Telepath | Artist
Luke Laurila aka Telepath is an American vaporwave artist born 1997 in Akron Ohio. Lauril became a major contributor to the classic and hypnagogic categories of the subgenre working under the project names Telepath, Virtual Dream Plaza, Taihe Zhiheng, Trinity Infinity, Scintillation!, and Tianhuojian. The artist is also a member of the ambient-techno band 2814, and the vapourware "supergroup" collective Danpenka Sareta Yuujin. During the mid-2010s, Laurila's ambient sound and dream-like presentation turned him into the main originator of the slushwave subgenre. He released his debut album in 2013, and began producing split albums with vaporwave artists such as Cat System Corp. He became a notable figure of the genre for his prolific output during 2014, and for co-founding Dream Catalogue, the first vaporwave-focused record label. Standout albums include Beyond Reality (2014), Antara Communication (2015), Another Night Together (2015), and Seikan seikou (2015). Also recommended is Wuxian kewang (2016), released under the alias Virtual Dream Plaza. From 2016, Laurila started producing mainly original synth music, as opposed to his earlier sample-based efforts. Laurila's music is characterized by constant reverberation and phaser effects, slow-paced melodies, and constant sample looping. It is distinct from traditional vaporwave's reliance on nostalgia and aesthetics, in that many tracks highlight a more hazy and ambient soundscape. Genres explored by Laurila's music include vaporwave, ambient, dance pop, dreampunk, funk, lo-fi, new age, post-vaporwave, slowcore, slushwave, smooth jazz, and techno, most often sampling J-pop songs from his personal collection. In his Bandcamp recommendations page, Laurila lists ambient artists such as Mort Aux Vaches. His music also takes heavy inspiration from works by electronic duo Boards of Canada, and the 2814 project was compared to the music of Oneohtrix Point Never and Kavinsky. His work as Telepath was integrated into Spotify's official vaporwave playlist, and featured as part of the soundtrack for Dan Vogt's video game Data Wing (2017). He made his first official public appearance in 2019, and continued his popularity on the Cat System Corp. Vaporwave as a music style is a subgenre of electronic music that emerged in the early 2010s. It is based on slowed-down, chopped and screwed samples of smooth jazz, 1970s elevator music, R&B, and lounge music from the 1980s and 1990s. The movement is associated with a 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.
Artist Website : telepathtelepath.bandcamp.com
Featured Albums: Telepath
Related Artists: Luke Laurila, Virtual Dream Plaza, 2814, Danpenka Sareta Yuujin
Not on Apple Music