Boss Fights and Save Rooms

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In this episode, we’re digging into Utopia District’s 2023 Year In Review, a feature highlighting some of the best vaporwave (and associated genres) albums of 2023 as suggested by the community. Including our own Ross Payton! This kind of curation and highlighting the work of artists is so important. We had a blast checking out the 17 albums on the list that we had not previously covered.

Come join us and find yourself some great music!

The Article

Utopia District’s Features: 2023 A YEAR IN REVIEW

Tracks Samples

Plaque from my last whispers are the worst goodbyes by Machina Pensant
Forgive Yourself from Forgive Yourself by Luxury Noise

Credits

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Instagram
Night Clerk Radio on Bluesky

Support Night Clerk Radio on Patreon

In this episode, we’re starting our 2024 project of trying to focus more on new releases. There’s no overarching theme or over intellectualizing, just talking about two albums from the past month or so that we really enjoyed. For our inaugural discussion, we’re talking about Dated New Aesthetic by Windows96 and KEYGEN🔐 by Crystal Eternal.

Albums Discussed

Dated New Aesthetic by Windows96

KEYGEN🔐 by Crystal Eternal

Credits

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Instagram
Night Clerk Radio on Bluesky

Support Night Clerk Radio on Patreon

We’re back! We spent January delving into the content dungeons and we’ve returned with two great dungeon synth albums. In this episode, we’re exploring the music of Cryo Crypt, the dark fantasy/dungeon synth sister label of Cryo Chamber. We discuss the first two albums on the label and share our thoughts on the current state of the genre. Stay awhile and listen.

Albums Discussed

The Ghost from Sheol by Vikorra Doom
Grayshadow Ruins by Mountain Realm

Related Links

Cryo Crypt on Bandcamp
Cryo Chamber Launches Dark Fantasy Label Cryo Crypt

Credits

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Instagram
Night Clerk Radio in Bluesky

Support Night Clerk Radio on Patreon

On our last episode of the year, we spend far too much time opining about Christmas and not nearly enough time discussing these amazing Vaporwave Christmas Compilations. Thankfully, they are all linked below so once we’re done talking you can start listening! We can’t wait to see what everyone puts out this year.

Thanks again to everyone out there for another year of amazing support. As we mention in the outro, we’ll be taking January off. See you again in February!

Outro Sample

sl33py0range - IDCEMBER

Utopia District Compilations

Utopia District's Christmas Vacation Vol. 1, YouTube
Utopia District's Christmas Vacation Vol. 1, Bandcamp
Utopia District's Christmas Vacation Vol. 2, YouTube
Utopia District's Christmas Vacation Vol. 2, Bandcamp

Pacific Plaza Records Compilations

Pacific Plaza Records - It's a Vaporwave Christmas!, YouTube
Pacific Plaza Records - It's a Vaporwave Christmas!, Bandcamp
Pacific Plaza Records - It's a Vaporwave Christmas Vol. 2, YouTube
Pacific Plaza Records - It's a Vaporwave Christmas Vol. 2, Bandcamp
Pacific Plaza Records - It's a Vaporwave Christmas Vol. 3, YouTube
Pacific Plaza Records - It's a Vaporwave Christmas Vol. 3, Bandcamp

Slushwave Social Club Compilation

Slushwave Social Club — SSCC Volume 3: A Very Slushwave Christmas, YouTube
Slushwave Social Club — SSCC Volume 3: A Very Slushwave Christmas, Bandcamp

Related Links

Visual Representation of the Hallmark Christmas Cinematic Universe, Circa 2019

Credits

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter

Support Night Clerk Radio on Patreon

It’s a well known fact that we love signalwave, not just because it’s great music, but because it also provides unique insight into how other artists process their own media and nostalgia. In this episode, we’re exploring signalwave produced by artists in Japan with the help of 直子coed. We’re checking out one of her albums along with another from her list of recommendations. It was tough to choose just one!

Thanks again to 直子coed for all of the great recommendations. Make sure to check out her other albums!

Albums Discussed

summer station by 直子coed
[（ （ （​低​） ） ）by 予報士`94](https://torash.bandcamp.com/album/--7)

Recommended by 直子coed

The Music of fumare
今​日​の​天​気​図 by 沢NaN
止​ま​ら​な​い​か​ら​止​め​て by DJ CHOPNSCREW
フ​ラ​ワ​ー by トレンド世紀
NoRIP-E, The Philosopher / Dec-Affe-Inated RECORDS

Related Links

action button reviews boku no natsuyasumi
直子coed on YouTube

Credits

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter

Support Night Clerk Radio on Patreon

The community members on our Patreon Discord are constantly posting suggestions and recommendations for great albums of all genres. We’ve gotten into the habit of digging through them every six months or so and seeing what’s there. We cover everything from vaporwave to dark ambient to hip hop to jazz.

We aren’t able to talk about everything, so check the wall of links below, organized by Discord channel. Enjoy!

#vaporwave

SPEZ068 - Dnevna televizija / Д​н​е​в​н​а т​е​л​е​в​и​з​и​ј​а by SEM-TV
Barbershop Simulator™ by slowerpace 音楽
Cyanotype by CyanBlue
Ｄ​Ｒ​Ｅ​Ａ​Ｍ​Ｓ Ｕ​Ｎ​Ｌ​Ｉ​Ｍ​Ｉ​Ｔ​Ｅ​Ｄ by 夢達無制限
LAST WAVE OUT by EPPSSONN
THROUGH THE FOG AND THE DRIFTWOOD by §E▲ ▓F D▓G§
YEARS OF FAILURE by HATENA
Arcade Girl EP by Crystal Eternal
The Darkness in Her Eyes by Notorious Secret
転移 by victory over death
Virtuality by Sierra On-line
Physical Death VIP Membership (death cycle) - 死​亡​循​環 by b e g o t t e n 自杀
Grid Of Reality by Infinity Frequencies x Sangam
t h e s o n y p l a y s t a t i o n 1 ソ​​​ニ​​​ー by V/A
Liminal Spaces by Hantasi
The Mall of Our Lord by 𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓉𝒶𝓈𝒾

#dungeon-synth-and-metal

Eye of Water by Tideless
Heavy Rocks (2002) by Boris
When No Birds Sang by Full of Hell, Nothing
This Heathen Land by GREEN LUNG

#dark-ambient

Substrata by Biosphere
Myths by Kaya North
Atlas by Laurel Halo
Sounds for the Soul: Dark Ambient Compilation 3 by Various Artists
who by 1am バイブBlunts
Before We Lie Down in Darknesse by The Inward Circles
Abandoned Communities by Abandoned Communities
The Mystic (Original Score) by Dean Hurley

#promote-yo-self

Liminal Saints (full album + art) by The Yonko LLC
Pisces, 3rd Decan by The Yonko LLC

#lofi-hiphop

DEEPER WATER​/​FATHERS KEEPER by MILLION SUNDAY
Integrated Tech Solutions by Aesop Rock

#jazz

Hiromi: Tiny Desk Concert
Satin Velvet by Trey Magnifique
Melodic Guitar Music by Adrian Holovaty
Black Classical Music by Yussef Dayes
Pharoah Sanders - "Kazuko" - An Abandoned Tunnel

#random-music

A I A : Dream Loss by Grouper
everything is alive by Slowdive
Incorporeal by Hidden Horse
The Sinking of the Titanic (1969​-​) by Gavin Bryars (with Philip Jeck & Alter Ego)
Furio by Cat Temper
Again by Oneohtrix Point Never
Gilded Sentience by Augnos
R​ê​verie by Les Imprimés
Ghosts by Hania Rani
Dark Mondo by Degurutieni
*1 by Rắn Cạp Đuôi Collective
Bolted by Forest Swords
PROTO by Holly Herndon
OMAKASE by Michael Weber
Destiny (Abridged) by DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ

#edm-and-idm

wipE'out'' - The Zero Gravity Soundtrack by CoLD SToRAGE
Jungle Fatigue Vol. 3 by Jungle Fatigue Kru
Ego Death 005 by Uun
1990's​-​ISH (Part 1) by Various Artists
The Silver Cord by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

Credits

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter

Support Night Clerk Radio on Patreon

We love the concept of lost media that never existed. In this episode, we’re checking out two albums that present themselves as soundtracks or music to movies that never were. One album is the “restored” soundtrack to a lost horror movie, while the other skates by on a technicality because I love SWANS and never thought we would get to talk about them.

Albums Discussed

The Satan Complex by Gavino Morretti
Soundtracks For The Blind by SWANS

Credits

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter

Support Night Clerk Radio on Patreon

In this episode, we’re getting into Spooky Month proper by digging into genres of darksynth and horrorsynth. These are genres that neither of us are very familiar with, so as is tradition on the show we ended up picking two very different albums. Join us as we explore the range these genres offer from primal metal to cinema-inspired synths.

Albums Discussed

Zytel Systems: System I - Horror by Makeup and Vanity Set
KTHVLLV by Dav Dralleon

Additional Links

The Rise of the Synths

Credits

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter

Support Night Clerk Radio on Patreon

In this episode, we’re checking out Hearts of Space, a long-running ambient radio program hosted by Stephen Hill. We talk about our personal experience listening to the show, discuss the wide range of music played over the past fifty years, and the importance of curation and sharing of niche genres of art.

Music Sampled

Ojas – “Light Dreams” from "HEARTS OF SPACE" Radio Program Tape from 1984

Shows to Check Out

Hearts of Space
Star’s End

Additional Links

Hearts of Space - The Very Long Interview
Hearts of Space - Altiplano
Hearts of Space - Game Scores 2
"HEARTS OF SPACE" Radio Program Tape from 1984
HEARTS OF SPACE: A Look at Radio’s Longest-Running Ambient Music Program
Synthtopia - Hearts of Space, With Steve Roach
LazerHawk - Cool Breeze
MST3K Pod People - Hearts of Space

Credits

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter

Support Night Clerk Radio on Patreon

In this episode, we’re heading into Fall with some easy listening vaporwave from artists we discovered on our Vaporwave Up and Comers 2023 episode. Join us as we check out the music of Notorious Secret and Cinematic Sequences. Both albums are killer examples of the evocative power of late night lo-fi.

Music Discussed

Secrets of The Night by Notorious Secret
Unattended Subdepartment by Cinematic Sequences

Additional Links

Notorious Secret & Solodolo84 Live @ VAPORSHAVE 2023

Credits

Music by: 2Mello
Artwork by: Patsy McDowell
Ross on Twitter
Birk on Twitter
Night Clerk Radio on Twitter