Telepath (musician)

Luke Laurila,^[3] better known as Telepath (Japanese: t e l e p a t h テレパシー能力者, Hepburn: terepashī nōryoku-sha), is an American musician notable for his considerable impact within the vaporwave scene. During the mid-2010s, his ambient sound and dream-like presentation turned him into the main originator of the slushwave subgenre. He also released albums under the alias Virtual Dream Plaza, and he currently releases music under the pseudonym Tianhuojian. He is of Finnish descent.^[4]

Laurila released his debut album in 2013, and began producing split albums with vaporwave artists such as Cat System Corp. He became a notable figure of the genre for his prolific output during 2014, and for co-founding Dream Catalogue, the first vaporwave-focused record label. His work with HKE under the alias 2814, including Birth of a New Day (2015) and Rain Temple (2016), is recognized for innovating the vaporwave genre beyond purely sample-based material. He also distanced the movement from its semi-ironic roots with The Path to Lost Eden, his split album with musician Nmesh. Birth of a New Day became one of the best-selling releases on Bandcamp, while The Path to Lost Eden originated internal discussions culminating with the hardvapour subgenre.

From 2016, Laurila started producing mainly original synth music, as opposed to his earlier sample-based efforts. His work as Telepath was integrated into Spotify's official vaporwave playlist, and featured as part of the soundtrack for Dan Vogt's video game Data Wing (2017). He made his first official public appearance in 2019, and continued his popularity on the Cat System Corp. split Building a Better World (2019). His hazy style of music and idiosyncratic sampling methods have impacted musicians both within and outside the vaporwave genre, while his work in 2814 solidified his status as a "vaporwave superstar".^[5]