Anibae

Released in late 2014, Anibae stands as a foundational text for the Future Funk subgenre. While Yung Bae would later achieve mainstream crossover success with more polished, hi-fi productions, this EP captures the raw, sample-heavy essence of his early work. The project heavily utilizes Japanese City Pop samples - a hallmark of the genre - re-contextualizing artists like Tatsuro Yamashita and Mariya Takeuchi for a digital-native audience. The EP is notable for its collaboration with Macross 82-99, another titan of the scene, whose remix of 'Your Love Has Me High' serves as a definitive moment in the genre's history. Critically, the album is viewed as a pivot point where vaporwave shed its more experimental, 'mallsoft' tendencies in favor of danceable, disco-influenced structures. It remains a high-water mark for the 'Soundcloud era' of electronic music, characterized by its DIY aesthetic and cross-continental cultural exchange.