I think “vapourwave” and its associated a e s t h e t i c s are considered a bit gauche by many people nowadays, but I’m not the kind of person to let that deter me from enjoying something that I really like. I’ve actually got my own twist on the vapour vibe that means a lot to me, even if it probably won’t take off and become the next cottagecore anytime soon. It’s called “smartcore,” and I like to think it’s a combination of the late 90s/00s nostalgia inherent in kidcore and “vanilla” vapourwave, plus the whole “I was a weird, academically-overachieving gifted kid growing up, how could you tell” sensibility of dark academia. That’s kind of a mouthful, though, so either hop on over to @smart-waves for a visual demonstration, or listen to this playlist full of cheerful and upbeat jams all about maths, science, and history. In short, smartcore is all about how fun learning could be as a kid, and how vibrant and full of possibilities the universe could seem.
TELEX - “BRAINWASH”
KRAFTWERK - “POCKET CALCULATOR”
ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK - “TESLA GIRLS”
THE B-52′S - “MESOPOTAMIA”
NIK KERSHAW - “DON QUIXOTE”
PET SHOP BOYS - “I’M WITH STUPID”
THOMAS DOLBY & RYUICHI SAKAMOTO - “FIELD WORK”
