While it brings the current era to a close, Vapor City Archives is at its heart a harbinger of wonderful things to come. It firmly ensconces Stuart as the cross-generational ambassador, someone who is able to fully leverage modern production capabilities while never straying from the now deep roots electronic music has put down.
This article must unfortunately find its genesis wrapped up in an unsavory admission: I didn’t much care for Vapor City and didn’t find myself returning to it after its release. Travis Stuart has described an incredible and unparalleled career arc that steps across countless genres and styles while adhering to a very identifiable signature beat structure steeped in history while entirely his own—yet, Vapor City just seemed to lack the overflowing of character that made Room(s) an instant classic. Though, I much prefer his work as Sepalcure to any of his solo releases—an opinion I appear to be alone in holding so perhaps my personal preferences are moot in this particular discussion.
Gear back to 2014 and the almost guerrilla release of Stuart’s follow up full length Vapor City Archives, which despite what its title might suggest is a fully realized album in its own right. It’s also the last release in his Vapor City project, which spans the original album, a cluster of supporting EPs, a closely cultivated art aesthetic, and a website devoted to this mythical metropolis where fans could explore its various distinct districts (each represented by a specific song). This placement is fortuitous, for it is easily the strongest release and a fitting coda to the years-long endeavor that began with Stuart’s own reoccurring dreams of an ethereal urban landscape. The unequaled atmosphere and layering that permeates Machinedrum releases, the very one I felt I struggled so hard to properly locate in Vapor City, is here and never wavers even for a moment. The first half contains tracks that are quite simply some of the best of the year—”Hard 2 Be” begins with rapid-fire eroded synths while rolling hats click in to deliver on the promise. It is immediately followed by “Only 1 Way 2 Know,” a gorgeous number characterized by dreamy sea-breeze chords sharply punctuated by unrelenting claps; perhaps the best track on the album. “More than Friends” paints a lovely jungle-inspired landscape with cascading strings descending to spill over heavy breaks.
While it brings the current era to a close, Vapor City Archives is at its heart a harbinger of wonderful things to come. It firmly ensconces Stuart as the cross-generational ambassador, someone who is able to fully leverage modern production capabilities while never straying from the now deep roots electronic music has put down. Whichever of the myriad directions open to him Stuart chooses to follow, the Vapor City project as a whole ensures that the expectations for that direction will be very, very high.
Vapor City Archives is available on Ninja Tune. [Bandcamp]
