George Clanton – “Vapor King / SubReal”

George Clanton – “Vapor King / SubReal”

The electronic producer George Clanton has been in the news this week for messy reasons. Clanton’s label 100% Electronica announced the lineup for its ElectroniCON festival, and the headliner was John Maus, who took part in the January 6 nonsense alongside his buddy Ariel Pink. After backlash to that booking, Clanton dropped Maus from the festival and apologized. I’m sure Clanton would love to move on from that, and now he’s got a new song out in the world.

George Clanton’s new album Ooh Rap I Ya is coming out next month, and we’ve already posted his singles “I Been Young” and “Justify Your Life.” Today, he’s followed them with a two-part single called “Vapor King / SubReal.” First part “Vapor King” — its title presumably a nod to the idea of Clanton as the king of vaporwave — is a swirling downtempo track that reminds me of early-’90s ambient-house, but with reverb-drenched vocals. Second part “SubReal” introduces a rattling breakbeat, and it sounds like what might happen if Animal Collective tried to make an old-school rave banger. I like both parts! Listen below.

Ooh Rap I Ya is out 7/28. Pre-order it here.

more from New Music