, generally more optimistic sound pretty quickly as it was a nice breath of fresh air from the crooning, droning sound styles found often in your stereotypical Vapor track at the time. It got down to the point, producers stripped away all the excess fat of an old 12” disco sample, take the catchiest part and inject into the listener’s ears for a minute or two. Quick hits and long lasting highs, it really was like a drug.
However, time has passed and when time passes, people’s tastes change. Many began to grow tired of the overdone, and pretty lazily constructed, future funk formula that was going for a couple years strong. Artist as well began to crave newness, and luckily for us they went to work. We’ve seen a solid handful of producers who have stuck around with that fire burning passion for disco, latin drums, french house - pretty much anything that can contain a groove you can possibly manipulate with a modern touch. That burning flame inside has made artists craft tracks in a much more deliberate, dense, and creatively thought out way more than ever before, making 2019 and the future such an expansive time for the sub-genre and the talent coming out of it.
So yes, we have seen some crazy growth in the scene and I absolutely love how exciting it has all gotten, but with all of the releases coming out, you may ask “where do I begin?”. So today, I want to give you 5 releases we have seen in the recent days of the scene that I believe do an excellent job at showcasing just how wild the production and groovy sensations can get for a Future Funk experience. So put on some swim shorts, make sure you catch a Lapras and teach it surf, and bring a lot of sunscreen, because you and I going to sizzle on this hot summer day at the beach… You’ve just entered the “Future Funk” zone.
Unibe@t - Origins
Unibe@t opened up 2019 with a colossal bang.
For those who haven’t heard of Unibe@t, this artist is super low key and likes to make his mark on the scene strictly with the final result of his music... Let the product speak for itself.
Bandcamp describes the artist best: “an artist's artist beloved by some of the biggest and most respected names in Vaporwave and Future Funk”. So yeah player, do not mistake Uni’s quiet ways to sneak into his musical output, because ”Origins” is anything but shy. This “wall of sound” that you will have absolutely no way around or ability to scale, “Origins” is massively colorful with jolting sample chops (I love that snazzy piano reconstruction on “Internationale”) knowing when to peak in and out of instrumental subtleness with filters and mixing. It is an absolutely bouncy Future Funk release, depth woven into each measure on an almost hour long tracklist. “Origins” came out in January with 12 tracks, averaging between 4 and 6 minutes each so you are in for not only a lengthy listen, but a superb one to say the least. Tracks like “Konnichiwa” and “Multi-Lover” are so musically hefty, so listen up you better come hungry.
BarbWalters - Pleasure
Barby baby let me tell you player the step up here from “Reconnect”, BROTHER, you can feel the attention to detail that went into this project! And I really liked “Reconnect” too, an album I recommend you listen to before jumping into “Pleasure” so you can see the growth of his musical artistry. But for real, “Pleasure” just blows that thing out of the water! “Pleasure” can easily be one of the best Future Funk releases of the year, measures are sautéed in their own unique way. Every single moment separating itself from the previous one and making sure no two sections on the album sound the same. Whether it is some empty spaces that are nothing short of ticklish between the sample chops or an added layer of a secondary sample to create an extra melody for ya, Barb delivers every beat on here with a cherry on top.
You can definitely see the Ed Banger influence on here. Tracks like “So You Wanna” have this clunky, chop-job execution, that reminds me of the classic track “Arabest” by French House legend SebastiAn (and I know how much you love that French House Barb). I love this meaty, clustered sound; a straight up cosmic electro-funk salad, that sounds like a bunch of robots working on some assembly line. Also the track “Go Easy”... THAT BASSLINE! AHHHH
HATENA - PARADER
Next, let’s take a look at my boy HATENA and his May 2019 release of PARADER - An extremely charming future funk release with some quality chopping on a superb selection of samples to undeniably keep you listening from start to finish (listen to ya boi, this is an album that is hard to put down once you rev up the first track). Fans of the Future Funk scene, who are looking for a return to a sample-heavy emphasis production wise, HATENA is your go to pick for that simple summer lovin’. Each track blends smoothly with one another, and at a tasty pace to say, the least! (Hatena really loves them good ol’ white noise risers!)
The sample chopping is really HATENA’s bread and butter on “PARADER”. Your attention is always spent on awaiting what little quirky variation the vocals will chop up into. I had a blast in visiting the musical carnival he’s operating up in here. My personal favorite track on this album is “Cheap Thrills”, some great workout music! Also “Loser”, I see you with that homage to The Phantom’s Revenge! You can tell the french house legendary DJ is a huge inspiration to the young Future Funk artist for “PARADER”.
Most of the tracks contain the same formula, but when it’s done with such humble, yet, quality execution, you just can’t help but fall in love. HATENA is a great dude, who is super active in the scene and community. With “PARADER”, we really see his passion for the sound of classic French House and Filter House come to life! I can not wait to see what the Australian producer cooks up next. keep grindin’ my man.
Montaime [Label]
Next up, I want to talk not necessarily about a specific release, but an entire label: Montaime
Featuring releases from fan-favorite producers like FIBRE, Discoholic, Cobalt Road, and many more, Montaime is your go to platform if you are someone who can never get enough of that modern disco heat. I also really want to applaud the label for their frequent, yet quality, releases. A couple weeks ago, we got the single “Still Down to Get Down” by Discoholic ft. bruce take nap & PHAUN. With some proper jingles, a crunchy bassline, a laid back drum track, and some added killer vocals, the track blooms with sophistication and dedication - kinda sounds like some Breakbot, and trust me, that is a huge compliment. It truly is wonderful to see artists so passionate about disco and wanting to create their own music from start to finish. Personally, I recommend just jumping straight into their “Montaime - Volume 1”, a collection featuring 11 great artists all looking to shine.
A diverse palette of artists inspired by Disco, does it really get any better than this?
Vantage - Aloha Island
The homie Vantage, damn it has been almost 4 years since Metro City was released? Time flies! Even in 2015, Vantage’s classic album “Metro City” was pretty intricate for a time surrounded by a lot of Future Funk flooded with lazy looping and over-simplistic formulas (Listen to the opening track 50//50 on here...still love all those changeups!)
“Aloha Island”, released in 2017, is easily Vantage’s best work yet (opinions!). Here, we have another case of a producer who, after coming into the scene, has gradually began to put more and more of his own organic touch on his releases. “Aloha Island” is spacious, roomy, and grand. Many tracks have this floaty feel due to there not being this jumble and mish-mash of overcrowding instruments trying to climb over one another. It is a humble ride. Tracks like "Street Chorus" have that fun filtered vocal chop laying over some minimal synths, drums, and more hand-selected instruments that keep the track clear and aerodynamic. Same vibe on the track “With Me”, a very Toro Y Moi-meets-Future Funk (as if Toro isn’t groovy enough already!)
Vantage is the perfect music to accompany you on a flight or long train ride, so make sure you get a window seat. Surprisingly, the vinyl for this album is still available despite there only being 300 copies pressed, so record collectors jump on that because this is a damn good release that definitely goes under the radar for many.
At the end of the day, Future Funk will always be what you make of it. I mean, calling it all “Future Funk” is just a label for it all, just a word to easily umbrella everything we’ve seen these past couple of years, at least that’s how I sum it all up. It’s subjective; is Future Funk limited to that repetitive looping formula combined with a 1980’s anime gif? If we place more instruments, vocals, secondary samples, heavy drum mixing, etc., are we just entering territory claimed by other genres like Nu-Disco, French House, etc? Whatever you think of it, just always remember to groove, have a good time, and lose yourself. Dance like nobody's watching!
Much love, ur boi, Pad Chennington
"Also known as "Youtube's Vaporwave Valedictorian", Pad Chennington is a content creator who has created a substantial following on YouTube for his videos discussing all things Vaporwave. Starting in the Fall of 2017, Pad's videos range from reviews to breakdowns, interviews to unboxings, and much more, always revolving around odd and interesting music genres found throughout the internet. Pad has also recently released an album in February titled "CONTRAST" that is available as a free download via the My Pet Flamingo label."
