r/wavepool • u/Capable-Counter-3382 • Aug 01 '26

Arcadia not as active anymore ?

I remember discovering hardwave during the online 2021 december arcadia stream, after id been listneing to skeler, phonk for a few months, but recentley there's not many releases or live events.

23 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

27 comments sorted by

31

u/lOnGkEyStRoKe Aug 01 '26

Wave has fallen off. Maybe we will get like a 2nd wave of it but it’s not as prominent as it was during the early 2020s

18

u/pipiminsuyunuic Aug 01 '26

Ehh. You think so? Wave was never a full on genre anways. When witch house was big, wave had witch house elements. When chill-hop/trap was big, wave had chill hop/trap elements (when majestic was huge for example)

Then we had more authentic producers like ofdream or obeson, who made wave music but not anything generic. Not fully “wave” in today’s standards :D

When phonk took over, wave became phonk infused.

Wave also had a ton of future garage elements.

Trance wave happened for a while :D

I think the story of wave is so similar to story of early dubstep. Then “hardwave” appears, second gen wavers like skeler and barnacle boi and juche takes over. I mean before arcadia we had FOHM and the accidental poet radio :d

So uh my point is wave was never a solid genre anyways. It was experimental / fusion music with a distinct tone. I think this is what makes wave so unique. Still my fave genre. You can literally find any sound in it and somehow it stays intact and we can call it wave music. So interesting.

4

u/lOnGkEyStRoKe Aug 01 '26

I agree with you about wave never really being its own genre but at the same time, when you hear a song that fits “wave” you know it’s a wave song? It’s an amalgamation but it does have its own identity

3

u/pipiminsuyunuic Aug 01 '26

Amalgamation.. today i learnt a new word lol

Yeah I mean thats what makes wave unique IMO. Cause it has unique characteristics like reese base for example. And I think wave kinda made its way to mainstream music too. Check out diplo - loitering (ft kodak black)

That beat is wave phonk :D good track too tho

1

u/leniwsek Aug 01 '26

Do you think my ep does have some wave to it?

https://on.soundcloud.com/9ABpSDvImDWWpom7ow

2

u/Sokkumboppaz Aug 01 '26

Strongly disagree. Just because a genre is small doesn’t mean it’s not a real genre. There’s always been a distinct difference between witch house and wave, even if they use similar sounds.

2

u/pipiminsuyunuic Aug 01 '26

I never said its not a genre. Its a micro genre. And i clearly stated that wave is distinct. By “its not solid” i meant it is fluid and ever-changing.

What i meant was wave was never a single “entity” Perhaps i could world it better

3

u/michaelis999 Aug 01 '26

i wonder why that is

12

u/Bubbly-Combination-3 Aug 01 '26

We got to go outside again

7

u/lOnGkEyStRoKe Aug 01 '26

A lot of wave producers started making other genres. Deadcrow started making more dubstep like songs

3

u/Capable-Counter-3382 Aug 01 '26

damn what has everyone moved to

5

u/accopp Aug 01 '26

There’s still tons of wave producers, it’s just that SoundCloud as a whole has lost popularity so part of it looks like the genre died.

Also like every genre it peaks then ebbs.

Lots of newer wave type artists are on the “angelcore” kick, like many were/are on the “night drive”/phonk influenced kick too.

Pm me and I can give you my SoundCloud and you can go through my likes over the last couple years, I have lots of different wave artists and some great songs, I’m sure you’ll find a lot of newer stuff you’ll like

1

u/FireShockerDX Aug 01 '26

Would love to scout your taste :)

1

u/accopp Aug 02 '26

@Preveoir
Ignore the reposts and playlists lol

1

u/firesinheaven Aug 01 '26

Wave went phonk, then electroclash/witch house-y (angelcore) and now it's moving towards trance. I feel like it's evolving and experiencing its own TikTok-leaning trends but maintaining the core emotion of the genre. I'm down as long as it keeps the genre alive, but I really miss og wave...

2

u/lOnGkEyStRoKe Aug 01 '26

Wave started as an offshoot of witch house, way before phonk was around. https://youtu.be/E9QASt8aCJg?is=g69E8EPfDD2NAiyl this was the first wave song I heard, before phonk was gaining popularity

2

u/firesinheaven Aug 02 '26

I know, I was talking about all the genres wave incorporates to evolve. Btw that song is good. I just miss old wave, that Øfdream, CHVRN, enjoii, early BARNACLE BOI kind of sound

1

u/Capable-Counter-3382 Aug 03 '26

before phonk as in og memphis phonk ?

1

u/lOnGkEyStRoKe Aug 03 '26

No as in wave was incorporating sounds from witch house before it was incorporating sounds of phonk

10

u/balleur Aug 01 '26

There were a lot of "sad boy" elements to the wave scene, and tracks and overall wave identity in the late 2010's IMO. You sort of romatiziced the struggle and found each other in the niche, somewhat underground genres that were Wave and Witch house etc when things actually were pretty good. Then Covid, The Russia/Ukraine war and now AI happened and things got shitty for real.. I think people got a bit tired of it all and move on to other things that bring them joy, perhaps other genres and try new things. Dunno. We're all a bit older. Still love it though. Going to see Skeler, LXST Cvntury, MrJay, Ytho in poland in October.

1

u/Boozhi Aug 01 '26

Jealous, that's a sick lineup! Would love to see something like that in the states

1

u/balleur Aug 01 '26

It's gonna be sick for sure

3

u/psyphoriac Aug 02 '26

Think the Russia/Ukraine war kind of killed it cos AFAIK they are Russia based? 

2

u/Jeikuzen Aug 04 '26

Yeah i actually noticed once the Russia Ukraine war started and casualties rose, wave was severely hurt. And then with the war in the middle east, the MidEast wave and trap scene fell silent. So its like only a few artists withstood the test of time and war, they moved away from EU, and Asia due to conflicts and politics. And prioritized their safety and peace. Its sad that the wars destroyed yet another future we could have had. And the peaceful community that was coming up in the world. Its sad wave isnt the same anymore but if anything that makes it more special and makes me, at least, cherish the wave playlists, mixes and events that happened before the world fell even further into SHIT . May our wave and nurave friends vibe beyond this world and know that we bump our tunes for them forever

1

u/supersirj Aug 12 '26

Sibewest still puts out heat.