#genericflesh

G E N E R I C  F L E S H :  N E O N  S E R F D O M

Today we begin our second Generic Flesh segment: Neon Serfdom! Herein we will discuss another related collection of Vaporwave subgenera: Faux-Utopian and Mallsoft. Thematically, these genera attempt to take a stab at the hyper-positive pro-corporate sentiments of the 90s economic boom and twist them into something which (rightfully) haunts and disturbs. Musically you’ll hear a lot of corporate “muzak” samples being irreparably distorted and torn to pieces married into a calming background ambient soundscape. We’ve even listened to perhaps the most canonical example of Faux-Utopian already: Floral Shoppe epitomizes these ideas.

Despite being almost opposites thematically, I would argue that these genera do pair well with those previously showcased on Deep Dreaming. People don’t say it enough; times are tough, and ultra capitalism is frequently to blame. Where the Deep Dreaming genera were a “flight” response to escape from the world around us, these we’ll listen to over the next few days are the corresponding “fight” response; where they were fantastic stories of otherworlds, these are closer to non-fiction or somber diary entires.

Let’s enjoy together one of my favorite Mallsoft albums HOUSEWARES by 식료품groceries.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPjQif2uct4&frags=pl%2Cwn

We conclude Generic Flesh: Deep Dreaming today with what is considered a canonical example of the Utopian Virtual subgenre. This subgenre focuses specifically on the concept of a bright and American-Dream-satisfying future, something like you’d see on an episode of the Jetsons. I admit that one of my main interests in Vaporwave is its ability to criticize exactly this, and to parody the ultra capitalist corporate expansionism which infamously epitomizes the 1990s. We’ll discuss these deeper issues quite a lot in upcoming episodes but they are not today’s focus. Before our rollercoaster careens downward towards an almost exclusively anticapitalist narrative, I invite you to enjoy the brief respite of the ethereal Googleplex Bionetwork by Pyravid for a glimpse of a potential future brighter than any we deserve.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf4xUmjJzCA

Continuing the segment Generic Flesh: Deep Dreaming, today we will showcase a canonical example of the Hypnagogic Drift subgenre of Vaporwave. Music within this classification is meant to be highly atmospheric and surrealistic in both its sound and subject matter. Put what I’ve got for you on in the background and do some dishes, some work, or simply allow yourself to ascend to the digital/astral plane; behold Computer Afterlife by Infinity Frequencies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmFSwI_JQNU&frags=pl%2Cwn

Also, this album is available for free (or name your price if you wish to support them financially) on the artist’s band camp.

G E N E R I C  F L E S H :  D E E P  D R E A M I N G

Hope you’re all having a lovely weekend bird catching and enjoying the brostep pulsating from every local frat house. Remember to drink water, it’s unseasonably hot today.

Generic Flesh will be a recurring subsegment during which we dive a bit deeper into what characterizes or is alleged to characterize one of our mandate genres and/or their subgenera. I’d like this to lead naturally into a discussion of didactics in art, a didactic in art being a description of what the art is supposed to mean, the most relatable example being the little information cards often found next to paintings in museums and art galleries. Assigning a genre to a piece of work implicitly assigns a didactic to it and often changes how it is perceived. I’m not necessarily saying this is a positive thing, nor am I necessarily suggesting it’s a critical flaw either; the goal of these segments will be to introduce how some genera are commonly viewed in order to give us more tools to discuss them in future.

Today and for the next few days we’ll be listening to three Vaporwave sub-genres referred to as Utopian Virtual, Future Visions and Hypnagogic Drift. Thematically, the commonality between these genres is their attempt to paint a neon light-painted still life of a cyberized future. Emotionally, these genres are meant to evoke a state of meditative calm. We have seen many examples of these ideas already: the cyberpunk ambiance of Birth of a New Day, the sci-fi operatics of We Are Destroyers, as well as the calming zen-funk of New Amerykah.

Today I present to you an album considered to be a canonical example of the Future Visions subgenre. Please enjoy the epic-poem-in-vaporwave-form that is A Heart Full of Love by DARKPYRAMID.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc6ldi6APWM&frags=pl%2Cwn