Round 1, Match 94 — Icepunk vs. Hacker Chic
Icepunk, also known as Coldrave, is described as a microgenre that shares similarities with Steampunk, but set in an ice age environment. The term is attributed to rapper Drrty Pharms, who, in a 2013 interview, characterized Icepunk as more of a meme than a genre. Drrty Pharms stated that he released what he considers the first Icepunk song in October 2011, aiming to evoke the feeling of being cold and numb. The development of Icepunk is presented as a reaction to the Seapunk aesthetic, with early online groups forming around the concept. Icepunk art evokes a cold, wintery vibe, utilizing lots of blues, cyans, purples, whites, and other monochromatic colors, but other than that shares a lot in common with seapunk.
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The Hacker Chic aesthetic is based around computer hacking, a term for utilizing computers through non-standard means, and the corresponding subculture of Hacker culture built around it. Hacker culture abides by a philosophy known as "Hacker ethic", based around the idea of freedom of information. Hacker aesthetic is closely related to Webcore, with hackers idealizing the freedom of the old internet and rejecting the corporatization of it. Hacker Chic includes computer setups often in dimly lit rooms, filled with electronics such as keyboards, monitors, CDs. Elements of Glitch Art are often seen. Green terminal screens filled with falling computer code (referred to as "Digital Rain") originated from The Matrix and have become a popular visual of the aesthetic. The anonymous mask is a symbol of anonymity and resistance commonly associated with hackers and the loose hacker collective labeled Anonymous. It originated from the Guy Fawkes mask from the graphic novel and movie V for Vendetta. The mask soared in popularity as it was handed out in a marketing stunt for the movie, and then became a symbol for Anonymous after its members decided to adopt the mask for a protest against the Church of Scientology called "Project Chanology". ASCII art is also common, which is art created using ASCII characters and symbols, similar to the way words are written in Leetspeak. There are many techniques and styles of ASCII art. Crackers are known for using ASCII art logos in the info files of their releases.
Which aesthetic do you prefer?
Icepunk
Hacker Chic
