Hot Takes

Roge Corp, YUNG SHIRO 白, and highly coveted special guest Brothertiger starred in the latest "Hot Takes" episode! A heavyweight composer and live performer from the early 2010 chillwave days, Brothertiger has continued to develop his sound and brand, playing shows for thousands, releasing seminal albums and EP's, and collaborating with numerous other skilled artists, including Fire-Toolz, Hotel Pools, and Underoath. Two hours of broadcasting time was nowhere near enough to get to know John, but we did get to cover topics like post-rock shows, the importance of song titles, and the adorable story behind his track "Mainsail"! You heard it on "Hot Takes", the vaporwave talk show!   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

For this installment of the show, we broadcasted with Tom Vernon! A lo-fi house artist that both Luxury Noise and YUNG SHIRO 白 have loved for years, Tom's humble, friendly affect and willingness to share his thoughts made him a perfect guest for "Hot Takes"; and we excitedly picked his brain about topics like hardware vs. software in production, binging artists' discographies, and Octopath Traveler. Starting his outsider house production while still in high school, Tom Vernon has since become a prominent name in the scene, releasing on reputable labels like Shall Not Fade, regularly appearing on lo-fi house Youtube mixes and Spotify playlists, and even playing live shows for crowds in VR chat. As an artist that Luxury Noise and Shiro both treasure, the time we got to spend with Tom Vernon went by rapidly, and we made the most of our time with him as we could! We held all chat submitted questions until the final half-hour of the episode runtime, discussing all manner of things, such as early 2010's deep house, field recordings in Japan, and staying alive while the music industry burns down. Tom gave us the 411 on his perfect show line-up, bad lo-fi house tropes, and In-N-Out Burger. Don't miss conversations about "rally house" music, echo and reverb in electronic music, and producing with all free plug-ins. If you weren't there for our visit with left field house producer Tom Vernon live, give it a listen, and be sure to join the public community Discord server and check out the latest Spotify playlists as well!   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

On "Hot Takes" this week, Shiro and Crystal found a way to get yet another seminal outrun synthwave act on the show for an evening of chatting! A prominent member of the early 2010's synthwave movement, Botnit released a series of albums and singles during that exciting and explosive era of independent net-based retro electronic music. We are always trying our best to bring on acts and artists from vaporwave-adjacent scenes like the outrun synthwave scene, and because Jim and Shiro go way back, it only made sense to try to tag him in for an episode! A composer of some of the most emotionally charged melodies from the 2010's retro electronic music movement, Jim pulled back the curtain and gave us some insider info about his usage of spoken words clips in his tracks. He told us all about his love of 2000's breaks, gave us the rundown on producing with Reason, and put us on some of his favorite current vaporwave acts, like Dusqk and Webinar. During the two hour episode, we talked at great length about the Tetris CD-i soundtrack, and he gave some sound advice to the viewers about how much work it takes to make one solid, memorable track. Botnit and Shiro bonded over their shared love of British maximalist artist Bobby Tank, he regaled us with the story of being contacted by FM-84 for a very special edit of a track for a Ready Player One staff party that Stephen Spielberg attended, and he told us all about his love of Ice Cube, NWA, and Public Enemy in high school. Check out the replay of our night with Botnit if you couldn't be there for the live broadcast!   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

For "Hot Takes" episode ninety, YUNG SHIRO 白 partnered with brand new co-host Shortstuf888 to bring on friend of the show and chiptune artist Smoothbrain, discussing all manner of topics during the evening, such as being vulnerable as an artist and producing tracks in Mario Paint. Aside from his Doctor Robotnik-esque look, Smoothbrain is known for traveling far and wide to support live vapor and for his recent tour in Japan with Sage Hardware. He also performed at MAGfest earlier this year and recently released a collection of chiptune tracks that he purportedly labored over for years before its release. Give the episode a watch for highlights like conversations about Christmas music and the origin of the Smoothbrain pseudonym; and don't miss Smoothie's eloquent thoughts on genres and painting oneself into a corner as an artist!   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

During this talk show episode, Frez Wave was our featured guest! Known primarily for their groggy, bitcrushed take on vaporwave and lo-fi house, Frez Wave was Roge Corp's number one pick for potential guests, and we had a delightful time joking around about gen Z brainrot and getting put on countless artists that inspire Frez Wave's style. Since having gotten involved with music production and the vaporwave scene five years ago, Frez Wave has released several albums, many via reputable labels such as Business Casual and 18 Carat Affair's own label Fiat LX. A true connoisseur of sound textures and effects with a hilarious sense of humor to boot, uncovering as much information about Frez and his thoughts was a joyous journey! We covered a lot of topics during our two hour stint together, including but not limited to experiences with 18 Carat Affair, describing one's music to someone on a date, and trickshotting on Call of Duty. Frez gave us the scoop on discovering vaporwave via Bronze56K and their production process with Garageband on their phone, and a small debate broke out over the work of Blank Banshee. Don't miss out on Roge Corp saying "Prefat Spout" instead of Prefab Sprout or Shiro's rant about Death's Dynamic Shroud's methods of sampling vocals. Be sure to follow us on social media and join the public community Discord server if you couldn't make it the live broadcast!   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

On "Hot Takes" episode 88 this week, Quiz and Shiro tagged Agnar in for the show at the eleventh hour! Eccentric, well-spoken, and making waves with their unique spin on experimental IDM music, Agnar was just a natural pick for the show; and picking them paid off in dividends as we were entertained by their thoughts on the similarities between vaporwave and prog rock, "new internet" music, and making cool things on the computer. Agnar has been producing leftfield and vaporwave-adjacent music for a while now, releasing on various labels like First Class Collective and playing live at events like Nostalgia Lounge's Sanctuary Live. They even got a write up in their local Billings, Montana paper about "challenging the concept that music needs to be correct". Known for their inclusivity, open-mindedness, and experimental nature, how could we not bring a person like Agnar on "Hot Takes"? We spent two hours chatting about topics ranging from microgenres like deconstructed club music and hyperpop, sampling AI music, and the deep meaning behind their album 4:3. Quiz taught us the concept of Lane Behr, Agnar recommended a favorite IDM documentary called "Modulations: Cinema of the Ear", and Shiro extolled his favorite video game OST's. Won't you give our episode with Agnar a listen if you weren't able to be there for it live?   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

This week on the "Hot Takes" vaporwave talk show, longtime podcast hosts Birk and Ross from Night Clerk Radio decided to do a crossover episode with us! Hosting two guests instead of just the typical one, we got to hear a myriad of thoughts and opinions on topics from them, ranging from liminal spaces and the backrooms, staying apprised of current outsider music and music history, and their commitment to watching awful films. With backgrounds in film and podcasting, Birk and Ross have a daunting degree of knowledge of art, film, and music between the two of them, and Ross evens runs an award-winning tabletop role-playing game podcast as well! Their production value is off the charts, they are both juggernauts of pop culture, and they both have a deep love of unintentionally bad art. During the evening that we spent with the boys from Night Clerk Radio, we talked about how to brainstorm content for an online talk show, over-categorization and granular niche genres, and decorum when throwing a live vaporwave show. Come for the shared love of Boards of Canada, and stay for the conversations about the best and worst tropes in horror cinema. What is the Long John Silver fuck tub? You're only going to find out if you watch the episode!   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

On "Hot Takes" this week, we got Skylar Spence to come on the show! Arguably the most seminal artist that gave future funk its voice, Ryan regaled us with thoughts and tales during their episode about topics like Mac Tonight ads, Arrested Development, and their experience getting signed to Carpark Records. Having started with vaporwave and future funk in late 2012, Skylar Spence has not only released numerous albums within that genre as Saint Pepsi but is also known for their critically acclaimed indie pop releases as well. Not only has Ryan captivated the vaporwave scene, but he very literally defined what future funk is with his work as Saint Pepsi and pushed the boundaries with lauded singles and packed out high capacity venues as Skylar Spence. His album "Hit Vibes" is considered by many to not just be an iconic vaporwave album but to often be the literal archetype of future funk. During our visit with Skylar Spence, we discussed the importance of SPF420 to the independent net-based electronic music scene, we geeked out over chillwave acts like Star Slinger and Toro y Moi, and we got to hear some of the lore behind who the character of Saint Pepsi is supposed to be and the concepts behind various Saint Pepsi albums. It's "Hot Takes", so you know it's rough around the edges but made with love. Stream episode 86 if you want to hear Luxury Elite reminisce about the early vaporwave days. Shiro mused about how different his experience with vaporwave was from Lux and Skylar Spence's, and Ryan humored us with his explanation of his love for a memetic Youtube video of the Dave Matthews Band scat singing. Episode 86 of "Hot Takes" is not one you'll want to miss!   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

On "Hot Takes" this week, Crystal Eternal and YUNG SHIRO 白 had a sit-down with influential artist, label owner, and scene builder Brickmason! Friendly, inviting, and bursting with well-tempered takes, we invited Brick to the show to get behind the curtain of not only his own project but his record label and IRL and URL show throwing experiences. Brickmason has been making music far longer than he cares to admit and has enjoyed a noteworthy degree of acclaim for his three part 2023 vaporwave album series "Pokédreams". Not only did he corner the hushwave subset of the vaporwave scene, but his label Hushtones has released several must-hear barber beats, slushwave, vaporbreaks, and vaportrap releases as well. For episode eighty-five, we discussed the working class background behind Brickmason's project name. Brick imparted his thoughts on releasing art by questionable artists, working with visualists like Solodolo84 and the whole WVSQD team, and acts that he likes a lot, like Bentoboy, Mabisyo, and Victory Over Death. Hearing Brickmason tell the stories behind the Beats for a Broken World livestream event with Cassette Cache and Doki Doki Beats was a highlight! Sharing our love of his recent hard copy VHS release of Dreamcastle's "LEGO Castle: 1979-1998" and hearing the story of seeing the album release live was a meaningful moment that also was not to be missed. Don't miss this fun and family-friendly episode with our friend Brickmason! "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

"Hot Takes" season four had to come to an end at some point, so Skelly and Shiro decided to let the mod team take the reins; and they flipped the entire format upside down, posing their own recommendations and takes and lobbing questions at the hosts for the three-hour run. A deviation from the show's typical fare, we got to get some phenomenal insight into the "Hot Takes" mod team's tastes and get the know the two show hosts and their backgrounds quite a bit better too! Six profoundly important scene builders and taste making titans gave us their valuable time, going beyond their duties as Discord server mods and basically running the show themselves instead of Skelly and Shiro being in charge, for once. There were so many memorable moments, from conversations about how to attract and retain female/femme and POC attendees at URL vaporwave show to thoughts about the longevity of artist Patreons and limited runs of exclusive fan club vinyl releases; and let's not forget Shiro getting raked over the coals for editing track metadata in the tracks he downloads, changing capitalization and tags without artists' knowledge or consent! Bad boy! Despite some audio woes, long monologues, and one weary, energy drink chugging co-host towards the end, the episode was noteworthy, well attended, and shined an important light on six incredibly important figures in the scene right now: Crystal Eternal, Luxury Elite, Luxury Noise, Minidisc.Wiki, Quiz, and Roge Corp. Make sure to block out some time for this one, because it is lengthy and brimming with rants, raves, and rarities!   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

We showcased ubiquitous visual artist and vaporwave superfan Solodolo84 on the 83rd episode of "Hot Takes"! We brought back the community vote format, and Solo had a strong lead from the beginning that he maintained during the entire two weeks of polling, so we gave the people what they wanted. Solodolo84 is a natural conversationalist and man of the people, so the hours felt like minutes as memorable moments abounded, like Solo's story of his experience hearing vaporwave for the first time and the moving series of passionate shout outs he gave at the episode's conclusion. Solodolo84 may or may not have had some very strong opinions about genres and arbitrary categorization of music styles. Solo definitely had some wise words, including a particularly apt metaphor he used about bouillon cubes. Stories about crate digging and late night quiet storm radio stations may have been told, and convos about boom bap beats and the nebulous nature of cassette sound quality may have transpired. If you don't listen in, though, you are never going to know what did or did not happen on "Hot Takes", are you?   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

For episode 82 of "Hot Takes", the bois decided to bring another act from the vaporwave zero genre to the broadcast! Skilled breaks-influenced vaporwave producer and 1/2 of VaporVA alongside Roge Corp, V4NGOE is known for being a pioneer of a subset of vaporwave that is more vocal-driven and influenced by breaks and 90's R&B than your typical slowed and reverb fare. He helped drive the growth of that new sound alongside acts like Ahero, Satin Sheets, and Simple Syrup; he and Roge Corp together threw a blockbuster show called i2K in Richmond, Virginia in Summer 2024; and he's just an absolute sweetie pie. Noteworthy moments include Vincent's game plan for how to treat acts that he books and how to network with other artists in addition to his experiences discovering acts that were seminal to him like George Clanton, Nmesh, and Windows 96. Joking around about Christian rock and reminiscing about the George Clanton fanclub and the Big Stream during the pandemic era also happened during our two hours with V4NGOE! How many chances do you give an album before you decide if you like it or dislike it? What beverages does Shiro drink while he's dieting? Is OSCOB truly the laziest vaporwave producer of all time? Only one way to find out and that's by listening to "Hot Takes"!   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

During the eighty-first episode of "Hot Takes", the bois used an ace in the hole and brought on Quiz, a path-finding colleague and friend to the show, spending the evening chatting about a number of things, including the story behind the curation of "Hot Takes Vol. 1" and the difference between listening to metal music and playing it live. Known primarily for his flashy tracksuits and dance moves at live shows, Quiz is also known for being a scene builder, show thrower, and community activist in his personal life. He's a member of Philadelphia-based band Burning Sunrise, de-facto leader of the Artifaqt Collective, and a mod for the "Hot Takes" server as well. Come be privy to the conversation that was had about Bee Fant's iconic art style, and be regaled by Quiz's story about his first experience hearing vaporwave at a Neon Nights-themed IRL party.   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

For the eightieth episode of "Hot Takes", we were honored to be graced by the presence of Vitesse X. With a background in cross country skiing, track, and field and having played live in shoegaze and punk rock bands, independent electronic artist and label owner Vitesse X told us her stories and divulged some intensely personal and edifying advice about being sincere with your art. Lots of talk about acts like Fugazi, Paul McCartney, and The Orb, advice on how to sell yourself and get work in New York City performance spaces, and a comical series of takes about cut-and-paste color-by-number breakbeat music were the highlights of our two hours with the incredibly skilled, profoundly personable Vitesse X! You heard it on "Hot Takes"!   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

We brought back the remix format for "Hot Takes" episode 79, featuring previous guests and friends of the show FrankJavCee and Luxury Elite! When it comes to dear friends, engaged members of the community, and perfectly inspirational conversationalists, Frank and Lux were some of the first two people that came to mind when planning for this episode. The energy of episode 79 was at an all time high, with both bois fully nerding out, Lux ranting away, and Frank frenetically jumping from topic to topic in rapid, rampant fashion. Lux may have divulged some info about a secret Vektroid release and given some much needed advice to vaporwave up-and-comers. Frank told some tales and talked lost media, stolen samples, stalkers, and so much more. So much geeking out, interrupting, collaborating, and laughing transpired during the remix episode with Lux and Frank, so don't sleep on it! Restream "Hot Takes" today!   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

Skelly, Shiro, and the "Hot Takes" horde got to spend a night with Miami Nights 1984 on the latest episode of the show! A veritable pathfinder of the outrun synthwave music scene, Michael has been recognized as one of the forefathers of the synthwave resurgence and has been involved with numerous high profile projects such as remixing acts like Gotye and Gunship, being featured in Rolling Stone, and sharing a lineup with John Carpenter on the "Rise of the Synths" documentary soundtrack. Our two hours with Miami Nights 1984 blazed by as we discussed things like his enormous hardware collection, his experiences with Gotye and Rolling Stone, and of course the story behind how he coined the genre name "outrun".   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

Desert Sand Feels Warm at Night visited us this week on "Hot Takes"! An astoundingly skilled and popular vaporwave artist, Desert was surely the people's choice for a guest, and he did not disappoint in the slightest as we discussed all manner of subjects like Desert's social habits, hands-on application of music theory with regards to production, and his experience playing ambient music live at Slushwave 2024. Growing up in a musical household and trained in audio engineering with classical music, Desert Sand Feels Warm at Night came on the scene in the late 2010's and has since released countless sample-free slushwave albums. He has collaborated with multiple other ambient and slushwave acts and even runs a label/collective called Hallworth Collective! I don't know if we've ever had so many enthusiastic questions locked and loaded for a guest, chatting about everything from Skelly's thoughts on curating one's own sense of style to Desert's experience discovering Telepath テレパシー能力者 and Private Suite Magazine. Desert Sand Feels Warm at Night spoke to so many topics, such as using Maltese for the titles in his new collaborative album with Days of Blue, cool shirts, and the Slushwave Social Club Discord server. Don't miss his extensive thoughts about Cantopop, his beard care routine, and a very special top three album recommendation session in the intermission by previous guest Drinkyourtears. Follow/subscribe and be sure to be there for the next live episode if you enjoy rewatching this episode!   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

Zer0 Rei came on "Hot Takes" this week to chat with us! A well respected musician and visual artist in the vaporwave scene, Zer0 Rei was someone we wanted to amplify and celebrate; and he clued us in about a lot of things during his episode, like his daily work ethic, his work with Desert Sand Feels Warm at Night, and his longtime love of Japanese noise rock band Melt-Banana. Starting with harsh noise music and bringing with him a wealth of experience in the live punk rock and metal scenes, Zer0 now not only runs a vaporwave and experimental music label but also produces his own music and designs hyperreal 3-D rendered graphics as well. He's multifaceted and full of knowledge and experience, so rapping with him for two hours was a delight! During the night, there were discussions about topics like the local art collectives he runs, his unique production method with MIDI files and samples within Ableton, and the differences between future funk and vaporfunk. The temperature went up noticeably as Zer0 Rei regaled us with his experience on HKE and Shima33's new defunct podcast. The trio groaned over shipping and warranty issues with boutique synths, the chat erupted in laughs as Zer0 presented on camera the giant goose plushie he received as a gift from his spouse for Christmas, and Shiro raged about artists' propensity to play unreleased material live but then never release it. If you weren't there live during our visit with Zer0 Rei, check it out!   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

We were visited by the lovely and skilled artist DV-i on "Hot Takes" this week! A mysterious vapor-adjacent audio/visual artist that has been growing meteorically in popularity lately, Valerie's presence on our show meant we were able to share a memorable evening full of anecdotes and quips about topics like escapism, perfectionism, DAWs, VSTs, and more. A consummate multimedia artist that has been creating for over a decade, DV-i has played countless live shows in several countries and has scored a couple of video games as well. We got to hear lore like the concept behind DV-i being a defense contractor and Valerie's decision to use vocals in her recent work during the episode. We also got to discuss the merits of using FM synthesis and splice packs, favorite film directors and types of architecture, and the differences between DJing and production. Valerie's interplay with the audience and her breadth of knowledge of art and media made for a very fun and vibrant session with Skelly and Shiro. Yaoi? Puppy death wave? Special salsa?! DV-i's episode on "Hot Takes" features all this and then some, so check it out!   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor

We brought our delightful friend Shortstuf888 from the MiniDisc.wiki project on "Hot Takes" this week! Beloved scene builder and moderator of the MiniDisc.wiki Discord server and "Hot Takes" Discord server, Tiffany excitedly agreed to join us for an evening of exposition and education on the defunct minidisc format, along with some backstory about her journey with the project, and of course a strongly held opinion or two for a treat. Having discovered the format as an adult, Shortstuf and partner Special K built and now manage the wiki page and several social media accounts revolving around the community of minidisc enthusiasts, most notably a nearly 2,000 member strong public Discord server. On top of that, Tiffany is a profoundly active member of the vaporwave community, staffing tables at ElectroniCON tape swap events, decorating for live shows like VaporVA's i2K, and helping moderate our own vibrant community Discord server. While we visited, Shortstuf discussed why she thought we should bring acts like DV-i and HKE on the show, playing and storing other archaic forms of physical media like iPods and thumb drives, and she helped us understand some of the differences between British dubstep, brostep, and riddim music. Tune in for a heartwarming message for Shiro by Quiz at the halfway point of the episode! Perhaps you'll get get to see and hear about some of the more unique devices in her collection, and you might even get the 411 on how to record to minidisc or get affordable players via Japanese proxies. You heard it on "Hot Takes" episode 74 with MiniDisc.wiki!   "Hot Takes" is a safe space for all opinions! Join the conversation at https://linktr.ee/hottakesvapor