i'm launching a new bi-monthly mixtape with my friend wamoo papez (juan alvarez) called CLUB SODA. juan will make the mixes and create a collage matching the vibe of the songs.

club soda mix #1 // strawberry carbonated jams // wamoo papez

about this mix:

"for the past couple of months, i’ve really gotten into vaporwave, a genre of music that is focused more on sonics and aesthetics rather than content. a lot of vaporwave albums are centered around a theme, for example something like “music that can is played at a grocery store”, or “what happens to a computer when it dies". i just love how conceptually adventurous it all is.i'm also working on a new album/collage series titled beverages. each collage in the series is titled after a drink, cocktail, etc and the album will be inspired directly by the collages. the collages are all done, but the music is still being made. i hope to exhibit them both by the end of 2016.

with this mix, i wanted to curate a group of songs that together would flow like a very good day, so i picked songs that were either filled with excitement, had a generally happy vibe, or could set the next song up to be either happy or exciting. for the collage, i picked very bright colors to match the upbeat feel of the mix. to me, pink has always been a color that represented happiness, so i made it the predominant color of the collage — the other colors were picked based on how well they can complement the shade of pink i ended up using.

after being exposed to it in late 2015, i very much wanted to make vaporwave music and art. as a visual art form, vaporwave often takes influence from technology and digital media. i've never really seen or heard of anything vaporwave being made from print or analog media. my dad is a super here in new york and often keeps items that former tenants leave behind. he inadvertently ended up hoarding dozens of old and new magazines. after taking a look at a few of them, i had an idea of using these magazines to make vaporwave-inspired collages. i thought it could be a really cool way to combine a purely digital art form with something that is tangible in the physical world. the music on the companion album coming out this year will be directly inspired by the collages.

as with most albums and artwork in the genre, i wanted to pick a theme that was both vague and salient in concept, so i picked beverages. out of all things to be consumed in the world, sugary drinks are my all time favorite thing in the world. i love to drink soda, juice, coffee and mixed drinks. i can never get enough apple juice! it made sense to pick that as my main theme -- seems like only fun can come out of it. i usually make these collages with the name of a drink in mind, while almost never including the drink in the actual collage. i wanted to show how the drinks make me see the world at the time. it's certainly strange to approach my art this way, but because it is a very loose theme, it gives me a ton of creative freedom, and who doesn't love that?"

-- juan alvarez