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-- Chillwave. Yay or...Nay...

Chillwave. Yay or...Nay...

First of all, sorry if this is a repost of some kind but TA's search function clearly didn't reveal anything.

So, there seems to be an 80s New-Wave/Synth-pop revival among the hipsters (and boy, do i hate hipsters). Leaving aside the tight jeans, the glasses and the scarf, there is some good (IMO) stuff to be found among this heavily Pitchfork-praised new (pseudo-?) genre.

Since i always loved the 80s new-wave/synth-pop/italo-disco stuff it seems like a fresh (!) retro-futuristic revival in today's completely blatant (for the most part) and boring clinical EDM stuff. The good thing is that electronic music is escaping the club (again) and its strict four-to-the-floor prison into every (hipster's? well yeah but not only) house.

Personally, i had enough of the "mathematical-type-EDM-woosh-sound-in-forth-bar-click-clicky-in-8th-bar-breakdown-in-24th" and i start loving the raw, directness and power of the analogue (well i always loved it). There is nothing like direct interaction with your instrument and this is what electronic music has missed for a long time (since Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Jarre and the 80s). I hope that this is the start of a new musical revolution where every guitar will be substituted by a distinctive synth-sound.



Chillwave has its roots in older "indietronica" (The Notwist/Lali Puna, The Limousines, Her Space Holiday, Ghostland Observatory, DNTEL/Postal Service) and neo-psychedelic-pop stuff like MGMT, Ariel Pink and the craziness of Animal Collective and Panda Bear.


Here is some stuff. Its still cheap pop (and those hippy vocals can get disturbing at times...) but its raw, fresh and in a way clever at the same time. It truly is a pseudo-genre since it is highly heterogeneous. Toro Y Moi has a heavy old funk and disco influence, Memory Tapes sound like IDM with pop-vocals at times, whereas Small Black are much darker in an 80s Depeche Mode style. The only common thing is that they all use retro analogue synths and influences from the past (especially the 80s). I don't like a lot of that stuff but some i do. Check some out...




Com Truise - Iwywaw (pure analogue instrumental brilliance)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDG1LbOoANY



Com Truise - Karova (Com Truise is a fantastic artist with some 70s-or maybe Boards Of Canada- Influence.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJSKJqvoQ6U



Small Black - Camouflage (LOVING this. Bringing to mind stuff like early Depeche Mode and The Cure and the French/German 80s coldwave/darkwave scene reminding me of my goth youth :P)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMCPmmZBoF4




Small Black - Hydra (pure and beautiful 80s new-wave/cold-wave feel with an amazing raw explosion of sounds)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT8t1H_COPc




MillionYoung - Cosmonaut (dreamy and nice intelligent synth-pop)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9Zm-Vv9QgQ



MillionYoung - Hammock (Kaleidoscope of summery poppy psychedelia)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFqxT6SB4Qg




Emeralds - Candy Shoppe (Very 70s Tangerine Dream-ish ideal for illegal substances [but stay away from drugs kids] more ambient and exprimental than your average chillwave project. We need more artists like these guys)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUPJofuMNtE



Emeralds - Genetic (synth maelstrom making Klaus Schulze and as-said-before- Tangerine Dream proud)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38lsQKiIF7A



Neon Indian - 6669 (nice retro sound in the synths)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7E3vcLNZAo



Toro Y Moi- Still Sound (Heavy old funk influence on this one)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Gqh4e1S6j0



Memory Tapes - Graphics (nice casio-driven modern neo-romantic sound with an IDM and shoegaze-y twist)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPmVPIrVQkI



Teen Daze - Gone For The Summer (90s shoegaze/dreampop going electronic.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_Gpyqg343I


Teen Daze - Shine On, You Crazy White Cap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjhSOZVmJbE


Caribou - Leave House (Caribou make some of the craziest folctronica i've encountered lately. Great stuff. Leave House!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZbdmibj_OA



Give a listen (if you already haven't) and discuss


And if you have some nice similar recommendations go for it!

Will have a listen to some of those samples, they look nice.

I saw both Toro Y Moi and Washed Out this summer after getting into them last year. It's pleasant music, not sure how it will hold up in 20 years time but it is easy on the ears and is a nice change up to a lot of other stuff out there.

I was on this stuff quite a bit but then left it for beachy psychedelic and drone which is where I've been lingering for quite a while. This shit's the jam though at times. Makes you wanna molt all your feathers and read racy chick novels.

I really like stuff by Neon Indian, Ducktales and Toro Y Moi, regardless of how "hipster" they are. Will have to check out some of the videos you've posted when I get home.

"Put THAT in your chillwave triangle and smoke it."

Some (if not most) of those artists get mentioned at
http://blog.iso50.com/ fairly often. It's a design, architecture, photo and music-blog, mostly. Lots of interesting stuff on it. I never really got into chillwave though.

quote:

Originally posted by Ted Promo I was on this stuff quite a bit but then left it for beachy psychedelic and drone which is where I've been lingering for quite a while. This shit's the jam though at times. Makes you wanna molt all your feathers and read racy chick novels.

lol



I would like some "beach drone" recommendations please. I'm stuck with Sunn O))) which is strawberry drone

As you said, some of it's good, some of it's complete wank. Hipsters moved to this apparently when their beloved "indie" died.

quote:

Originally posted by Tangil Will have a listen to some of those samples, they look nice. I saw both Toro Y Moi and Washed Out this summer after getting into them last year. It's pleasant music, not sure how it will hold up in 20 years time but it is easy on the ears and is a nice change up to a lot of other stuff out there.

Yeah? Were they any good? I like Washed Out more than Toro although Toro is more fun. But it is a highly heterogeneous genre. I really like the "live" feel i hope more artists will follow.



I guess that it won't be known in 20 years except maybe for some fans of the specific time period. But then again the majority of music won't be known in 20 years. Look at the 90s EDM. Except for the few retro fans of some 90s prog/house/techno/trance/D & B the only thing that is left is the more "intelligent", "IDMish" and "trip-hop" stuff like Aphex, Autechre, Boards, Biosphere ,Massive Attack etc. Which is trully great and i hope that long it will continue (even among the most "elitists") Oh and Eurobeat :P :P :P

quote:

Originally posted by PETRAN I would like some "beach drone" recommendations please. I'm stuck with Sunn O))) which is strawberry drone

also, this is extreme beach drone

quote:

Originally posted by Ted Promo

I'm actually listening to this now. Nice stuff!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E2OxiaPgDI


Its heavy and gentle at the same time (well this sounded a bit dodgy). I want to smoke something now anything

edited it and added a few more. Channel whored really.

quote:

Originally posted by Ted Promo also, this is extreme beach drone

This is more extreme than corrosive grindcore and Lil Wayne combined

Day Day is insane. The white guy he neglects to give a handshake to and his dance moves @ 1:10 are my favorite.

im sort of into chillwave but haven't explored enough. i like this local band called 'excepter' quite a bit - check this track called 'leng' on their album 'presidence'

quote:

Originally posted by PETRAN Yeah? Were they any good? I like Washed Out more than Toro although Toro is more fun. But it is a highly heterogeneous genre. I really like the "live" feel i hope more artists will follow.

Washed Out was at a festival whereas Toro Y Moi was a small concert event. I'd say that Washsed Out was more polished and had a better sound but Toro was more fun (like you said). Toro's final tune was an absolute cracker, unsure if it's off his latest album but it sounded a bit like a chill-wave version of My Bloody Valentine - Blown A Wish.

repost
http://chillwitchnamemagic.com/

I like a lot of these. Thanks for the suggestions guys. Although, at times it seems if you've heard one you've heard them all.

quote:

Originally posted by nefardec im sort of into chillwave but haven't explored enough. i like this local band called 'excepter' quite a bit - check this track called 'leng' on their album 'presidence'

Hey neff how is it going haha. Hmm interesting stuff!! I actually did a search on youtube and i found this very interesting tune











Very 80s no-wave (or maybe a parody of it? :P), experimental, crazy and fun like they used to do them, great. Thanks for the suggestion.


Keep the chillwavey-avant-gardey-whatever-drone-bitch-stuff coming :O

Tesla Boy are the kings of the new wave/synthpop revival scene, good stuff

Ariel Pink has also some nice chilledelic synth-pop (!) or something... like the 60s meet the 80s meet the mayan apocalypse of 2012


















Damn now i want to buy a cassio and a mellotron and play stuff like that. (with just a bit more post-rockish flavour :P)



Oh and this one





Very epic, could be an actual 60s Pink Floyd/King Crimson tune (but with a modern production flavour)

quote:

Originally posted by Lightspeed Tesla Boy are the kings of the new wave/synthpop revival scene, good stuff

Man, totally 80s. I always fall for this cheesy (in a good way) 80s sound lovely!

Ariel Pink is very impressive stuff... besides the charcoal drawing of the dog making out with the man

quote:

Originally posted by TranceArmstrong Ariel Pink is very impressive stuff... besides the charcoal drawing of the dog making out with the man

Yeah, that was a bit extreme wasn't it? But then again the CoR is much more extreme than that





Edit: A couple more











lol, This guy must be a twisted genious of some sorts

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