Oh my god, finally someone else who has had this same idea in their brain, but articulates it much more clearly. I've been calling this type of music "EPCOTcore" in my brain. I think the one thing that differentiates in my mind from say, other retrofuturism genres is probably the *wistfulness*. Many of them are valid critiques of unfettered technoutopianism, but too much of that feels so depressing. I want more media that channels the inner child back to what it felt like as an 8 year old going to a science museum, all these weird wonders that we as humanity are using our collective effort in order to figure out [1][2].
Tangentially, I feel like the same emotions surface in genres such as MIDI Music[3]. Instead of the deconstruction of 90s corporate music that Vaporwave was, it's a celebration of the "Ringtone Bangers"[4] - your catchy ringtones that upon another listen, are actually quite joyful.
I LOVE EPCOTCore as a name - I guess I see that as a perfect term for one of the two main subgenres of Happy Hauntology, ie. the synthier Jean Michel Jarre-influenced retrofuturistic end of the spectrum as opposed to the frontier/exotica/fantasy music that I also want to include?
thanks loads for the links too - that Darius album is wonderful. Instant fan conversion.
Oh my god, finally someone else who has had this same idea in their brain, but articulates it much more clearly. I've been calling this type of music "EPCOTcore" in my brain. I think the one thing that differentiates in my mind from say, other retrofuturism genres is probably the *wistfulness*. Many of them are valid critiques of unfettered technoutopianism, but too much of that feels so depressing. I want more media that channels the inner child back to what it felt like as an 8 year old going to a science museum, all these weird wonders that we as humanity are using our collective effort in order to figure out [1][2].
Tangentially, I feel like the same emotions surface in genres such as MIDI Music[3]. Instead of the deconstruction of 90s corporate music that Vaporwave was, it's a celebration of the "Ringtone Bangers"[4] - your catchy ringtones that upon another listen, are actually quite joyful.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR0vRuZkxdw
[2] https://lapfox.bandcamp.com/track/welcome-home-2
[3] https://sexytoadsandfrogsfriendcircle.bandcamp.com/album/staffcirc-vol-9-midi-module-fanatix
[4] https://www.youtube.com/c/ringtonebangers
I LOVE EPCOTCore as a name - I guess I see that as a perfect term for one of the two main subgenres of Happy Hauntology, ie. the synthier Jean Michel Jarre-influenced retrofuturistic end of the spectrum as opposed to the frontier/exotica/fantasy music that I also want to include?
thanks loads for the links too - that Darius album is wonderful. Instant fan conversion.