Afternoon Delights: “Neon Palm Mall”

I’d been somewhat aware of Vaporwave as a subgenre of music (and an accompanying lo-fi/nostalgic imagery) when Simpsons Wave bubbled up into the mainstream of us squares. But I wasn’t really into the music and aesthetic until I discovered Racer Trash. I cannot recommend this collective of creators enough who deconstruct and reconstruct and reinterpret and remix all forms of media with a basis in Vaporwave but expanding beyond that into the perfect chilldown loop of hilarity and beauty. They showcase their works on Twitch fairly regularly, so watch for them there and follow them on Twitter to find out the next show.

I started seeking out Vaporwave artists like Runners Club 95, S U R F I N G, Blank Banshee, Macintosh Plus, and more. But I also found a bunch of great YouTube videos that take old footage and put Vaporwave music on top of it. Some use fast food training videos, others use old television broadcasts, and a handful blended the songs with every day video footage taken at malls (before they became mausoleums in our late stage capitalism world).

This particular video, “Neon Palm Mall”, created by YouTuber SPLIFF RADIOショー, is a pretty great blending of yesteryear vibes through the digital distortion of the Vaporwave scene. I recommend checking out all of their videos (and you’ll most likely see some Racer Trash stuff in this space in the not-too-distant future).