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George Clanton

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Not to be confused with fellow musician George Clinton.

George Clanton
Birth nameGeorge Wayland Clanton Jr.[1][2]
Also known as
  • ESPRIT 空想
  • Mirror Kisses
  • Kid's Garden
Born (1988-01-12) January 12, 1988 (age 36)[citation needed]
Ridgeway, Virginia, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer-songwriter
  • DJ
  • composer
  • remixer
  • record producer
  • entrepreneur
Instruments
  • Synthesizer
  • guitar
  • vocals
Years active2007–present
Labels100% Electronica
Websitegeorgeclanton.com

George Wayland Clanton Jr. (born January 12, 1988) also known by the monikers Mirror Kisses, ESPRIT 空想, and Kid's Garden, is an American electronic musician and singer-songwriter known for his involvement with the vaporwave music scene.[3][4] He established his independent record label 100% Electronica in 2015, and in 2019 launched the first vaporwave music festival, 100% ElectroniCON.

Biography

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George Clanton was born in Ridgeway, Virginia.[5][6] He grew up going to punk rock shows. His career began when he accidentally downloaded a misnamed Brian Jonestown Massacre song, which led him down an Internet rabbit hole where he discovered "a whole new world of music" which inspired him to write and release his own under the pseudonym Mirror Kisses, and later ESPRIT 空想 (“fantasy” in Chinese). He decided to start using his real name before releasing his album 100% Electronica, because "[he] didn't want to release one more album as Mirror Kisses", and he "hated saying 'Mirror Kisses' every time someone asked [him his] band name."[7][8] He tried to make a sequel to 100% Electronica for three years but felt that he failed, because he wasn't able to find the sound he wanted for it. After giving up, he started experimenting and writing stuff for fun and felt that the "songs [were writing] themselves". Eventually, this material transformed into his next album, Slide, where he incorporated electric guitar and acoustic drums as well.[7]

In 2015 he established his record label 100% Electronica along with his then-girlfriend, now wife, fellow musical artist Neggy Gemmy. He and Neggy Gemmy both hail from Virginia and played their first show together in 2011 along with other artists such as Skylar Spence. In 2019, they launched 100% Electronicon, the first vaporwave music festival.[9][10]

Clanton streams his live performances regularly on Twitch and YouTube.[7] He described New York City as his favorite city in the world to perform.[11]

Clanton has a degree in anthropology and taught himself computer programming in order to create virtual interactive experiences for his record label.[12]

Songwriting and style

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George Clanton's music has been described as a fusion of electropop, trip hop, and vaporwave,[8] while also using elements of grunge, acid house, and shoegaze.[12] Critics have also associated his music with chillwave[7][13] and hypnagogic pop.[14][15] Clanton noted that unlike some vaporwave artists, he does not try to be "ironic" or "silly with his lyrics", and prefers to "write great pop songs that are representative of an emotion that [he] actually [feels] when [he's] singing them."[7] He described his album Slide as a "vaporwave opera".[7] When he finds a sound that he likes, he uses it as often as he can, believing it helps him make his albums sound more cohesive and iconic.[7] Clanton's aim for his music is to evoke "nostalgia". When he starts writing a song, he randomly presses notes on his keyboard instrument and cycles through patches and effects until they trigger emotions and memories on him.[8]

Although he is frequently associated with vaporwave, Clanton himself states that he embraces the tag largely for marketing purposes, and does not consider himself strictly a vaporwave musician.[7][16] Vaporwave is primarily an instrumental genre, which contradicts Clanton's use of vocals. His only conscious attempt at the genre was with the ESPRIT 空想 side project.[16]

Influences

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George Clanton's influences include Seal, Anton Newcombe, The Prodigy, New Order, and 311, which was the first band he saw live.[7][11][17] Clanton collaborated with 311's Nick Hexum on several songs which they released in 2019,[3][9] as well as a full album in 2020.[18]

Discography

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As George Clanton

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As ESPRIT 空想

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  • 「Girls Only」 (EP; 2012)
  • Summer Night (EP; 2013)
  • Relax™ (2013)
  • Virtua.zip (2014)
  • 200% Electronica (2017)

As Mirror Kisses

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  • Soaking Wet (2008)
  • Dance Decree / Light Hearted (2009)
  • Bad Dreams (2012)
  • Heartbeats (2013)

As Kid's Garden

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  • Further (2007)
  • Lord, Amen (2009)
  • Don't Call Me Yours (2011)
  • DARLING (2014)

References

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  1. ^ "100% ELECTRONICA LLC". OpenCorporates. October 31, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  2. ^ "F.U.M.L." Spotify. July 28, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Shafer, Ellise (May 20, 2019). "311's Nick Hexum & George Clanton Evoke 'The Ultimate Nostalgic Experience' on 'Crash Pad': Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  4. ^ LeSuer, Mike (July 12, 2019). "There Are New George Clanton Billboards". Flood Magazine. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  5. ^ Kane, Adam; Clanton, George; Negative Gemini (February 12, 2021). "BIG STREAM VR #49: CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF VAPORWAVE". BIG STREAM (Podcast). YouTube. Retrieved March 25, 2021.{{cite podcast}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Bowe, Miles (October 2, 2015). "Name Your Price: September's Best Bandcamp Releases". Fact. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Gooding, Sarah (August 13, 2018). "george clanton is the next cult electronic artist from the internet". i-D. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Korolev, Jake (July 25, 2019). "Childhood Dreams, Nostalgia, and 100% Electronicon with George Clanton". PopGun Presents. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Gagnon, Tim (October 16, 2019). "The Loudest Voices in the Chatroom: The Story of 100% Electronica". Flood Magazine. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  10. ^ Bowe, Miles (September 3, 2019). "Vaporwave Finally Makes An IRL Connection at 100% ElectroniCON". Stereogum. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Gelfand, Zac (April 16, 2020). "Indie Mixtape 20: George Clanton Is Really into Modern Country Music". Uproxx. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  12. ^ a b Clanton, George (April 2, 2020). "The Way We Get By: George Clanton Has Been Teaching Himself Computer Science". Talkhouse. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  13. ^ "ALBUM PREMIERE: GEORGE CLANTON – 100% ELECTRONICA". Gorilla vs. Bear. September 25, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  14. ^ "George Clanton drops Mirror Kisses moniker, wraps rage in glossy synths on 'Wonder Gently'". Fact. July 29, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  15. ^ Fantano, Anthony (September 4, 2018). "George Clanton - Slide". The Needle Drop. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  16. ^ a b Adams, Jordan (March 29, 2017). "George Clanton on Vaporwave, Rebranding and His Record Label, 100% Electronica". Seven Days. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  17. ^ Fidock, Reuben (March 4, 2015). "mirror kisses isn't chillwave, vaporwave or any kind of wave". i-D. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  18. ^ Garner, Marty Sartini (July 27, 2020). "George Clanton & Nick Hexum". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  19. ^ "Ooh Rap I Ya LP [Pre-Order]". 100% Electronica. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
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