City
Vancouver
Canada
Vancouver's 1080p label, founded in 2010, became one of vaporwave's most important early institutions, releasing seminal works during the genre's 2011-2013 crystallization period. The city's position as a tech hub with strong Asian cultural influences aligned perfectly with vaporwave's appropriation of Japanese corporate aesthetics and its commentary on Pacific Rim capitalism. Vancouver's affordable studio spaces and digitally-connected music community allowed producers to experiment with the slowed-down, sample-heavy sound that defined the genre.