To properly famaliarize oneself with Broken Transmission it is essential to first understand Vaporwave. Vaporwave describes music which attempts to manipulate samples into a sort of nostalgic haze or dream-like feeling. It achieves this by slowing, reverbing, and otherwise distorting and mixing samples together. The genre has a specific attraction towards the world's early interactions with the digital world. Because of this the digital world of 80s, 90s, and early 2000s are essential sources Vaporwave pulls from. Other common themes in vaporwave include, Japan and Asia, Video Games, corporatism, memory, the past, and romance. One can get a good understanding of how vaporwave originated from "Chuck Person's Eccojams Vol. 1", many would call this 2010 album the first vaporwave. The sample modulation is still more obvious and jarring. For a more refined idea of what Vaporwave would turn into one could look at "I'll Try Living Like This" from death's dynamic shroud.wmv.
"Access the World" by Dave Duncan is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND. An example of the Vaporwave visual aesthetic.
So how does Vaporwave relate to Broken Transmission, and what is Broken Transmission? Broken Transmission also known as Signalwave, is a subgenre of Vaporwave which involves more direct and repititive samples, non-music vocal samples, sampling of commercials, television or radio jingles, and more. Broken Transmission albums are often concept-based.
"WTC mall interior" by Daniel Molybdenum is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND. An example of the Broken Transmission visual aesthetic.