Digital Kids, Analog Life: The Impact Of Technological Advances On Music
The way we discover and share music has drastically changed, we have traded in our CDs and vinyl records for subscriptions to streaming services, and in some cases MP3s and WAV files. Neatly tucked away from the public eye, people all over the world have engaged in a different kind of culture, one that unites everyone behind their screens through the enormous reach of the internet. The recent technological advances have made it more possible than ever for creators to share their work with millions of others from the comfort of their own home, this DIY culture has inevitably led to the birth of vaporwave, seapunk and lo-fi hip hop.
Much like early punk music, vaporwave was born as an answer to corporate America of the 80s. The genre ironically incorporates various consumerist commercials and early computer visuals, artists like Macintosh Plus, Vektroid and Black Banshee combine heavily manipulated elements of smooth jazz and elevator music to convey an ethereal journey through consumer capitalism steeped in nostalgia. Floral Shoppe by Macintosh Plus laid the foundation for the genre by redefining the way we see and hear plunderphonics, reimagining classics such as “Its Your Move” by Diana Ross and “Tar Baby” by Sade. Vaporwave has served as a milestone and a subject of debate about artistic vision. It has greatly benefitted from the “remix culture” that exists on websites such as Tumblr.
Another genre that benefits greatly from Tumblr’s “remix culture” is seapunk. Originally a joke on the popular platform Twitter, seapunk found its way to people as a visual aesthetic before spiraling into its own music genre. Artists like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj capitalized on the genre’s visuals that consisted of bright nautical colors, primitive 3-dimensional graphics and various maritime imagery like dolphins and sea shells. Seapunk later spawned a unique sound, artists like Ultrademon and Aitor Orion meticulously manipulate sounds from the early 90s. Perhaps the most consistent genre of the bunch, lo-fi hip hop was born out of the deepest corners of the video-sharing website YouTube.
In retaliation against the norms of commercialized music, artists like bsd. u and knxwledge utilize a more rugged and unpolished approach to hip hop music by emulating pioneers like J Dilla and Nujabes. The genre is characterized by the often off-beat percussions and hazy instruments. Before debuting to the masses, Lo-fi hip hop garnered a dedicated following on the music streaming website Soundcloud.
