Vaporwave is an internet-based microgenre of electronic music that emerged in the early 2010s. Known for its slowed-down chopped and screwed samples, Vaporwave often utilizes 80s and 90s mood music, smooth jazz, and lounge music. The genre is associated with an internet-based aesthetic that incorporates early internet imagery, late 1990s web design, glitch art, and cyberpunk tropes.
When it comes to the colors associated with Vaporwave, there are a few that stand out as quintessential to the aesthetic. Pastel pinks, blues, and purples are commonly used, often paired with roman bust statues, palm trees, and sunsets. These colors evoke feelings of nostalgia and romanticize popular culture from the 80s and 90s. The color palette creates a distinct retro futuristic style.
History of Vaporwave
The term Vaporwave was coined in 2011 on the /mu/ board of 4chan. Early pioneers of the genre include artists like Chuck Person and media collective BEER ON THE RUG. These artists took samples from 80s elevator music and exotica albums, slowed them down, added reverb effects, and chopped them up to create dreamlike soundscapes.
The slowed tempo, vintage samples, and ironic remixing of corporate mood music became signatures of the Vaporwave sound. Many early Vaporwave releases had absurdist track titles that satirized consumer capitalism and commodification. For instance, the Floral Shoppe album by MACINTOSH PLUS features song titles like “リサフランク420 / 現代のコンピ” which translates to “Lisa Frank 420 / Modern Computing.”
As the genre evolved throughout the 2010s, different Vaporwave subgenres emerged. Future funk incorporated more contemporary samples from Japanese city pop. Mallsoft adopted field recordings from malls and grocery stores for a hauntological effect. These offshoots expanded the Vaporwave palette while retaining the core aesthetic.
Key Vaporwave Visual Elements
While Vaporwave is musically diverse, there are common visual elements that create a cohesive aesthetic:
| Visual Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Pastel colors | Soft or desaturated shades of pink, blue, teal, and purple. |
| Roman busts | Idealized white marble classical statues. |
| Palm trees | Tropical plants evoking 80s resort aesthetics. |
| Sunsets | Warm gradient skies in pink and orange. |
| Retro tech | Cathode ray TVs, boxy PCs, analog telephones. |
| Marble & Columns | suggestion of government institutions & banks. |
| Silhouettes | Faceless human forms with 80s hairstyles. |
These retro motifs romanticize relics of the 80s and 90s and imbue them with surreal energy. Vaporwave visuals harness nostalgia for technology and popular culture that now seem antiquated or kitschy. The distorted classical statues act as a metaphor for how consumer capitalism mutates cultural symbols over time.
The Meaning Behind Vaporwave Colors
So what do the signature pastel Vaporwave hues actually represent? Here’s an overview of the symbolic meanings behind the genre’s go-to palette:
Pink
Vaporwave often utilizes soft pinks to evoke femininity, innocence, and youth. Its rosy tone captures the carefree attitude of the 80s and 90s while distorting it into something more artificial. Pink offers a glossy veneer to the underlying consumerism critiques in Vaporwave.
Blue
Serene light blues reference tropical oceans and beachy leisure. These cool tones conjure the escapism of resort vacations and reflect the exotica influence in early Vaporwave. Blue adds a laidback energy that contrasts with the music’s disjointed effects.
Teal
Teal or seafoam green has a refreshingly retro vibe. It was popular in 80s and 90s design across everything from posters to swimsuit patterns. The color bridges the tropical ocean blues with energizing green tones. Teal connotes technology and creativity.
Purple
Purple evokes mysticism, spirituality, and creativity. It combines the passion of red with the calm of blue. Vaporwave purple is often desaturated like lavender or lilac. The color abstractly alludes to imagination and originality – an escapist counter to consumerist homogeneity.
Turquoise
As another oceanic hue, turquoise adds vibrancy akin to theatrical 80s neon lighting. It has a dynamic futuristic quality while retaining a natural watery feel. Turquoise in Vaporwave aesthetics echoes the sci-fi dreams of cyberpunk without the dystopian edge.
Fuchsia
Vibrant pinkish-purples like fuchsia create an energizing pop art effect. The attention-grabbing magenta shade was common in 80s graphic design. Fuchsia heightens the artificiality of the Vaporwave palette with its intense saturation. It walks the line between exciting and garish.
Typical Color Combinations
While individual pastel colors have their own meanings, Vaporwave imagery often pairs certain hues together for maximum effect:
| Color Combo | Mood |
|---|---|
| Pink & Blue | Nostalgic, soft, dreamy |
| Blue & Purple | Contemplative, mystical, chill |
| Teal & Purple | Retrofuturist, sci-fi |
| Turquoise & Fuchsia | Upbeat, energetic, neon |
These color pairs blend together for painterly sunsets, neon cityscapes, and surreal landscapes. Certain combinations emphasize different emotional tones from mellow and magical to lively and splashy. Vaporwave graphics often feature color gradients that fade from one hue to another as well.
Notable Vaporwave Album Covers
To see these color principles in action, here are some iconic Vaporwave album covers that make signature use of the palette:
Floral Shoppe by MACINTOSH PLUS
The cover features a marble bust with a pink gradient background. The desaturated purple text adds mystery while the palm tree and pink & blue hues are tropically nostalgic.
Far Side Virtual by James Ferraro
A CGI palm tree on a solid teal background evokes technicolor virtual reality landscapes. The teal hints at digital utopianism.
2814 by 2814
This dreamwave album utilizes tranquil blue and purple hues in a painting of an icy landscape. It captures a meditative yet isolated mood.
I’ll Try Living Like This by death’s dynamic shroud
The vibrant turquoise and fuchsia shades create an electrifying sci-fi cityscape. The colors feel artificially radiant and hyperreal.
Conclusion
In summary, the ubiquitous pastel colors of Vaporwave imagery construct a distinct retrofuturist aesthetic. Soft pinks, blues, and purples romanticize and distort popular culture relics into idealistic dreamscapes. Vaporwave graphics harness these colors’ symbolic connotations to comment on consumerism and technostalgia with a layer of surreal artifice. Specific color combinations like pink and blue or teal and fuchsia help create different emotional tones. Ultimately the Vaporwave palette utilizes color to turn acoustic samples into visual experiences that feel both familiar and strangely artificial.
