The History of Business Casual (feat MiddleClassComfort)

Introduction

Late last month I started messing with the idea of putting together a special episode to celebrate 6 years of Business Casual the Vaporwave sub-genre label. Then I started talking to MiddleClassComfort about it and to really make this idea a reality we decided to collaborate to create this excited anthology based on one of the biggest labels in our scene, Business Casual.

The video is an accompaniment to a multiple part series we both will release regarding some of the artists on the label. So as this project was so large, we are releasing the headline video “The History of Business Casual” on both of our channels. Below will be a more detailed written out show notes for the above youtube video.

In the following weeks, MiddleClassComfort and I will be releasing some deep dives on some of the artists of Business Casual on our own separate channels. So go subscribe to MiddleClassComfort or myself on youtube to stay up to date.

Credits:
– Audio Editing: MiddleClassComfort
– Video Editing: KITE0080 / Musics the Hang Up
– Music: Thanks to all the artists who allowed us to use their music on this video with permission. (we always ask permission).

The History of Business Casual

Business Casual was started by John Zobele May 10th, 2013. He had been working on music in the vaporwave scene but had no luck getting on the few labels that existed. Out of fustration after no hearing back from Fortune 500, a debunked vaporwave label since 2015, he decided to start his own label. 

Over the past 6 years he was able to release his own music on Business Casual under the various aliases; Christtt, Cordless Soul Machine, stab something, and Bye-Product. 

Even supporting some of the songs originally sent to Fortune 500 that ultimately become his most popular album Frasierwave. but that’s only a small part of the Business Casual history, the artists, the cassette releases and ability to form such a rooted label starts with one release, Digital Office One.

Digital Office One was digitally released on Business Casual on May 10, 2013 the founding date of the label. What makes the release interesting was the idea of releasing a compilation of various artists Zobele knew, “I wanted to start off the label with something big that i could get a bunch of people interested in the label at the same time, I had some friends on soundcloud and asked them to contribute a track and the rest is history.”

And the friends he had? Turns out would be some of the most influential in the scene, names still known today; b o d y l i n e, DeLorean.88, architecture in tokyo, Miami Vice and others. The release worked and soon enough we started seeing new releases from various artists throughout the year. Some including マクロスMACROSS 82-99, bl00dwave, Windows 96 and Ursula’s Cartridges. Leading to not only sticking to traditional Vaporwave but turning the label into Future Funk, Nu Disco, Mallsoft, and other sub genres. 

These days we are all too familiar with the idea that every Friday at noon a new artists and new album will come out of Business Casual, usually on cassette. But that didn’t occur until the second anniversary, with the release of Anniversary Vol.2, then the start of weekly cassettes become a fan favorite. Then the idea of BizBoxs, themed monthly releases of 3 cassettes, posters and more. Year after Year, Months after Months John Zobele was releasing cassettes made from his hands.

From 2013 to 2016 over 2100

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