Night Clerk Radio: Haunted Music Reviews

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Signalwave is easily one of our favorite subgenres of Vaporwave. The genre’s focus on sample curation along with its critique of nostalgia and consumerism makes it an interesting cornerpoint to other subgenres such as Mallsoft. However, despite being such a rich topic for discussion, we’ve never dedicated an episode to it. So, join us as we dig into two recent excellent Signalwave albums that highlight the best aspects of the genre.

Exit simulation by Infinity Frequencies
ANIK TELESAT by CT57

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter

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It’s that time of year again. Dagon, the latest Lovecraft-inspired Cryo Chamber Collaboration, is out. Over twenty artists came together to produce this evocative and cinematic double album that perfectly captures the oceanic horror of the source material and invites the listener to sink deeper and deeper into its world. Our friend Caleb joins us to chat about this auditory journey.

Dagon by Cryo Chamber Collaboration on Bandcamp
Dagon by Cryo Chamber Collaboration on YouTube

Delta Green: Dead Channels
Caleb’s Link Tree

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter

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We’re doing something a little different for the holidays! This episode we’re joined by Max from the Good Brews Bad Views podcast for a special holiday movie party. We’re watching the 1989 French horror film “Deadly Games (aka Dial Code Santa Claus)” and recording an audio commentary track to be enjoyed alongside the movie.

If you want to skip the movie, then jump ahead to 1:36:40 to hear our thoughts on the film.

Deadly Games on Amazon
Deadly Games on Shudder

Go Easy On The Pepsi by 幽霊, T O G E T H E R!

Max on Twitter

Good Brews Bad Views
Good Brews Bad Views on Patreon
Good Brews Bad Views on Twitter
Good Brews Bad Views on Instagram

Relatable Rolls - Max’s RPG Actual Play Podcast
Relatable Rolls on Twitter
Relatable Rolls on Instagram

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter

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What does it mean for a song to be danceable? Does being “danceable” mean anything or is it too broad and personal? Can the term be applied to vaporwave? We’re not sure if we actually answered any of these questions, but we are sure that they led us to discuss two amazing albums. One new and the other an absolute classic.

Syndicated Simulcast, Vol. 1 by YAMTA
Winner's Circle (SAINT PEPSI Deluxe Edition) by SAINT PEPSI

Ross’s Inspiration: Recommendation Thread: Danceable Vaporwave Bangers on r/Vaporwave

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter

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Culture Jamming is a reactionary protest against media and consumerist culture that employs a wide range of tactics from photoshopping logos to vandalism and everything in between. There is no one right way to engage, one must merely push back against mass media on its own terms. On this episode we discuss our thoughts on culture jamming and how the practice relates to vaporwave and other haunted genres.

Rejected Theme Song from READY PLAYER ONE by Demi Adejuyigbe

Culture Jamming, Memes, Social Networks, and the Emerging Media Ecology
Culture Jamming and Meme-based Communication
What Do You Mean By "Culture Jamming"?": An Interview with Moritz Fink and Marilyn DeLaure (Part One)
Culture Jamming: Subversion as Protest
Culture jamming: ideological struggle and the possibilities for social change
Non-Fungible Future: The Memeing of Mark Fisher
Could Vaporwave Save Your Soul?

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter

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As we head into late autumn, with long winter nights ahead, we find ourselves in need of new music appropriate to the mood of the season. Long and languid tracks suitable for listening to while sitting inside and staring out a window into the cold darkness. Some might call it the elusive Autumnal Jam. In this episode, we dig into two new (to us) artists who perfectly met our needs with their eclectic blend of genres, influences, and instrumentation.

A Greater Bliss by Wordclock
Dead Beat by The Orchestra Of Mirrored Reflections

Wordclock - Unbecoming (Official Video )

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter

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It’s our legally obligated spooky month episode! This month we’re revisiting two previously discussed artists. First up, the latest album from horror master and synth aficionado John Carpenter and his trio. Then, we listen to a classic vaporgoth album from the enigmatic artist Chinese Hackers. Join us for this holiday grab bag that explores a wide range of spooky music.

Lost Themes III: Alive After Death by John Carpenter
Turning the Bones (CHVRCHES remix) by John Carpenter
( ｗｉｒｅｔａｐ ) by Chinese Hackers

Chinese Hackers (feat. チェスマスター) — 雾 on YouTube

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter

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Plunderphonics is a genre of music in which the artist repurposes samples of other music in order to construct new tracks. In essence, using the music of other artists as their instrument to create new original works. While this approach was a key element in the development of vaporwave, is there such a thing as “too much plunderphonics?” At what point does sampling simply become slowing down another song wholesale? We tackle these questions in the context of Barber Beats, a relatively new sub-genre that relies heavily on plunderphonics.

手遅れに実現 lp by haircuts for men
Red Hook by LeBron
ネクロマンサー by Macroblank

Night Clerk Radio - Episode 5 - Discussion on Plunderphonics
WhoSampled.com - Haircuts for Men
r/Vaporwave Discussion of Haircuts for Men
Did Olivia Rodrigo steal from Paramore? (analysis) by Adam Neely
Why the Katy Perry/Flame lawsuit makes no sense by Adam Neely

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter

The Vaporwave Iceberg

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The “iceberg” is a meme template that has been used in countless subcultures to describe the descent of a fan from casual to obsessive addict. The template typically generates memes that are either light-hearted in-jokes about a fandom or an unfortunate display of gatekeeping and elitism. Recently, Ross found an iceberg meme focused on vaporwave so of course we had to talk about it.

What started as a couple of people overthinking a meme results in an interesting conversation about what it means to talk to other people about music and your interests.

The Original r/Vaporwave Thread

The complete list of albums discussed can be found at the above thread.

ECCO DREAMS

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter

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Following up the 2018 release Memories of Tokyo-To, Sounds of Tokyo-To Future is the second Jet Set Radio inspired album by producer and composer 2 Mello. The album itself is a masterful exploration of a wide range of influences and genres that ultimately produces something wholly original and deeply engaging. We dedicate this entire episode to talking about how much we loved this album. Grab a copy (or check it out on Spotify) and join us.

Sounds Of Tokyo-To Future by 2 Mello
Sounds of Tokyo-To Future on Spotify

Interview with 2 Mello on Deep Listens Podcast
Memories Of Tokyo​-​To by 2 Mello
2 Mello on Patreon
2mello.net

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter