H∆SHTAG$, Episode 5: Don’t Call It #Tumblrwave

For the fifth episode of H∆SHTAG$ – our web series chronicling Internet-based music – we explore the world of Tumblrwave. The microblogging site Tumblr has given a voice to a wide variety of artists in its short history: queer rapper Le1f, hip hop new hope Kilo Kish and seapunk founders Zombelle and Ultrademon. What’s fascinating is that, musically, there’s not a ton that connects them. It’s Tumblr: a site that offers them one of the best ways to express themselves.

Taking to the internet to find like-minded souls is now so widespread it’s almost a cliché. But when you’re a queer rapper or a turquoised-haired punk it makes all the sense in the world. You can curate your own reality using your own art (or reblogging others). Unique voices are celebrated. Just look at how many followers Kilo Kish’s tumblr rap, Le1f’s flamboyant fashion sense and the Sega Genesis-inspired dolphins of seapunk have racked up over the past few years.

In this episode, we talk with a few of the people that use Tumblr as one of their primary artistic outlets. Why does it work better than Facebook in connecting people? What happens when you can make your IRL dreams a URL reality? And what happens when the mainstream comes knocking? Le1f, Kilo Kish, seapunk founders Zombelle and Ultrademon tackle these questions, with additional thoughts from Daniel Dodecahedron (BlackBlackGold/GucciGoth), Milly McMahon from i-D Magazine and Tumblr’s Nate Auerbach.