Dreampunk

Dreampunk is a derivative genre of Vaporwave beginning in the mid-2010s. Dreampunk largely formed out of vaporwave artists wanting to experiment with more minimal and atmospheric compositions, while also distancing their music from the sample based 1980s nostalgia of vaporwave. HKE's solo work in the genre, as well as his collaborations with artists such as t e l e p a t h テレパシー能力者 and other releases on his label, Dream Catalogue, helped popularize the style in the Vapor community. His project with t e l e p a t h テレパシー能力者, 2814, also gave the genre even more recognition, and helped codify it and give the sound exposure outside the vapor community.

Sonically, dreampunk builds on the atmosphere and repetitive structure of vaporwave by taking influence from Ambient music, as well as Progressive Electronic. Artists in the genre sometimes utilize samples, though they tend to be even more distorted and slowed compared to vaporwave, often sounding more abstract. This contributes to the dreamlike sound the genre is known for. Elements such as distortion and a heavily affected bass sound are used to make a more hypnotic atmosphere. Dreampunk songs are often built on abstract soundscapes and eschew the Plunderphonics techniques vaporwave was originally known for.

As an offshoot, dreampunk shares several characteristics with vaporwave itself. One of these characteristics is anonymity, with many artists in the genre using several internet aliases to create a sense of mystique around their music. Additionally, much like vaporwave, dreampunk has a strong reliance on distinct visual and thematic aesthetics, often utilizing abstracted imagery of cityscapes on album covers and incorporating futuristic cyberpunk themes into the music. Dreampunk will also often use Japanese kanji in its album and song titles, often to add further mystique to the music. Dystopian and Cyberpunk movies such as Blade Runner and Ghost in the Shell or the movies of Wong kar Wai also have an influence on the genre, with dreampunk artists taking inspiration from the atmospheric and urban quality of those films and translating it into a musical landscape.

Since the mid-2010s, dreampunk has continued to thrive in the underground. Several new labels have been founded, accompanied by new musicians joining the genre. It continues to be one of the most popular subgenres of the vapor movement.