2814

2814
Cover art of 新しい日の誕生 (Birth of a New Day)
Background information
Origin	United Kingdom
Genres	Vaporwave ambient
Years active	2014–present
Labels	Ailanthus Recordings Dream Catalogue
Members	t e l e p a t h テレパシー能力者 HKE

2814 (also stylized in fullwidth characters as ２８１４^[1]) is a collaborative vaporwave project of the artists t e l e p a t h テレパシー能力者 and HKE. 2814 is best known for the album Atarashii Hi no Tanjō (新しい日の誕生^?, "Birth of a New Day") , described by Rolling Stone as "A late night cruise through the cyber-future dream highway."^[2]

History

2814 debuted in 2014 with a self-titled release on the Internet music label Ailanthus Recordings.^[3][4] The album was followed up in early 2015 by Birth of a New Day, released digitally and in a limited run of CDs on HKE's own label Dream Catalogue.^[4][5] An Indiegogo campaign later in 2015 to press a double LP record version of the album ended with £6,432 at 161% of its goal.^[6][7] The project released its third album, Rain Temple, in 2016.^[8][9]

Influence

The project has described their own work as a focus on the surreal qualities of vaporwave rather than 1980s or 1990s aesthetic. In their interview with Rolling Stone HKE said when describing Birth of a New Day, "We wanted to show how the whole vaporwave vibe could be made as original music rather than just relying on the same muzak and kitsch-pop samples everyone else had been using for years..." Their later album Rain Temple was described by HKE as "intense, dramatic and cinematic" and as containing elements of spirituality.^[10]

Reception

Some fans of vaporwave have claimed that the move towards original music creation and away from sampling 80s and 90s audio means the work of 2814 cannot qualify as vaporwave, while others claim this is simply as transitioning phase in the genre. In terms of album sales, their albums are often staples of the "best-selling" page of Bandcamp.^[2]

Discography

• ２８１４ (2014)^[3]
• 新しい日の誕生 (Birth of a New Day) (2015)^[5]
• Rain Temple (2016)^[8]

References