Spotlight on GAMOR VAPOR

GAMOR VAPOR

Meet GAMOR VAPOR: A young producer currently residing in Philadelphia, with a respectable 10K+ monthly listeners on Spotify at the moment. While that might not look like much in the grand scheme of things, he is not staying there. Aiming for growth in every creative way possible, this artist will surprise you with every musical turn you take. You can call or text him to ensure his artistical progress, by providing personal feedback. Working under different aliases, he will bring diversity to our ears, something to look forward to with anticipation! On top of it all, he’s a total sweetheart!

My Kind of Music, with GAMOR VAPOR

Need an IMPROMPTU VACATION? Just PRESS B

YES, Yes I know, you’ve all been waiting on this new Spotlight for a looong time, seeing as the last one was 4 (Wait WHATT…4??) months ago… I do sincerely apologize, but lately life has been A Lot. Well, good thing, at least I’ve been feeling quite alive! I’m guessing most of you have been experiencing the same kind of pressure one way or the other, so we can say we’re in this together.. Anyways, here it is, the Spotlight even I’ve been waiting for to become reality! Luckily my guest of today wasn’t in a hurry and full of understanding about why it has taken me so long. Now enough of that, let’s get into some music!

I kind of hate-to-love to repeat myself, but GAMOR VAPOR and I ‘met’ during the Discoholic’s Anonymous stream. It’s just such a fun community and has brought me a lot of new, very creative, friends. As soon as he released a really great song under another alias, which I shared, we started talking about, what else, music. So let me just start with that track, since this Yanni Dalaperas hopefully has a lot more in store in the future, which I’m sure GAMOR VAPOR will tell us more about below. Another alias and a totally different sound. Makes sense right? The song is soulful in its own way, with lyrics and vocals that kept my headphones glued to my ears. It’s straight from the heart and a bit sad, but then again, isn’t love like that sometimes…

**oblivious and naive – Yanni Dalaperas**

Back to the main act, GAMOR VAPOR. As far as I can see, he hasn’t been around in this music business for too long yet, which makes sense since he is still pretty young. However, even though he only started producing music in 2021, his discography is already impressive and showing his creativity and fire for his art. GAMOR VAPOR’s music can be found on all streaming services, shared below, but for now I’ll be taking you to Bandcamp and Spotify. The combination of the two will give you a full oversight of everything he’s released so far. One thing is perfectly clear from the start: looking at the album/song titles, GAMOR VAPOR must really love the idea of escaping to another place, whether it be the universe or going on holidays.

1️⃣ Let’s start with the obvious: can you please introduce yourself and tell us: who is GAMOR VAPOR? Do you play any instruments yourself and/or do you sing? Does the name have a special meaning to you? How and when did you started producing music? Can you tell us a bit about your first experience with producing ever?

‘Hey everyone! I’m GAMOR VAPOR and I’m a 22-year old vaporwave artist currently based in Philadelphia. I started on the classic side of things, but am now moving on to music that is lighter on the sample-side, though I still love to use and mess around with samples. I do sing and love to sing so much, and I also dabble in keyboarding instruments a bit, but I have a lot to learn. I do love playing the marimba and vibraphone though, I gotta say.

The name behind my GAMOR project doesn’t have too much of a special meaning, I knew I wanted to do a vaporwave project with a video game-like focus, and thought it was funny how “game-or vape-or” sounded, and it was born! It is so corny though hahaha, but I guess it does click!

I started honestly producing music when I was, I think 11 years old by doing realllyyy really bad video game (mainly Pokémon) remixes. I remember my first remix was of Lavender Town and I made it in GarageBand. I remember it taking the longest time to finish (which I still struggle with today), but my friends at the time were surprisingly positive in their reaction, so I kept making remixes. I started producing original compositions a few years later, but my early originals are such a mess’.

Isn’t that what music is about? Providing us an escape from the sometimes harsh world we’re living in? Giving us some much needed lightheartedness. To be honest, seeing the time we’re living in, who could blame GAMOR VAPOR wanting to escape? Or should I say, providing us with some alternate realities? I certainly won’t, since the cosmos always had this real and alluring pull on me. GAMOR VAPOR will take you where-ever you wish to go first. His very pleasant personality reflects in his music and can’t be overlooked when talking to him. He is a total sweetheart and not afraid of showing his love for his friends and their work on social media. Can’t have enough of that positivity these days, when consideration and affection seems something from another world.

2️⃣ Who have been/are your biggest influences? Where do you get your inspiration from and how do you keep the flow going? How would you describe your music?

‘My biggest influences for creating GAMOR VAPOR tracks have been Windows96, Vektroid, Blank Banshee, Saint Pepsi, Luxury Elite, George Clanton, Negative Gemini, and the list goes on! Without these artists I just mentioned, GAMOR VAPOR would not exist, and probably neither would my current sound behind the original music that I make. I could go on and on about each of these artists and their iconic creations — each of them have really crafted gold.

As for inspiration, I feel like I’m constantly inspired. I think the inspiration partially comes from experiencing life, and then my friends and peers will definitely help and keep my flow going, with their comments and criticisms. My friends and peers are also another way that I get inspiration — I love bouncing ideas, but also just being inspired by seeing what they have created.

Right now, the vaporwave zero scene and artists (Vangoe, Simple Syrup, Ahero, Soul Surfer 1999, Be Careful, Mingkurray, the list goes on) have REALLY been inspiring me, I’ve been loving the vw0 sound and look so much.

I would currently describe my music and sound as nostalgic, classic video-game vaporwave, with each project telling a unique story. With my newer releases, though, this sound is starting to change..’

GAMOR VAPOR and I found common ground in the music we love. If anything, his admission, I quote: ‘❤️❤️❤️ love the SGM playlist so much‘, for sure made me happy. I have and will share any tracks in my weekly playlist that reaches my groovy soul. Sure, it’s not every song that touches me, but there is more than enough to love. Also, every artist should have a discography which includes the variety to reach multitudes. Listening to GAMOR VAPOR’s albums, confirms to me, he’s got the memo alright. Though vaporwave still holds enough secrets for me, the appreciation only grows. To be honest, I don’t really want to know all the ‘ins and outs’, let me just enjoy the music. And sure, my jazz/funk background makes me totally prejudiced, but we all can learn to widen our visions, adjust our taste. The next album is kind of what I’m talking about, just on a personal level mind you.

3️⃣ You are not only making music as GAMOR VAPOR, but also as Yanni Dalaperas, tell us about it! Are there any other projects you would like to get into or I’m not aware of?

Yanni Dalaperas is my personal project! — over there, it is kinda the opposite of what you will find on my GAMOR VAPOR page. You can find music that is completely written and composed by me, with vocals, without samples, and it’s going to be a bit more of a polished and cohesive project. The releases are a bit less frequent but I would say they pack a lot more of a punch, though I’m trying to release music more frequently for that project. It is pop music, though it is usually more on the emotional side, and I’m gonna try to dabble into other genres whenever possible. —

I started writing my first album for this project in 2019 and I am still working on it, but it’s almost done. I released my first single, “oblivious and naive” in September last year. It felt like finally exhaling a breath that I’ve been holding in for years, although I’ll really feel like I can breathe again once the album is fully out. My second single, “leave”, will be coming out in soon, so look out!’

GAMOR VAPOR weaves some lovely genres though his vaporwave based songs. Sure there’s the gaming influences, but I find the smooth, jazzy, funky seasoning a joy. 80’s, 90’s, recognizable beats to not only light up my soul but also calm my spirit. Imagining myself in a place under the stars or on a beach while listening to the waves, GAMOR VAPOR got that dream reality down to a T. Sharing love for a band like Dirty Loops (he requested ‘The Way She Walks’ for SGM’s 1st anniversary, total Banger Board material), it does show that GAMOR VAPOR’s inspiration comes from diverse genres, or so I believe. At least his inspiration is running free and affecting his music in the most colorful of ways. The next album even has some real soul vibes, unexpectedly combined with some mid 80’s synth wave in my opinion. Gotta love it.

As for the second... no, it’s not more of the same from no.1, at all. Next to a couple of teasing reminders of a past most of us recognize – yes even me – there is a lot more classic vaporwave, if I may use the term. GAMOR VAPOR seems to be diving into the deep with this one.

4️⃣ You’ve joined in with a couple of URL shows, how did that make you feel to be invited? How do you prepare for a show like that? Would you be up for live shows at some point, any chance that would happen soon?

Doing some URL shows this past year has been one of the most fun things I’ve ever done as a performer and a musician. I’ve gotten to see some amazing and inspiring art from other people that you can’t get anywhere else. It has been such an honor and a privilege to be able to do the shows I’ve been able to do. Some major highlights have been the Vaporwave Zero URL show, the Homesick Halloween fest, any show that I’ve done with HBI, and performing for Vapor Memory’s Vapourealm Live.

For URL shows, I usually prepare a live-mix of GAMOR music, including released and unreleased tracks. Usually it will be a DJ-style set, and you can usually catch a lot of different mixes + other fun easter eggs in my sets. I would definitely be up for all kinds of live shows in the future, I’m hoping that will happen sometime in the future! Though, lately I feel like I haven’t had much time to get out and actually see some shows…I need to do that more!’

Going through GAMOR VAPOR’s music library, I keep getting surprised by the variety he is throwing out there. I don’t know if there is, in fact, a ‘classic’ vaporwave sound, though my guess is there is and I’ve picked it up, because elements are shining through his music. But yes, GAMOR VAPOR is totally flowing from that specific vibe to the next, which could literally be anything. And I love how his music is unpredictable, seemingly without taking a clear route. Fine by me, we can leave boring for another day. I was again surprised when GAMOR VAPOR told me he loves funky music as much as I do and thanked me, I quote: ‘..me too, so thank ya for spreading it.’ he even went so far as to add the SGM archive to his Spotify library, because, I quote: ‘Honestly a lot of the music that you share at disco’s and on SGM is just unreal’. Listen honey, flattery will get you ANYWHERE, lol You can imagine my next question brought us…here.

5️⃣ You also shared a phone number where anybody can reach you on. What is the story behind this and where did you get this idea from? Does it connect you to your listeners in a special way? Can you share at least one cool reaction you got?

‘Heeeeyy, I love this question. You’re awesome for noticing that Wien 😉 for the readers — it’s true, you can call me or text me at (609) 316-2760 and tell me anything you’d like! The story behind this is that I really just wanted to open up a line to hear from my listeners and friends. It makes my day to go on the line and hear/see what people say, whether it’s just a hello, or a funny joke, a suggestion, a comment about my music, anything!

It really does connect me and my listeners in a special way — I love to see and hear it all, and none of it goes unnoticed. I got the idea to open up a line from watching the legend himself, Mr. Scooter of Discoholics Anonymous.

I’ve gotten some funny calls and texts, but one of my favorite calls comes from Kawsaki. I really like his music, especially his new City Funk album, so it meant a lot to me when he called and had some really nice words to share about my 2 AM Mixtape.

One of my favorite text conversations comes from an anonymous person — we chatted about the 1 AM and 2 AM Mixtapes for a minute, and then they started asking me about my approach to making music and vaporwave. It is just the craziest thing to me to know that people thought to reach out and ask about my process after they’ve listened to my music…it’s the coolest thing!’

So yeah it took me way more time than before, to put this Spotlight together… At the time we were first talking about this, a lot of nick names were invented for me, which you may or may not have noticed. GAMOR VAPOR then decided ‘Queen Wien’ was the most fitting in his opinion and really, what can I say… not in my wildest – concealed – fantasy I would consider myself a queen hahah, flattered, again, yes. The next album does however seem to unlock new fantasies from our guest. The sound again so different from the previous album, this one will take you into a more fairy tale realm. A bit pompous, or should I say, dramatic, and at the same time choppy and intriguing. I don’t know how, but GAMOR VAPOR is definitely on to something new to me.

6️⃣ What do you consider the most fun part of producing and why? What is the toughest part for you? and what has been the best advice you ever got and would share with anyone who’s just starting and came to you for tips?

‘The most fun part of producing is when you think of a catchy idea and you get it all onto the project file and can just jam to the loop. It’s such a rewarding feeling and it makes you want to keep producing the song even more. & it feels even better when your friends can jam to it as well.

The toughest part for me is definitely the mixing and mastering process. I don’t consider myself much of a skilled engineer and it is always something I am going to try to get better at. When I’m mixing and mastering, I always go from feeling happy about the song, to feeling like I’ve overplayed the song — it is such a mood killer.

Two of the best things I could say to somebody who is just starting would be to try to work at producing/creating some kind of sounds in the DAW at least once a day (even if it is just for 10-15 min), and to make sure you are still releasing stuff somewhere, even if you feel like it may not be fully polished to your standard’.

The next album’s got that perfect loungy, Sunday afternoon feel about it. Not a real surprise when looking at the title. Honestly, what I’ve experienced from GAMOR VAPOR so far, I can only say, his music is HIM. A perfect reflection of his personality: friendly, flowing, relaxed, spreading his joy. It seems to me he has a genuine gentle soul. Now I may be wrong, but I do strongly believe in first impressions. This album would also be a perfect companion on the road, while winding down from a stressful day, just let it all go.. Or, indeed, while you’re on your way to your holiday destination. That sense of freedom that surpasses almost everything. Let GAMOR VAPOR take you awaaayy.

7️⃣ What would be a dream come true for the (near) future? What can your fans expect next from you? Anything new/coming up you can share a little about?

‘Oh wow…so many dreams that I can think of…but I’ll try to keep it short for now! — being able to play more URL, or IRL shows in the near future would be a dream! Or being able to collaborate with some of my fellow artists…

In the future, my fans can expect a lot more music from me. I have a 6-track B-sides EP called “Press B” that came out late April, and (hopefully) a full-length album coming in July or August! & maybe another surprise or two?!? Like…the new Yanni Dalaperas single “leave”, coming out in July…

October 28, 2021, a little surprise was released, when GAMOR VAPOR joined forces with a friend and remixed a song by Fruit Accident. I always wonder how SGM listeners react to the new list on Monday, because next to the well expected groovy, funky stuff, I love to share something different. Still something that in my opinion fits within my personal parameters of the groove. My followers know I’ve been into some ‘alternative’ music in my teens, and I’ve never fully outgrew those tendencies lol. Now to call this track alternative.. Naah. But I hope you get what I’m trying to say here. The song is funny, quirky, slightly violent in a funny way, but still with a serious undertone and a definite GAMOR VAPOR dressing. I also can’t tell you how many times I walked over to my laptop, thinking I received a discord notification 😉

**Right Now – Fruit Accident (GAMOR VAPOR Remix)**

8️⃣ Is there anything else you would like to add/share with the readers? Anything I did not ask about maybe?

‘I would just like to thank everybody for taking your time to read this, and to Wien for putting this all together and giving me this opportunity! You’re a hard worker with an amazing blog and it means a lot to have a Spotlight, among a lot of my talented peers. Thank you so much!’

Aaww, that was not exactly what I was aiming for but hey… I’ll take it! It’s been a pleasure GAMOR VAPOR! Thank you for your patience and your enthusiasm, as well as for sharing my love of the funk! I guess it’s time to PRESS B now, where the biggest surprise is saved for last – of course – the utterly jazzy end.

With 9 albums and 2 singles available – for as far as I can see – GAMOR VAPOR has already proved his worth, considering he started releasing only last year. I hope you will give his music a chance, if you haven’t already, it’s most definitely worth your time. So again, a BIG Thank You to GAMOR VAPOR! I wish you all the best for your future and hope we will stay in touch. Let’s go out with a Bang(er)! Speaking for itself baby.