Witch House: Haunted Music

Witch House has to be the scariest of the experimental music genres. The Witch House genre got many of it’s scary elements due to it getting it’s inspiration from 90’s grunge bands, who were often considered scary. Witch House is also considered scary because of the low tones the use in there music that are paired with slowed down vocals and droning sounds. Witch House is also closely related to the Hip Hop sub genre, chopped and screwed, because of it’s use of 808 beats and the slowed down vocals. Another important aspect of Witch House is it’s use of melodic vocals. These vocals paired with the the hard slow beats create a feeling of unease for some listeners.

One major artists from the Witch House genre is the band Salem. Salem is considered to be the first music group to really define the Witch House music genre. Another popular music group from Witch House is Crystal Castles. Crystal Castles is arguably the most popular Witch House band to date. Crystal Castles have been able to gain a lot of mainstream attention due to their intense live shows.

Down below are a couple of songs and artist for you guys to look into. Also don’t be scared to get out there and find different artists from Witch House. After all Witch House shouldn’t be able to scare you too much.

Seapunk: Mermaid Music

Seapunk began it’s mainstream exposure around 2011 and grew to have so much popularity that artists, such as Rihanna and Azealia Banks, have both incorporated Seapunk somewhere into their music. Seapunk music, as it’s name suggests, often features sounds from marine life and the ocean itself. The marine sound bits are then added over electronic instrumentals. Seapunk songs can range from uptempo, almost drum’ n’ bass inspired, beats to slower more relaxing instrumentals. Other popular music technique used in Seapunk is echoed voices and beats as well as sampling older songs, usually from the 90’s.

Seapunk is not only a genre of music, it is also considered it’s own subculture. To go along with the genres use of ocean sounds in it’s music, the visuals associated with this genre also incorporate ocean and marine life, mainly dolphins. The marine elements are often glitched images and computer graphics to make the visuals reflect more of the modern aspect Seapunk is said to be about. (an example of the image can be seen below)

"#Seapunk Volume 1" - SPLASH001 cover art

“#Seapunk Volume 1″ – SPLASH001” from Coral Records Internazionale’s first compilation album

If you would like to sample some of the songs that Seapunk has to offer, then click on the song titles below to listen to them. The only disclaimer is that make sure you stay dry.

Bubblegum Bass: It’s So Catchy

Hey guys! This weeks lesson from Viral Music Camp is going to showcase the fun genre of Bubblegum Bass. Bubblegum Bass is an upbeat music genre featuring high pitched vocals, catchy lyrics, and fast, driving beats. Compared to the other experimental music genres, Bubblegum Bass is the most recent of these genres. Bubblegum Bass got its start around 2010 in the United Kingdom, bringing a new spin on the pop songs circa the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Two artists that have grown in  popularity with the genre are A.G. Cook and SOPHIE. Both artist have been able to generate much needed attention to the Bubblegum Bass genre. A.G. Cook, who is both a dj and producer, created the music label PC Music  and presented even more Bubblegum Bass artists. SOPHIE, who isn’t part of the PC Music label, has generate a lot of talk by herself with her EP, Numbers.

Down below is a list of some of my favorite Bubblegum Bass songs. Click on the song titles to listen to each of the songs. If some of these songs get you in the mood to party, you should continue to search for more artists from Bubblegum Bass.

Vaporwave: Retrowave

Vaporwave is considered to be one of the most relaxing of the experimental music genre. This genre usually features mostly slowed 80′s and 90′s music. The vocals of the retro songs are usually slowed or modified in some way. The repetition of these 80′s and 90′s  songs bring up some sort of nostalgia in lots of Vaporwave listeners.

Vaporwave was consider to be started through the popularity of Laserdisc Visions by Laserdisc Visions in 2011. This new sound to come out of the experimental music genre began to spread throughout the Internets subcultures. The music connected to Vaporwave is not the only thing that vaporwave has claim to. Vaporwave is also known for its music videos and cover art. Both the cover art and music videos of Vaporwave attempt to mirror the retro feel of the music. Many videos and covers will feature old advertisements from the 80′s and 90′s.

FLORAL SHOPPE cover art

FLORAL SHOPPE by MACINTOSH PLUS https://f1.bcbits.com/img/a0279566532_2.jpg

Below are a few popular songs from the Vaporwave genre. Just click on the song title listen to the song. Also do not forget that you can always head over to either Soundcloud or Bandcamp and search any of the featured genres to find even more artists like these

Meme Rap: Ironic Rap

Meme Rap, I believe, is one of the most mainstream of the experimental music genres. Meme rap is the musical equivalent to those internet memes that pop up every now and then on your social media feeds. These internet memes are filled with crude and ironic humor, the same goes for Meme Rap as a experimental music genre. Many Meme Rap songs are based in ironic lyrics and instrumentals. Artist like Lil B, Riff Raff, and Chance the Rapper are just a few artists to be considered part of this genre.

Meme rap has been said to have been originated from Lil B according to the frequent listeners of this genre. Following the success of Lil B’s song “Wonton Soup” the genre of Meme Rap began to catch on. From then on many other artists have become strong presences of the Meme Rap genre.  The spread of Meme Rap has allowed it to become one of the more popularly known experimental genres. This genre has numerous artists that have large followings and numbers of fans. Artists such as Tyler the Creator, Chance the Rapper, Earl Sweatshirt have all made large fan bases through the internet.

For some examples of influential Meme Rap genre songs click on the song title below. Also a disclaimer, many Meme Rap songs contain very vulgar lyrics and they make you uncomfortable due to the very dark and ironic nature of Meme Rap. Enjoy the irony!

Experimental Music and Its Quirks: Introduction

The experimental music genres are, for many, a mystery. Even those who listen to one or two of the music genres, don’t have a place to learn more about their new favorite song they listen too. Some genres of interest, for example, are Chillwave and Seapunk. This blog will try to give as much information about the experimental music genres following 2009. This blog will not only cater to those who have had some interest in these styles of music but will try to reach those who have not heard of any of the musicians featured on this blog.

This blog will feature the following genres:

  • Chillwave
  • Witch House
  • Seapunk
  • Meme Rap
  • Vaporwave
  • Bubblegum Bass

This blog will try to be a source of information for experimental music genres. Exploring what they are and what they sound like. These genres will open up a new side of music that you may not have heard before. This blog will help getting through it all a little easier. If you want to browse through some of the genres that are going to be featured on this blog head over to bandcamp and soundcloud.