cmc/cleberg.net

  1#+date:        [2021-03-28 Sun 00:00:00]
  2#+title:       Vaporwave vs. Outrun
  3#+description: Breaking down the differences between vaporwave and outrun aesthetics.
  4#+slug:        vaporwave-vs-outrun
  5#+filetags:    :personal:
  6
  7* Overview
  8
  9When it comes to an aesthetic that originated primarily online, there tends to
 10be a lot of confusion around what falls into each specific genre. This post
 11discusses Vaporwave and Outrun, which have become almost synonymous in the minds
 12of those online who aren't hardcore into these genres of media. More
 13specifically, Outrun is largely an unknown term while all aesthetics in these
 14two genres are usually attributed to Vaporwave. For example, take a look at the
 15image search results for Vaporwave: the results include *a lot* of Outrun-themed
 16images. You'll find a similar trend almost everywhere.
 17
 18#+caption: Vaporwave Search Results
 19#+attr_html: :alt Search engine results for vaporwave, showing many outrun-related images.
 20[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210328-vaporwave-vs-outrun/vaporwave-search-results.webp]]
 21
 22* Vaporwave
 23
 24#+caption: Macintosh Plus Album Cover
 25#+attr_html: :alt Album cover of the Macintosh Plus album.
 26[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210328-vaporwave-vs-outrun/macintosh-plus.webp]]
 27
 28Okay, so what is Vaporwave? I'm going to just copy-and-paste some general info
 29from the Wikipedia article on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporwave][Vaporwave]], so that I'm not repeating everything
 30you can already search for online:
 31
 32#+begin_quote
 33Vaporwave is a microgenre of electronic music, a visual art style, and an
 34Internet meme that emerged in the early 2010s. It is defined partly by its
 35slowed-down, chopped and screwed samples of smooth jazz, elevator, R&B, and
 36lounge music from the 1980s and 1990s. The surrounding subculture is sometimes
 37associated with an ambiguous or satirical take on consumer capitalism and pop
 38culture, and tends to be characterized by a nostalgic or surrealist engagement
 39with the popular entertainment, technology and advertising of previous decades.
 40Visually, it incorporates early Internet imagery, late 1990s web design, glitch
 41art, anime, 3D-rendered objects, and cyberpunk tropes in its cover artwork and
 42music videos.
 43#+end_quote
 44
 45This is an excellent summary, and it helps address my point here: there are
 46specific aspects that make Vaporwave unique:
 47
 48** Time Frame
 49
 50The time frame for references, logos, etc. focuses mostly on the 1990s in
 51Vaporwave. You'll see old school Pepsi logos, Microsoft 95 screens, tropical
 52plants, classic marble sculptures, and many references from Japan's influence in
 53the 90s.
 54
 55** Art
 56
 57The color scheme is generally a soft, light palette that uses pastel colors. The
 58backdrop will often be in a light-pink or teal blue.
 59
 60** Music
 61
 62The musical genre of Vaporwave incorporates soft tunes, lounge music, and sound
 63effects that will make the listener reminisce of the 90s. The sounds of the
 64genre are generally slower-paced and calming. The major breakthrough artist for
 65Vaporwave was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vektroid][Macintosh Plus]], who released the album [[https://archive.org/details/MACINTOSHPLUS-FLORALSHOPPE_complete][Floral Shoppe]] in 2011.
 66Another more recent example is the artist [[https://sadbert.bandcamp.com/][sadbert]], whose latest album
 67incorporates the upbeat tones of the 1999 Dilbert television series.
 68
 69Notice that Vaporwave doesn't include things like racing cars, futuristic
 70technology, chrome, or the deep orange/purple color scheme. Vaporwave is a focus
 71on the idyllic state of the world when technology was becoming common in
 72households, a reality that we have already experienced. Focus on the most
 73aesthetically-pleasing parts of that past is a large part of Vaporwave.
 74
 75* Outrun
 76
 77#+caption: Outrun
 78#+attr_html: :alt The classic outrun picture with digital hills and a grid leading to a far-away sunset.
 79[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210328-vaporwave-vs-outrun/outrun.jpg]]
 80
 81Now, let's get to Outrun. This one is a little trickier since the genre has
 82largely been lumped under the Vaporwave title for so long. However, it stems
 83from the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthwave][Synthwave]] music genre and is likely named after the 1986 racer game,
 84[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_Run][Out Run]].
 85
 86** Time Frame
 87
 88Outrun can be thought of as a retro-futuristic aesthetic born from the 1980s.
 89
 90** Art
 91
 92The color scheme uses a very dark color palette with the main colors being deep
 93oranges, blues, and purples. Red edges are common around objects in Outrun art.
 94The background of the Outrun aesthetic is almost always a neon grid like you'd
 95expect to see in Tron or a 1980s arcade machine.
 96
 97Classic sports cars, chrome robots, computer generated graphics and fonts, and
 98the occasional use of rain or palm trees can be found in Outrun art.
 99
100** Music
101
102This aesthetic has a more aggressive and fast-paced style of music, which tends
103to match the subject of the art in this aesthetic.
104
105Outrun enthusiasts love what people in the 1980s thought the future would look
106like. Take a look at a common video game discussed in Outrun circles, Far Cry 3:
107Blood Dragon:
108
109#+caption: Fry Cry 3: Blood Dragon
110#+attr_html: :alt The game cover for Far Cary 3: Blood Dragon, showing ninjas, lasers, dinosaurs, and cyborgs.
111[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210328-vaporwave-vs-outrun/far-cry.jpg]]
112
113Another example that doesn't force the color scheme as hard as some online art
114does is Kung Fury:
115
116#+caption: Kung Fury
117#+attr_html: :alt The movie cover for Kung Fury, showing the proteagonist in a city at night with a moon.
118[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210328-vaporwave-vs-outrun/kung-fury.jpg]]
119
120#+caption: Kung Fury Hacker Scene
121#+attr_html: :alt The HACKERMAN scene from Kung Fury, showing a classic 1980's hacker in a computer room.
122[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20210328-vaporwave-vs-outrun/kung-fury-hacker.jpg]]
123
124* Conclusion
125
126While Vaporwave and Outrun share similarities, they are two distinct aesthetics
127with many important distinctions. Someone who enjoys one may not necessarily
128enjoy the other, so it's important to make sure we properly describe the
129aesthetic we're looking for.