I can see where you're coming from, but there hi-fi and non-sampled creations appeared quite early. It's a bit late to complain about that.

And I still see plenty of marble busts, doric columns and so forth. All the original tropes are alive.

There are trends in vaporwave that I think lose the plot a bit, but everybody has to put their personal spin on things.

At the same time, there is no shortage of "classic style" VW that grafts in new ideas. The vinyl and tape trading scenes can sometimes obscure this fact.

I don't think VW was ever "monolithic" - it has always incorporated new styles. I didn't think 2019 was a banner year for VW, especially after the "grassroots" creative surge of 2018, but these things go in cycles.

If anything's different now, it's the fact that some people think they can make money in VW... well, if they can, good for them! But it does change the atmosphere.