The 1990’s were a supersonic decade in the eyes of popular culture. Walkmans hung out of loose, blue jeans, tape cassettes were most definitely ‘in’ and the Nintendo v Sega console battle was in full swing (everyone knows ‘to be this good takes ages’). Vaporwave wasn’t even a sparkle in Chillwave’s eye, but the young genre has its retro roots stretching way back into the 90’s.
Sunscreen and shades are required as Digital Natives cruises into town. It’s All Point Blank is a delicious slice of summer soul and early, creamy funk samples, coupled with scintillating, beach-dried beats that fizzle like Coca Cola and a tropical paradise for your pleasure. Don’t forget the Tropicana!
Dip your toes in these slightly psychedelic vibes, illuminating the clear aquamarine blue but just as quickly turning into a splattered rainbow of colours, where tiny, funky gems as colourful as the music can be found. Sparkling like gemstones of rose quartz, the interspersed use of brass, a dash of dialogue tuned in to the rhythm, groovy basslines and cut out soul chips bring the decade back on a tidal wave of foamy fresh music, as well as ensuring plenty of diversity. Play that funky music!
Provided by Vaporwave kings Beer On The Rug, a label that revels in style and innovation, It’s All Point Blank struts right off the street, fizzling pasted old school funk melodies, tropical sensations and ultra cool beats that positively ooze sweat off the drumsticks – it’s as clear as the coastline waves that Digital Natives is having a lot of fun.
As ‘Groovevateer’ kicks in, you just can’t help but get into something. It’s instantly addictive. Digital Natives skirts any kind of expectation with an eclectic, fizzling atmosphere that, if you were to put it down, comes closest to light, psychedelic funk. Pitch-shifted samples could be stylistically linked to modern-day turntablism (another face of the 90’s), only without the, uh, turntables. Rock n’ roll.
Freedom isn’t usually associated with repetition, but there’s an amazing sense of open, unrestricted liberty as the loops loop and the progressions progress. Repetition is at the heart of the music, so much so that listening transforms into a never-ending spiral that sinks deeply into your system, effortlessly sliding down the helter skelter of positive, fun-sketched vibes and trailing a looping state of mind for the next listener up, until you’re lost inside the music. An indulgent slice of delectable funk is married to the comedown of “Feeling The Jitters”, as everything feels slightly warped, out of sync, and, like a spiked glass of Tropicana, enough to make everyone in the club get tipsy.
Frequencies are laced with radio static and the tanned fizzling warmth of hiss, provided by aural UV rays and a drop of sunshine. Spray cans of voiced graffiti are sprinkled over the airwaves and onto the urban streets; beaming out of another, high window like a television that’s turned up wayyy too loud in an apartment complex. ‘Fancyfastened Free’ is fresh from the boardwalk of soul, rollerblading down a shoreline coated by calypso melodies and bright pink bubblegum – surely the passer by didn’t say he lives in a pineapple under the sea? As the music is so innovative, it’s entirely possible. “The Prowess” where old-school horns are in their prime – that gorgeous, classic Stax sound coming back for a revival – faded keyboard melodies and bass-lines also get down, keeping everything flowing along until there’s an intoxicating groove under a halo of sunshine. Palmtrees sway constantly under the blue, dancing in freedom created by their own loose repetitious propulsion.
“The Turnpike” leads you into the 1990’s, back to DJ Shadow’s Schoolhouse Funk and even further back, sounding like a vacation spent on safari. Roar! You may see some gorillas, but they probably won’t be hurling barrels at you. Talking of the Sega days, the classic, loose and laid back freedom of Jet Set Radio (another great soundtrack) would be perfect over these vaporized vibes. Digital Natives is just cruising. He’s thrown down a marker with It’s All Point Blank – sure, as Sega said, it takes a long time to get good at something, but it may not take as long as everyone first thought, way back in the 90’s. (James Catchpole)
a closer listen 