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+date = 2021-03-28
+title = "Vaporwave vs Outrun"
+description = "This post discusses Vaporwave and Outrun, which have become almost synonymous in the minds of those online who aren't hardcore into these genres of media."
++++
+
+## Overview
+
+When it comes to an aesthetic that originated primarily online, there tends to
+be a lot of confusion around what falls into each specific genre. This post
+discusses Vaporwave and Outrun, which have become almost synonymous in the minds
+of those online who aren't hardcore into these genres of media. More
+specifically, Outrun is largely an unknown term while all aesthetics in these
+two genres are usually attributed to Vaporwave. For example, take a look at the
+image search results for Vaporwave: the results include **a lot** of
+Outrun-themed images. You'll find a similar trend almost everywhere.
+
+![](https://img.0x4b1d.org/blog/20210328-vaporwave-vs-outrun/vaporwave-search-results.png)
+
+## Vaporwave
+
+![](https://img.0x4b1d.org/blog/20210328-vaporwave-vs-outrun/macintosh-plus.png)
+
+Okay, so what is Vaporwave? I'm going to just copy-and-paste some general info
+from the Wikipedia article on
+[Vaporwave](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporwave), so that I'm not repeating
+everything you can already search for online:
+
+> Vaporwave is a microgenre of electronic music, a visual art style, and an
+> Internet meme that emerged in the early 2010s. It is defined partly by its
+> slowed-down, chopped and screwed samples of smooth jazz, elevator, R&B, and
+> lounge music from the 1980s and 1990s. The surrounding subculture is sometimes
+> associated with an ambiguous or satirical take on consumer capitalism and pop
+> culture, and tends to be characterized by a nostalgic or surrealist engagement
+> with the popular entertainment, technology and advertising of previous
+> decades. Visually, it incorporates early Internet imagery, late 1990s web
+> design, glitch art, anime, 3D-rendered objects, and cyberpunk tropes in its
+> cover artwork and music videos.
+
+This is an excellent summary, and it helps address my point here: there are
+specific aspects that make Vaporwave unique:
+
+### Time Frame
+
+The time frame for references, logos, etc. focuses mostly on the 1990s in
+Vaporwave. You'll see old school Pepsi logos, Microsoft 95 screens, tropical
+plants, classic marble sculptures, and many references from Japan's influence in
+the 90s.
+
+### Art
+
+The color scheme is generally a soft, light palette that uses pastel colors. The
+backdrop will often be in a light-pink or teal blue.
+
+### Music
+
+The musical genre of Vaporwave incorporates soft tunes, lounge music, and sound
+effects that will make the listener reminisce of the 90s. The sounds of the
+genre are generally slower-paced and calming. The major breakthrough artist for
+Vaporwave was [Macintosh Plus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vektroid), who
+released the album
+[Floral Shoppe](https://archive.org/details/MACINTOSHPLUS-FLORALSHOPPE_complete)
+in 2011. Another more recent example is the artist
+[sadbert](https://sadbert.bandcamp.com/), whose latest album incorporates the
+upbeat tones of the 1999 Dilbert TV series.
+
+Notice that Vaporwave doesn't include things like racing cars, futuristic
+technology, chrome, or the deep orange/purple color scheme. Vaporwave is a focus
+on the idyllic state of the world when technology was becoming common in
+households, a reality that we have already experienced. Focus on the most
+aesthetically-pleasing parts of that past is a large part of Vaporwave.
+
+## Outrun
+
+![Outrun](https://img.0x4b1d.org/blog/20210328-vaporwave-vs-outrun/outrun.png)
+
+Now, let's get to Outrun. This one is a little trickier since the genre has
+largely been lumped under the Vaporwave title for so long. However, it stems
+from the [Synthwave](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthwave) music genre and is
+likely named after the 1986 racer game,
+[Out Run](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_Run).
+
+### Time Frame
+
+Outrun can be thought of as a retro-futuristic aesthetic born from the 1980s.
+
+### Art
+
+The color scheme uses a very dark color palette with the main colors being deep
+oranges, blues, and purples. Red edges are common around objects in Outrun art.
+The background of the Outrun aesthetic is almost always a neon grid like you'd 
+expect to see in Tron or a 1980s arcade machine.
+
+Classic sports cars, chrome robots, computer generated graphics and fonts, and
+the occasional use of rain or palm trees can be found in Outrun art.
+
+### Music
+
+This aesthetic has a more aggressive and fast-paced style of music, which tends
+to match the subject of the art in this aesthetic.
+
+Outrun enthusiasts love what people in the 1980s thought the future would look
+like. Take a look at a common video game discussed in Outrun circles, Far Cry 3:
+Blood Dragon:
+
+![Fry Cry 3: Blood Dragon](https://img.0x4b1d.org/blog/20210328-vaporwave-vs-outrun/far-cry.png)
+
+Another example that doesn't force the color scheme as hard as some online art
+does is Kung Fury:
+
+![Kung Fury](https://img.0x4b1d.org/blog/20210328-vaporwave-vs-outrun/kung-fury.png)
+
+![Kung Fury Hacker Scene](https://img.0x4b1d.org/blog/20210328-vaporwave-vs-outrun/kung-fury-hacker.png)
+
+## Conclusion
+
+While Vaporwave and Outrun share similarities, they are two distinct aesthetics
+with many important distinctions. Someone who enjoys one may not necessarily
+enjoy the other, so it's important to make sure we properly describe the
+aesthetic we're looking for.