Ho-ho! Remember a while back when I joked about fake Vaporwave subgenres? Yeah, I know, it was fucking hilarious, wasn’t it? Absolute, first class satire, sending up the entire Vaporwave industry so mercilessly that it no doubt sent shivers throughout Ilidža*. The genre will likely never be the same again.

(*yeah, I’ve decided that Ilidža, a small municipality near Sarajevo in Bosnia, is the cultural capital of Vaporwave. It probably isn’t, but I’ve not really got time to do much research. If you’re reading this, Chris Al3x, feel free to correct me. Ashton-under-Lyne hasn’t got much going for it, can we be the capital of Vaporwave?)

‘Sonic Wave’ is absolutely real, and exactly what it sounds like. It’s also the merciless, fearless, unedited and uncritical sound of pure unadulterated creativity. It’s unsubtle, it’s often overwhelming, and it’s absolutely cocking brilliant.

Likely inspired by the (kinda true) urban legend that Michael Jackson played a part in composing the soundtrack for Sonic 3, Mr Al3x aimed to create a fusion between two of his childhood loves. Much like when my 2008 album fused the sound of Big Mountain Fudgecake (John Redcorn’s band in King of the Hill. I fucking love King of the Hill) and the soundtrack to Mischief Makers. Michael Jackson and Sonic the Hedgehog are thrown into the blending brain of Chris Al3x, and we’re off.

The idea alone of combining the biggest pop star and second biggest (fight me) video game of the 90s is an example of the spark where creativity comes from. This is how ingenuity works: old ideas combined with other old ideas are combined to create new ideas. Despite what a bore they turned into and revisionist history not being kind to them, Oasis were actually a new idea when they first arrived because they combined the crowd-pleasing musicianship of The Beatles with a lead singer who sang with the fire and fury of punk and convinced legions of drunk British men that they could sing. Led Zeppelin were a new idea because they took songs written by poor black musicians and released them as white people to massive acclaim and unimaginable riches. This is how evolution works, it’s how art moves forward. What take ‘Sonic Wave’ to the next level though, is that Chris Al3x doesn’t stop there.

He doesn’t only love Michael Jackson and Sonic, but Biggie and 2Pac, Diana Ross and other 80s power pop, Prince (duh) and more contemporary artists like The Weeknd. ‘Sonic Wave’ is pure unadulterated inspiration, and listening to it is like an intense musical version of The Actor’s Studio, where we’re given a bracing peek into the musician’s methods and thought process. It’s a little overwhelming sometimes, but never less than intensively enjoyable.

The Weeknd: My Dear Melancholy

There’s really no need to listen to this curious little 2018 release that consists mainly of Abel Tesfeye boasting how well he knew “The functions of (Selena Gomez’s) body“, as Mr Al3x comfortably out-Weeknds The Weeknd at many points in ‘Sonic Wave’.

Also, isn’t Selena Gomez, like, 14 years old? She’s a child, no? Is it just me that thinks it’s a bit weird? No?

92 minutes

Ha, h, ha, ha, yeah. Remember when I said it was ‘unedited’? ‘Sonic Wave’ is insanely too long, and much as I appreciate the unhindered explosion of ideas, could we not have a little editing next time, please??

https://chrisal3x.bandcamp.com/releases

Not on Spotify, so you have to buy it. You can get it for a stinkin’ dollar you cheap bunch of cunts!!

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xx