"Chillwave"

So this genre/scene has been hyped on all the indie blogs, at mega-music fest SXSW, and seems on the verge of imploding into true fad status or exploding into some shitty dubstep-esque sea of crappy bandwagon artists. It's already have become an in-joke amongst hipsters. Here's a supposed list of chillwave artists. And, even though it's introverted, nostalgic indie pop, they all seem to have themes of beaches, acid, and shitty 80s synth-pop. And some of it just kind of reminds me of Black Moth Super Rainbow...

That said I actually like what I've heard so far, with some exceptions. I really like Memory Tapes/Cassette, whose kind of the first guy to get hyped and easily makes the best composed stuff. I've enjoyed what I've heard from Toro Y Moi, Washed Out, and MillionYoung. I don't like Neon Indian for some reason...the tracks are alright but I have a feeling it's a bit forced with the lo-fi sound and that he's the first guy to make stuff to fit the genre.

Enough of my ranting though, anyone else here check this stuff out at all? I'm curious what WATMM thinks...

I've only really listened to Tori y Moi , Big Black, and Washed Out. All 3 are pretty great.

I plan on never listening to Neon Indian, fuck that.

Also, Chill Wave is just a shitty hacked up name by fucking Wired Magazine which I hate. it's just lo-fi indie synth-pop. lol.

Other bands that get lumped in like Ducktails etc. I feel are a totally different style and suck even more.

pop will eat itself, not the band but the concept

I really hate that phrase, it comes off as meaningless to me.

All i know is that some local DJ described it as the new dubstep. i don't think he meant it in a good way.

I don't see that as possible at all. Dubstep is like the modern Jungle of the UK. "Chill wave" is almost 100% American making this all a very whacky simile.

Chillwave LOL I've been laughing at this shit for awhile now. The Washed Out song I heard was enjoyable and I'm sure there is some other decent stuff, but come ON! Chillwave? That's ridiculous. It's the sound of Indie rockers discovering Boards of Canada and worshiping Ariel Pink. The Neon Indian I heard was garbo.

Memory Tapes are listenable, my girlfriend likes them a lot

There's a major ripoff/homage to caustic window "cordialatron" on the album

o jeez

boc ripoffs have a genre name now?

I don't understand the question and I won't respond to it

  On 3/30/2010 at 6:45 AM, joshuatxuk said:

That said I actually like what I've heard so far, with some exceptions. I really like Memory Tapes/Cassette, whose kind of the first guy to get hyped and easily makes the best composed stuff. I've enjoyed what I've heard from Toro Y Moi, Washed Out, and MillionYoung. I don't like Neon Indian for some reason...

I agree with your thoughts here (I think I said something along the same lines in another thread). Didn't care for Neon Indian at all. Real Estate is pretty good if they can be lumped into this "genre".

This label also has some nice hazy BOCish tunes (some of which can be downloaded for free). Also

That Toro Y Moi album is pretty good but I haven't heard much of the rest. I don't even see how this is a new genre really, chillwave is a suitably retarded genre name though.

  On 3/30/2010 at 7:37 AM, Deepex said:

Chillwave LOL I've been laughing at this shit for awhile now. The Washed Out song I heard was enjoyable and I'm sure there is some other decent stuff, but come ON! Chillwave? That's ridiculous. It's the sound of Indie rockers discovering Boards of Canada and worshiping Ariel Pink. The Neon Indian I heard was garbo.

  On 3/30/2010 at 10:28 AM, MAXIMUS MISCHIEF said:

o jeezboc ripoffs have a genre name now?

I'm in agreement about the genre name and supposed scene. It's another example of a genre label which probably started as a smart ass comment amd turned into a destructive template.

Personally, I actually like a lot of Memory Tapes/Cassette/whatever because it's in the same vein as BoC without emulating the same method of beat-making or sampling. Like, it touches on the same emotions that BoC does for me, but it's a different musical palette. I don't think it's any of these are really BoC ripoffs.

And lastly, I'm relieved at the general dismissal of Neon Indian. Here's why:

I've known about him for awhile in the Denton and Austin TX scenes. He's only the most popular (judging that by last.fm) because he was on Jimmy Fallon and NPR. Personally, I think he jumped in on this bandwagon because other projects, Ghosthustler (some cheesy, Nintendo homage 8-bit electro stuff) and VEGA, didn't quite blow up after being buzzed on various sits and blogs. Hell, Ghosthustler literally appeared after this band called dance-punk duo called Ghostland Observatory (of Austin, TX) almost blew up in 2007.

I think he's an opportunist; Washed Out and Memory Tapes were bedroom projects that were recorded long before they were properly released in 09, and Neon Indian, with a backing band and all, showed up right after they began getting hyped. Supposedly he's better live...but I think that's irrelevant when every other "chillwave" artist simply sounds better produced.

as far as I can tell it was Jamie Ferraro/the Skaters who originated all the retro video game/beach imagery space music. Ferraro's music is amazing. the rest of this "genre" i am skeptical of.

Ferraro's stuff isn't even really the same as the Chill wave.

There's the "hypnagogic pop" term that is also retarded.

There's 2 sides of the "genre": Indie Pop and Drone. Very rarely do the two actually mix.

Basically please stop saying Chill Wave it's made up by idiots who don't know shit at Wire Magazine, it's not a self-label.

yeah, Broadcast rules...

fuck this genre name....

some of the music on the last.fm made me crack up, to be placed with the other artists, Catherine Wheel? Gold Panda? Bullion?

more like 'use what equipment you have to make interesting relaxed music wave'.......'diy wave'

is this list possible to update by anyone? because... I see Flying Lotus, Dabrye, Gorilaz and Fat Jon the Ample Soul Physician there now... I am not sure if I will ever use this "Chillwave" word again...

  Quote

The same feelings can be conjured by playing GTA: Vice City.

So, it's also being called, get this, "Glo-fi". I'm coming out of the denial stage with this thing; I heard a Soundpool track and I liked it a little...but the hipster blogs are gonna move on from this thing after a while, who remembers that whole Valerie "dreamwave" thing? lol

Here's Simon Reynold's take on it. He hits on something that I thought I'd been enjoying selfishly by myself and that is the straight line that you can draw from Krautrock to New Age (eg: the Innovative Communication label, like you mentioned Software in another thread Glass Plate).

edit: apathy for me thank you very much.

As silly as it is, I'd rather it be called Glo-Fi. But the way to not spread these terms is to not say them out loud or type them any more on the internet! I know they've already caught on, but I'm not playing.

All these arbitrary flavor of the moment genres are fucking retarded. I hate the music industry. There seems to be very little difference between the indies and the majors these days.

lovin it

Please don't call it anything, it's not a real movement or a wave. It has nothing to do with any previous wave, which previously they all a similar tempo and rhythmic feel that this movement doesn't have IMO. On the term Glo-fi that is even SHITTIER. First of all the 21st centuries obsession with portmanteau is fucking obnoxious as hell. Second it's an even less accurate title. If you listen to releases like that of Tori Y Moi (some I consider one of the best figures of the genre) his latest is really well produced, great use of compression and lots of other higher-end studio techniques. It's no 4-track shit. Like I've said "chill wave" and "glo-fi" are hastily made tags by various selfish hipsters who want to seem like they know what's going on before any one else, when really it's potentially crippling progressive ideas. (last thing we need is hundreds of reiterations of the same thing like all other official genres) And like I've said the third title "Hypnagogic pop" was originally created for a group on the total other end of the spectrum. Musicians like Sam Goldberg, James Feraro, That guy who did Matrix Metals Sam something. Which is all basically the drone scene with a slight HINT of melody and rhythm. Then came out of that Ducktales and shit which is just really half-assed pop but not in the same vain as something like no-wave. It's more pretentious and selfish. It is interesting mentioning New Wave/Krautrock (not the fact that the two are tied, because that's the most obvious shit on the planet. Look at Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze etc. and the labels they're on, and it paints the most obvious gradient in the world) because that's making a huge comeback in the scene. People like Onheotix point never and Stellar Om Source, Emeralds, etc. All these guys are just going back to ambient music roots (copying) because that's what every one is basically into and a ton of hipsters haven't found the old stuff yet. So they're basically re-hashing the origins of a lot of synth drone and re-selling it to a new generation. Apparently Onheotix Point Never is actually starting a new label that a lot of people are excited for. It'll probably just be a 21st century Sky Records or something. Will be interesting I suppose.

Yes , the name is extremely cheesy , BUT...I'm really , really lovin' the sounds .

It's by far the best thing to happen to music in quite sometime .

  On 3/30/2010 at 6:50 PM, Ominous said:

So, it's also being called, get this, "Glo-fi". I'm coming out of the denial stage with this thing; I heard a Soundpool track and I liked it a little...but the hipster blogs are gonna move on from this thing after a while, who remembers that whole Valerie "dreamwave" thing? lol

 

Here's Simon Reynold's take on it. He hits on something that I thought I'd been enjoying selfishly by myself and that is the straight line that you can draw from Krautrock to New Age (eg: the Innovative Communication label, like you mentioned Software in another thread Glass Plate).

 

edit: apathy for me thank you very much.

I'm always interested in Simon Reynold's take on anything, thanks for the link. So the Wire calls it hypnagogic pop and I think hipsterrunoff called it chillwave. I have no idea who added to the pile of shit with the "glo-fi" term. And I will note my use of any term is for discussion purposes only.

  On 3/30/2010 at 7:20 PM, Glass Plate said:

If you listen to releases like that of Tori Y Moi (some I consider one of the best figures of the genre) his latest is really well produced, great use of compression and lots of other higher-end studio techniques. It's no 4-track shit. Like I've said "chill wave" and "glo-fi" are hastily made tags by various selfish hipsters who want to seem like they know what's going on before any one else, when really it's potentially crippling progressive ideas. (last thing we need is hundreds of reiterations of the same thing like all other official genres).

Yeah, that's what concerns me. That's why I'm always so skeptical of punk or lo-fi. Bands like Wavves or Vivian Girls for example, people defend the hype by saying there songs are catchy. Well fuck that, so are songs by Nickelback, Ke$ha, and P Diddy, and they aren't doing anything new with novel sounds or musical progession and neither is the average hipster band.

  On 3/30/2010 at 8:19 PM, GrandPopPoplock said:

Yes, the name is extremely cheesy , BUT...I'm really, really lovin' the sounds. It's by far the best thing to happen to music in quite sometime .

I like a lot of it, but I can't say the same, because I was thinking the same thing with dubstep years ago and look what happend there: a made up 'scene' of similar music going from from very exciting to extremely predictable with a few exceptions (thank god for the steadfast experimental and independent-thinking artists).

Palomo (Neon Indian) said on pitchfork: "I really hope the medium by which someone writes a song isn't the only thing the song has going for it." Well fuck that, he took a formula, crapped some songs out, and it's likely a ton of copycats will do the same. And I'm sorry, if there is better production out there, I prefer it. It's not snobbery either, doing lo-fi shit on purpose is more pretentious than effort in making something sound good, it's not 1980 anymore.