Hot Takes

"Hot Takes" episode 102 featured ambient downtempo artist Casha Mour! In an effort to branch out into other realms of independent net-based electronic music, we made an effort to reach across the pond and engage with Dan, and it was extremely worthwhile. Despite the lateness of the hour for the poor fellow, Casha Mour went the distance, and we got to talk about all kinds of cool things like bleak...

We chose to spend our 101st episode celebrating and platforming Sage Hardware! It's not often we get to chat with people who blend diverse genres like metalcore, cybergrind, and vaporwave; and Shortstuf888 pulled someone that made perfect sense to fill the role. We started a few minutes late due to some technical difficulties, but we made sure to make time to cover a series of interesting and impo...

Multidisciplinary musician and video game composer Floor Baba was the focus of "Hot Takes" episode 100! After a prolonged period of not having Quiz on the show as co-host, we finally got him back and with a terrific pull too! Known for their work on the soundtracks for Pac Man: Snack Break and Egg Squeeze, their affiliation with the Pluswav Cooperative, and their wonky, futuristic take on vapor-ad...

We brought Arpwire TV showrunner Win2K front and center for "Hot Takes" episode 99! Co-host Roge Corp has been a member of the Arpwire TV team for some time now, so why not collaborate with the mastermind behind the nostalgia-themed channel himself? Known for their meticulously crafted homages to Y2K nostalgia and Frutiger Aero- and Metro-themed graphic design, our two hours' runtime was really on...

Luxury Noise called upon longtime Coast 2 Coast Collective collaborator San Gabriel for episode 98 of "Hot Takes"! A classically trained and multifaceted musician, San Gabriel's background is in guitar and banjo playing for a bluegrass punk band, touring 49 of the 50 United States and myriad countries worldwide as well. And now he makes psychedelic synth-infused dream pop! If you couldn't be prese...

Vaporwave and outsider artist and musician 식료품groceries starred on episode ninety-seven of "Hot Takes", enlivening the evening with Luxury Elite and YUNG SHIRO 白 as they discussed numerous topics like the origin story behind the artist name and favorite video game soundtracks. On top of releasing genre-defining vaporwave albums such as "Yes! We're Open!", Jordan has released lo-fi house materi...

On "Hot Takes" episode 96, we landed a whopper of a guest: film/TV/video game composer Andrew Gordon MacPherson. A multimedia artist and disciple of several different A/V trades, Ango was one of Shiro's top choice guests, owing to a spate of neo-R&B releases he dropped in the early 2010's; and we had a delightful evening being regaled by his journey and getting exclusive insight into his creat...

Crystal Eternal, YUNG SHIRO 白, and our special guest of honor Fiji島の水 all starred in the latest episode of "Hot Takes" together! Up-and-coming artist, DJ, and community member, Fiji has a handful of audio/visual releases under her belt already, streams to Twitch regularly for her show Thursday Night Funkin', and has performed IRL in cities like Atlanta, Brooklyn, Columbus, and more. Two hours...

Roge Corp finally had his moment with us on the show for "Hot Takes" episode 94! Roge Corp, scene builder, community organizer, and show thrower, had his two hours of fame on "Hot Takes" with Luxury Elite and YUNG SHIRO 白, plying the duo with musings, best practices, and blazing hot opinions. Roge Corp is one of the best known and most loved curators in the scene, acting as leader of the isles of...

Roge Corp, YUNG SHIRO 白, and highly coveted special guest Brothertiger starred in the latest "Hot Takes" episode! A heavyweight composer and live performer from the early 2010 chillwave days, Brothertiger has continued to develop his sound and brand, playing shows for thousands, releasing seminal albums and EP's, and collaborating with numerous other skilled artists, including Fire-Toolz, Hotel P...

For this installment of the show, we broadcasted with Tom Vernon! A lo-fi house artist that both Luxury Noise and YUNG SHIRO 白 have loved for years, Tom's humble, friendly affect and willingness to share his thoughts made him a perfect guest for "Hot Takes"; and we excitedly picked his brain about topics like hardware vs. software in production, binging artists' discographies, and Octopath Travel...

On "Hot Takes" this week, Shiro and Crystal found a way to get yet another seminal outrun synthwave act on the show for an evening of chatting! A prominent member of the early 2010's synthwave movement, Botnit released a series of albums and singles during that exciting and explosive era of independent net-based retro electronic music. We are always trying our best to bring on acts and artists fro...

For "Hot Takes" episode ninety, YUNG SHIRO 白 partnered with brand new co-host Shortstuf888 to bring on friend of the show and chiptune artist Smoothbrain, discussing all manner of topics during the evening, such as being vulnerable as an artist and producing tracks in Mario Paint. Aside from his Doctor Robotnik-esque look, Smoothbrain is known for traveling far and wide to support live vapor and...

During this talk show episode, Frez Wave was our featured guest! Known primarily for their groggy, bitcrushed take on vaporwave and lo-fi house, Frez Wave was Roge Corp's number one pick for potential guests, and we had a delightful time joking around about gen Z brainrot and getting put on countless artists that inspire Frez Wave's style. Since having gotten involved with music production and the...

On "Hot Takes" episode 88 this week, Quiz and Shiro tagged Agnar in for the show at the eleventh hour! Eccentric, well-spoken, and making waves with their unique spin on experimental IDM music, Agnar was just a natural pick for the show; and picking them paid off in dividends as we were entertained by their thoughts on the similarities between vaporwave and prog rock, "new internet" music, and mak...

This week on the "Hot Takes" vaporwave talk show, longtime podcast hosts Birk and Ross from Night Clerk Radio decided to do a crossover episode with us! Hosting two guests instead of just the typical one, we got to hear a myriad of thoughts and opinions on topics from them, ranging from liminal spaces and the backrooms, staying apprised of current outsider music and music history, and their commit...

On "Hot Takes" this week, we got Skylar Spence to come on the show! Arguably the most seminal artist that gave future funk its voice, Ryan regaled us with thoughts and tales during their episode about topics like Mac Tonight ads, Arrested Development, and their experience getting signed to Carpark Records. Having started with vaporwave and future funk in late 2012, Skylar Spence has not only relea...

On "Hot Takes" this week, Crystal Eternal and YUNG SHIRO 白 had a sit-down with influential artist, label owner, and scene builder Brickmason! Friendly, inviting, and bursting with well-tempered takes, we invited Brick to the show to get behind the curtain of not only his own project but his record label and IRL and URL show throwing experiences. Brickmason has been making music far longer than he...

"Hot Takes" season four had to come to an end at some point, so Skelly and Shiro decided to let the mod team take the reins; and they flipped the entire format upside down, posing their own recommendations and takes and lobbing questions at the hosts for the three-hour run. A deviation from the show's typical fare, we got to get some phenomenal insight into the "Hot Takes" mod team's tastes and ge...

We showcased ubiquitous visual artist and vaporwave superfan Solodolo84 on the 83rd episode of "Hot Takes"! We brought back the community vote format, and Solo had a strong lead from the beginning that he maintained during the entire two weeks of polling, so we gave the people what they wanted. Solodolo84 is a natural conversationalist and man of the people, so the hours felt like minutes as memor...

For episode 82 of "Hot Takes", the bois decided to bring another act from the vaporwave zero genre to the broadcast! Skilled breaks-influenced vaporwave producer and 1/2 of VaporVA alongside Roge Corp, V4NGOE is known for being a pioneer of a subset of vaporwave that is more vocal-driven and influenced by breaks and 90's R&B than your typical slowed and reverb fare. He helped drive the growth...

During the eighty-first episode of "Hot Takes", the bois used an ace in the hole and brought on Quiz, a path-finding colleague and friend to the show, spending the evening chatting about a number of things, including the story behind the curation of "Hot Takes Vol. 1" and the difference between listening to metal music and playing it live. Known primarily for his flashy tracksuits and dance moves...

For the eightieth episode of "Hot Takes", we were honored to be graced by the presence of Vitesse X. With a background in cross country skiing, track, and field and having played live in shoegaze and punk rock bands, independent electronic artist and label owner Vitesse X told us her stories and divulged some intensely personal and edifying advice about being sincere with your art. Lots of talk ab...

We brought back the remix format for "Hot Takes" episode 79, featuring previous guests and friends of the show FrankJavCee and Luxury Elite! When it comes to dear friends, engaged members of the community, and perfectly inspirational conversationalists, Frank and Lux were some of the first two people that came to mind when planning for this episode. The energy of episode 79 was at an all time high...

Skelly, Shiro, and the "Hot Takes" horde got to spend a night with Miami Nights 1984 on the latest episode of the show! A veritable pathfinder of the outrun synthwave music scene, Michael has been recognized as one of the forefathers of the synthwave resurgence and has been involved with numerous high profile projects such as remixing acts like Gotye and Gunship, being featured in Rolling Stone, a...