tiananmen square dance //

CULTURE VOYAGE - “GENESIS”

Culture Voyage, a short-lived but aptly named VHS-wave act popularized in part by Synesthesiæ Films, is known for only about a handful of retro lo-fi synth-based jams, like “Digital Stargate”. This artist’s unique approach to that strain of electronic funk music, reminiscent of times past, is of the classic analog synth variety. Akin to the auditory approach and technique of artists like Boards of Canada or Com Truise, Culture Voyage is content in “Genesis” to sample found VHS footage and smear digital synth notes all over the sound palette. Synesthesiæ Films’ official video for “Genesis” mirrors the vintage feel of wonder and apprehension in the tune with a mish-mash of footage from 1978 Italian sci-fi film Starcrash. Amid the lasers, explosions, and scantily clad seventies hair ladies, the video for “Genesis” is a welcome backdrop to the tape reel electronics in the track. Do tha right thing, and grab a free MP3 download of this brief phenomenon, Culture Voyage’s “Genesis” at his last.fm page. Grab the other songs while you’re there too, or visit Synesthesiæ Films for more music and videos along the same 80’s vein.

MP3 Download of “Genesis”, by Culture Voyage

LUST & DREAMS WEST - “DRIVING PLEASURES”

Dreams West, one of our favorite VHS-wave artists, partnered up with fellow retro synth act Lust last summer to birth a limited edition collaborative cassette tape entitled 12:56. While the collection is essentially a split EP with a couple of remixes that nobody really needs to have in their life immediately, the closing track that’s credited to the twosome is an absolute stunner. “Driving Pleasures” showcases the seedy darkness of Lust’s synthwave exploits while also clearly referencing Dreams West’s Balearic inclinations. What begins with a couple of clean piano stabs progressively devolves into an onslaught of each artist’s finer talents, building in intensity and synchronization until the wall of sound towers bombastically over the listener. Gritty synth rhythm tracks duel with digital tropicalia until both acts quickly reach their respective limits, burning the entire island down in three minutes flat. 12:56 is great for the die-hard follower of either Lust or Dreams West, but we highly, highly recommend the outro track. Do tha right thing, and grab a free MP3 download of “Driving Pleasures”, by Lust & Dreams West below, and then peruse each artist’s discography for more good tunes afterwards. You know we won’t pass up the opportunity to put in a solid plug for Dreams West’s </3.

MP3 Download of “Driving Pleasures”, by Lust & Dreams West (from 12:56)

MACINTOSH PLUS - “リサフランク420 - 現代のコンピュー”

OMG We’re really showing our age by posting this jam, considering that Macintosh Plus’s Floral Shoppe is like the In the Aeroplane Over the Sea of vaporwave albums. Other than James Ferraro’s Far Side Virtual, no other release is as definitive of that mysterious experimental electronic music genre as is 2011’s Floral Shoppe. One of the myriad aliases of the alien creature behind Vektroid, Dstnt, and 情報デスクVirtual, Macintosh Plus simply has the distinction of being the one go-to project for internet dwellers that want to egg the faces of fans of vaporwave and its resultant micro-genres. “リサフランク420 - 現代のコンピュー”, which roughly translated means “420 Modern Computing Lisa Frank”, is one of the earlier tracks on the album, being a memorable fusion of MIDI-based mood music and chopped and screwed soul samples. True to form, the lion’s share of the tune is minimal and benign, reminiscent of the soundtracks of early 90’s DOS-based point-and-click adventures by the likes of Brøderbund or Humongous Entertainment. The plastic smile prison erected by the sterile vibes of what is ironically modeled after the hold music of the mid-90’s does very little in the way of comforting those of us staring down the crevasses of the uncanny valley itself. That said, an endearing synth whine, along with Diana Ross’s warm, funky vocalization really holds the song together and breathes a lot of life into it. This is not just a terrible 3-dimensional facade and some chopped and screwed lo-fi boogie from the early 80’s. This is music for a carefully manicured domicile for well-to-do humans. It is music that our eventual robot masters will be using to enslave us. Despite sneaking suspicions, we will probably feel good about it. Do tha right thing and give in to PrismCorp™ Virtual Enterprises with a free MP3 download of “リサフランク420 - 現代のコンピュー”, by Macintosh Plus. Afterwards, visit Vektroid’s Tumblr or Beer on the Rug Records’ Bandcamp page for more satisfyingly dehumanizing elevator synthwave.

MP3 Download of “リサフランク420 - 現代のコンピュー”, by Macintosh Plus (from Floral Shoppe)

DEZ HARLEY - “COMMON SCENTS”

Produced by legendary French beatmaker Onra, Dez Harley is back with a new single, entitled “Common Scents”. Comparable to young, tongue-in-cheek nerd rap acts like Tyler, the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt, Dez Harley is a blood-in-blood-out (albeit lesser known) member of that new wave gang of urban producers and lyricists with ironic overtones. This guy is worlds more legit, though. Having already taken us to toke town and back over the top of Com Truise’s “Controlpop”, Dez’s latest anthem channels the vaporwave vibes of artists like Lasership Stereo and Luxury Elite, throwing in a trip-hop tempo twist, and stomping all over it with his goofy rhymes about the myriad facets of the weed smoking lifestyle. Between a curbside diatribe on the virtues of hemp, the chill life, and the repurposed retro sampling, the jam is an absolute slam dunk in our book. Do tha right thing, and grab a free MP3 download of Dez Harley’s “Common Scents” below, and be sure to check out the rest of his repertoire as well. He is definitely the coolest, most interesting rapper we’ve ever heard, bar none.

MP3 Download of “Common Scents”, by Dez Harley

COM TRUISE - “WIP (‘13)”

Heeeeey, lookey there. The same guy who posted the video rip of Lapti’s “Don’t U Know?” is the only guy that currently has a video of Com Truise’s latest B-side. I have a feeling we should probably download everything we see on Distapez’s Youtube channel. Either way, though, the internet’s hottest bringer of retro vibes has a new unreleased jam out, “WIP (‘13)”, which most likely refers to the Soho location at which he played yesterday, but may or may not also stand for an actual work in progress. I think we can rule out “women-in-prison” or “wank in public”, so hopefully the naming also subtly indicates the opening throes of a brand new synthwave-meets-downtempo release for Seth Haley (Com Truise). In the featured tune, slow, lighthearted, reverberating synth notes in the vein of “Cathode Girls” build gradually into Com Truise’s trademark arcade room flurry of pixelated mid-fi SFX. Halfway through, after a short refractory period, a laser-etched bassline battles through an asteroid belt of monolithic electronics as the transmission gradually fades up and out. Do tha right thing, and get a taste of “WIP (‘13)”, Mr. Truise’s latest public offering below the jump. Be sure to acquaint yourself with the rest of his portfolio thereafter, if you haven’t already. His latest release, In Decay, was easily one of our favorite full-lengths of 2012, so getcha some!

MP3 Download of “WIP (‘13)”, by Com Truise

LAPTI - “DON’T U KNOW?”

Russia is really making some icy splashes, with several notable artists like Capo Blanco, Lapti, and Summer of Haze repping the cold dark motherland all around the hipster blogosphere. Lapti, one of our favorite new acts on the scene, has been featured prominently lately at the blog and on the mixes due to the assumptive nature of his reworked hi-fi sampling. “Don’t U Know?”, though little more than a one-to-two-minute slice of funk life, perfectly freeze frames that soulful boogie vibe prevalent among much of the Juicy and Keats//Collective crews. Eschewing the intentionally degraded audio styling of vaporwave acts like Luxury Elite or Miami Vice, Lapti prefers to keep it clear as a bell, yet dripping with a sheen of subtle retro production techniques. Imagine a less chopped and screwed Spend the Night With Games, and that’s what you get with Lapti: a flash point waking synthwave dream with unobtrusive improvements that remain hidden at first blush. The best part is that the bite-size nature of little clips like “Don’t U Know?” practically demand repeat listens. Do tha right thing, and grab a free MP3 download of Lapti’s “Don’t U Know?” below, and download or purchase everything else you can get your hands on by the Muscovite wunderkind ASAP.

MP3 Download of “Don’t U Know?”, by Lapti

VANGUARD - “ECHOHUNTER”

At Tiananmen Square Dance, we’re always sure to cite our sources, and we’d just like to let you know that if you haven’t already checked out DjemUK’s 80’s Dreamz mix at his Soundcloud page, then you need to get after it now. The featured Vanguard jam, along with several other VHS-wave tunes are all there, compiled for your convenience, and many of them are even free downloads. The organic electronic vibe in “Echohunter” starts slowly with a cascading ambient digital rain, building both in volume and intensity, reaching an absolutely supernatural high shortly after the one-minute mark. Sonorous vocal samples precede the meat of “Echohunter”, as if an annunciation of the glory to come. A bassline straight out of an early 80’s wet boogie dream underlies the reprise of some of the most truly triumphant vocals we have ever had the pleasure of hearing, and a lo-fi found monologue walks us back and out abruptly after the track is chopped and screwed into computerized oblivion. Boasting a prominent sample of Alexander O’Neal’s 1986 R&B hit “If You Were Here Tonight”, the song is perfect for fans of the earthy downtempo of Tycho, the dark witch house of Friendzone, or any particularly bouncy vintage synthwave jam by the likes of Lapti or Capo Blanco. Do tha right thing, and check out Vanguard’s “Echohunter” after the bump, and you can even download the free EP on which it is featured here, if you so desire. Of course, we also recommend you check out DjemUK’s 80’s Dreamz playlist too. There’s some truly good shit there.

MP3 Download of “Echohunter”, by Vanguard (from the Echo EP)