Cybercore

Cybercore (also known as Cyber Y2K or Y3K, and originally just Y2K prior to semantic shift) is an aesthetic that was prevalent in popular culture from roughly 1997 to 2004, succeeding the Memphis Design and Grunge eras and overlapping with the McBling, UrBling, Surf Crush, and 2K1 aesthetics. Some of its aspects include tight leather pants, shiny clothing, silver eye shadow, spiky up-dos, Oakleys, gradients, translucence, and Blobitecture. Cybercore relies on the use of technology and slick futuristic looks, signaling the optimism for the 3rd Millennium or 21st Century. 
Cybercore is mostly classified as a subcategory to Retro-Futurism, but some elements also cross over with Vaporwave, since it shares Vaporwave's angst towards late-stage capitalism, and its nostalgia for “a future that never came.”
==History==
===Origins (1985–1994)===
Cyber Y2K has its origins in the underground UK rave scene of the Late-1980s/Early-1990s. Rave flyers at this time featured designs that would later become known as the Y2K style, and artists released albums which would form the basis of Y2K-era electronica, i.e. The Prodigy's Experience (1992), Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works (recorded 1985–1992), and The Future Sound of London's Accelerator (1992). This period also saw the early works of the Sheffield-based Designers Republic, founded in 1986. The game Ridge Racer was released in 1993, an early example of Y2K aesthetics and music.
===Rising Popularity (1994–1997)===
Signs of the Cyber Y2K aesthetic first going mainstream appeared around 1994 to 1996, with the release of Windows 95, the start of the Internet boom, the Sega Saturn, original PlayStation, and Nintendo 64 being released with games such as Wipeout and Super Mario 64, Pokémon being released in Japan, the films Hackers, Trainspotting, and Scream being released, artists like the Spice Girls, Robyn, Moloko, and Backstreet Boys debuting in Europe, and the music video for Michael and Janet Jackson's "Scream". Campaigns like Nintendo's "Play It Loud" era might have been a precursor to Cybercore, as well.
===Mainstream Adoption and Peak Popularity (1997–2000)===
Y2K became well-defined by 1997, replacing the mid-'90s era which had been known for its grittier aesthetics such as Grunge. The Spice Girls' single "Wannabe" was released in the U.S. and gained international popularity, leading to a new era in teen pop, and in a Super Bowl ad that year the group heralded the arrival of "Generation Next". Furthermore, post-grunge started to become popular with bands such as Creed and Foo Fighters, Nu-Metal began its mainstreaming with Limp Bizkit, Deftones, and Incubus, Hanson released "Mmmbop", and more music videos by artists such Puff Daddy ("Mo Money Mo Problems"), Will Smith ("Gettin' Jiggy wit It", "Men in Black"), and the Spice Girls ("Say You'll Be There") were done in the Y2K style. Electronica/big beat artists such as The Prodigy, Massive Attack, Portishead, and Tricky increased in mainstream visibility, as did rave culture.
In an attempt to compete with rival companies such as WCW and ECW, WWF entered the edgier "Attitude Era" and had gotten rid of its Memphis influence (from the "New Generation Era") by March 1998. South Park and King of the Hill premiered, and Cartoon Network debuted the Toonami block which mainstreamed anime in the U.S. The PS1 and N64 were now in full swing with games such as Final Fantasy VII and Goldeneye. The movies Titanic and Men in Black were released which are regarded as Y2K phenomena. Y2K fashions such as frosted tips, soul patches, and JNCOs were becoming popular.
Between 1998 and 2000, Y2K began to experience a massive surge in popularity with phenomenon such as Pokémania, Limp Bizkit, NSYNC, TRL, The Matrix, TOM replacing Moltar on Toonami, and Britney Spears. Y2K's popularity peaked around Late-1999/Early-2000, coinciding with the turn of the millennium and apex of the Dot-com Bubble.https://www.papermag.com/the-institute-of-y2k-aesthetics-1814307641.html
===Continued Popularity and Last Years (2000–2004)===
The Y2K Era gradually declined afterward due to events such as the Dot-com Bubble Burst, 9/11, and the War on Terror, though residual aesthetics from the era still remained popular until roughly 2004. New aesthetics such as McBling, UrBling, Surf Crush, and 2K1 appeared at this time, initially running concurrent with Cybercore.
2004 was the last hurrah of Y2K, being the last year where the aesthetic(s) experienced any form of mainstream popularity. Cartoon Network switched from the "Powerhouse" era to "CN City" era, with most of their '90s programs ending and Toonami moving to Saturday nights. Nickelodeon went through a similar transition also, with '90s Nicktoons, the SNICK block, and pre-movie SpongeBob SquarePants ending. The final major Nu-Metal albums were released in 2004, and emo soon overtook nu-metal as the dominant "alternative" music genre; the popularization of MySpace and release of Green Day's American Idiot. McDonald's retired the McDonaldLand characters (except for Ronald McDonald) and rebranded from the "We love to see you smile" slogan to the infamous "I'm lovin' it" slogan. The first Web 2.0 conference was held in October 2004, early social media sites such as MySpace were rising in popularity. Marvel's Blade series, known for its heavy use of Y2K aesthetics and music, ended. The Rock retired from WWE, and Brock Lesnar temporarily left to join the NFL, leaving John Cena to become the face of the company.
===Post-Y2K and Frutiger Aero (2004–2016) ===
By 2005, the Y2K aesthetic had more or less vanished completely. After Y2K ended, it gave way to the Frutiger Aero aesthetic, which coincided with the advent of Web 2.0; Frutiger Aero is widely considered Y2K's successor aesthetic, containing various similarities but being distinct as an aesthetic in its own right.
===Contemporary Use/"Neo-Y2K" (2016–present) ===
Since the Mid-Late 2010s, Y2K Era imagery and pop culture has begun to make a resurgence in various circles of the Internet, niche entertainment, and even mainstream entertainment due to the 20-year nostalgia cycle. Examples of Y2K revival songs include "1999" by Charli XCX, "2002" by Anne Marie, and "Motivation" by Normani. Evan Collins coined the term in 2016, having noticed the aesthetic had not yet been explored by the Vaporwave scene as much as earlier, more ubiquitous periodshttps://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/may/19/year-2000-y2k-millennium-design-aesthetic (particularly '80s/Early '90s aesthetics like Memphis Design and Synthwave), and wanting to give it more exposure. Collins runs the Y2K Aesthetic Institute along with Froyo Tam. They archive works exhibiting the aesthetic, in the fields of graphic design, flyers, game console design, video game concept art, interior design, architecture, fashion, etc. and chronicle both art from the era the aesthetic was popular, as well as modern depictions of the aesthetic. Tam has also made Ferrite Core DX and other open-source typefaces inspired by Y2K typography.
Another example of modern-Y2K aesthetics being used is the indie puzzle game known as CROSSNIQ+, which utilizes the more bold, thick-line aesthetics seen in Y2K cartoon styles. Also run by Krieger and The Y2K Institute is u::r::here, a free virtual gallery dedicated to showing off Y2K art and aesthetics.
The most major community forum that is based on Y2K aesthetics is Agora Road's Macintosh Cafe, which coins itself as a "nostalgic Y2K community". There are some smaller ones, such as the Orion's Arm forum, although that one is primarily about the fictional universe itself.*The aesthetic seems to be breaking into pop culture, such as the Charli XCX and Troye Sivan song 1999.
* Music artists like DV-i, nuphory, System ST91, and Porter Robinson (under the alias of Virtual Self) produce Y2K-inspired electronic music in genres such as trance and atmospheric drum and bass. Dance System incorporates Y2K visuals and ambient into 2000's house music in his debut album Where's the party at?.
*Virtual YouTuber Yuuki Takemoto experienced the Y2K Era, and incorporates it into her videos and art.
*The artist named "Ivy Hollivana" seems to invoke a lot of the Y2K imagery in her music videos.
*In NYC there is a store called happy99 which takes inspiration from Y2K styled art, toys, fashion and even architecture. They even have promos in their twitter where one is inspired by Y2K CGI and VFX while the other video is inspired by PS1 era games like Parappa the Rapper and DDR.
*Planet 1999 released Devotion in 2020, features elements of Y2K such as Zip Drives, Furbies, Classic Mac computers and the mascot of the video evolving like a Pokémon or a corrupted version of Vibri from Vib Ribbon at the end of the album.
*Kaizo Slumber is an electronica musician, of whom he incorporated various visual key elements from this aesthetic in his clips.
*The clothing company Champion in 2022 had a shirt with a caterpillar on it that had a very Y2K style to it.
*Many LGBTQ artists during pride month like to combine the concept of pride with the Y2K aesthetic.
*The recent "Neo-Y2K" movement has modernized the Y2K aesthetic, incorporating elements of modern digital art, Glitchcore, Vaporwave, and various video game aesthetics and blending them with the color palettes and themes of Y2K. Notable artists of this aesthetic microgenre are Nuphory, TRAELMYX (also known as ::Y2KAE::, Vulpeox, and kur0myx), and SAM WAITIN. The microgenre is also much more closely related to the musical scene compared to old-school Y2K aesthetics, with all three of the aforementioned artists making some form of dance music. Additionally, the Neo-Y2K movement has connections to several other "revival" aesthetics, such as Blob World, Bubblegum Bling, and Neo-Vectorheart.
==Visuals==
thumb|300x300px|Perhaps the future of the Y2K Sound?
===Graphics and Art===
Cybercore aesthetics use both graphic design and CGI. Graphic designs usually feature thick lines, bold minimalism, and heavy use of iconography. CGI art is more blobby looking, having more gradients in contrast to Metalheart or Chromecore. Common colors used in Cybercore art are, but not limited to, chrome, icy blue, ocean, bright oranges, glossy white, and black (for linework).
One of the earliest definers of the Cybercore aesthetic is the Designers Republic, a Sheffield-based graphic design studio best known for their work on the video game series Wipeout as well as various album artwork, especially for artists on the electronica label Warp Records. Founded by Ian Anderson and Nick Phillips in 1986, they were best known for making art that subverts brash consumerism and the uniformity of corporate culture. Like Vaporwave, much of their work also drew inspiration from Japanese anime, which was beginning to rise in popularity around the same time.
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File:Official fella file by devart.jpg|Fella (DeviantArt's Mascot)
File:1200px-S3 Luna Blaster Promotional 3D Render.jpg|Splatoon 3 (2022) render of the Luna Blaster.
File:Coalescent.jpg|The cover for Coalescent, written by Stephen Baxter
File:Blueberry Union.jpg|A background from Mac OS 9 called Blueberry Union
File:Communing with the archai.jpg|An Orion's Arm image
File:Y2K Laser.jpg|A large laser weapon platform from Orion's Arm
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===Toys and Technology===
Being that this was the era that the cell phone was first starting to become popular among your average consumer, you can find a lot of nods to the original models of cell phones (such as the original Nokia phones or the clamshell/flip phones) within the Cybercore aesthetic. Also popular around this time was the Blobject - a type of design product (often a household object) distinguished by smooth flowing curves, bright translucent colors (part of the then-popular clear craze fad) such as Bondi Blue for Apple products of their time, and Atomic Purple for Nintendo consoles, and an absence of sharp edges. The word is generally held to be a portmanteau, a contraction of "blob" and "object".
Apple-imac-g3-anniversary.jpg|iMac G3, by Jony Ive and his team, 1998, aluminum, glass and other materials
O-Space, by Luca Nichetto and Gianpietro Gai, 2003, expanded polyurethane.jpeg|O-Space, by Luca Nichetto and Gianpietro Gai, 2003, expanded polyurethane
Spun Light, by Sebastian Wrong, 2002.jpeg|Spun Light, by Sebastian Wrong, 2002, spun metal frame and diffuser, die-cast aluminum diffuser support arms and lamp-holder support, and injection-molded polycarbonate diffuser supports
Kef Speakers, by Ross Lovegrove for Moun, circa 2007, unknown materials.png|Kef Speakers, by Ross Lovegrove for Moun, c.2007, unknown materials
Genesy floor lamp, by Zaha Hadid, 2009, injection-moulded foam polyurethane.jpeg|Genesy floor lamp, by Zaha Hadid, 2009, injection-moulded foam polyurethane
Mercury light fixture, by Ross Lovegrove, 2009, die-cast satin finish aluminum lighting unit and chrome polished reflective units of injection-molded thermoplastic.jpeg|Mercury light fixture, by Ross Lovegrove, 2009, die-cast satin finish aluminum lighting unit and chrome polished reflective units of injection-molded thermoplastic
Andromeda LED pendant lamp, by Ross Lovegrove, circa 2010, steel with painted finish, hard polyurethane foam and mirror.jpeg|Andromeda LED pendant lamp, by Ross Lovegrove, 2009, steel with painted finish, hard polyurethane foam and mirror
File:Virtual_home_in_2020_a.jpg|Prediction of a home in 2020, from Eyewitness Books: Future (1998)
====Toys====
*Tamagotchi (1996-present)
*Digimon Digivice (1999-2021)
*iCybie (2000)
*Poo-Chi (2000)
*HitClips (2000)
*LEGO Galidor (2002)
*QRIO (2003)
*VideoNow (2003-2006)
*JuiceBox (2004)
*Game Boy Advance Video (2004-2005)
*Zizzle iZ (2005-2006)
====Technology====
*Sega Saturn (1994/1995)
*PlayStation (1994-2000)
*Windows 95 (1995)
*Nintendo 64 (1996)
*Palm OS (1996-2007)
*Motorola StarTAC Rainbow (1997)
*Apple EMate (1998)
*Game Boy Color (1998)
*Diamond Rio PMP300 (1998)
*iMac G3 (1998)
*Windows 98 (1998)
*Sega Dreamcast (1998/1999)
*Aibo (1999-2003; later revived in 2018)
*Mac OS 9 (1999)
*Windows 2000 (1999)
*Nokia 3310 (2000)
*Windows Me (2000)
*AOL Mobile Communicator (2000)
*Motorola Pagewriter (2000-2001)
*Windows CE 3.0 (2000-2001)
*PlayStation 2 [Original and Slim Models] (2000-2004)
*Blackberry RIM 957 (2001)
*Game Boy Advance (2001-2005)
*Nintendo GameCube (2001)
*iPod [Original Model] (2001)
*Xbox (2001/2002)
*Mac OS X 10.0-10.4 (2001-2005)
*Windows XP (2001)
*Blackberry 7200 (2002)
*iMac G4 (2002)
*eMac (2002)
*Windows Longhorn (cancelled; originally planned for 2003 release, later became Windows Vista)
*Windows Mobile 2003 (2003)
*iPod Mini (2004)
*iMac G5 (2004/2005)
*Windows Blackcomb (unknown; cancelled, originally planned for 2005 release prior to Longhorn/Vista Reset)
*Nintendo DS [First Model] (2004/2005)
*Windows Mobile 5.0 (2005)
===Blobitecture===
Blobitecture, also known as 'blobism’, is a term given to a post-modern architectural style characterized by curved and rounded building shapes, or 'blob architecture'. Blobitecture buildings appear to have an organic form that is soft and free-flowing, yet comes together to produce a complex whole. Blobitecture buildings started popping up around the Late '90s/Early 2000s to reflect a lot of the trends at the time, giving the buildings something of a "futuristic" look at the time (by the standards of what constituted futuristic at that time period).
Selfridges Building, Birmingham, UK, by Jan Kaplický and Amanda Levete, 1999-2003.jpeg|Selfridges Building, Birmingham, UK, by Jan Kaplický and Amanda Levete, 1999-2003
Kunsthaus Graz, Graz, Austria, by Colin Fournier and Peter Cook, early 2000s, before 2003.jpeg|Kunsthaus Graz, Graz, Austria, by Colin Fournier and Peter Cook, before 2003
Blob.PNG|Sage Gateshead, Gateshead, UK, by Foster and Partners, Buro Happold, Mott MacDonald and Arup Group, finished in 2004
The Blob, Eindhoven, the Netherlands, by Massimiliano Fuksas, unknown date.jpeg|The Blob, Eindhoven, the Netherlands, by Massimiliano Fuksas, unknown date
==Fashion==
Cybercore is a very new concept, but with certain brands that were popular at the time still existing, one could easily predict these brands could potentially play a huge role in Cybercore. Also, it should be noted a lot of Holosexual aesthetics and style can turn up in Cybercore fashion as well (due to its usage in futuristic fashion at the time). Low-rise skirts are usually really popular in this aesthetic. Japan's Fruits magazine, published from 1997 to 2017, has also been popular among Y2K fashion revivalists.
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==Media==
thumb|A compilation of Y2K-themed commercials.
===Film===
* The 6th Day (2000)
* Akira (1988)
* Battlefield Earth (2000)
* Bicentennial Man (1999)
* Charlie's Angels (2000)
* Clockstoppers (2002)
* Cube (1997)
* Cube²: Hypercube (2002)
* Cypher (2002)
* Digimon: The Movie (2000)
* Equilibrium (2002)
* The Fifth Element (1997)
* Gattaca (1997)
* Ghost In The Shell (1995)
* Go (1999)
* Hackers (1995)
* Human Traffic (1999)
* Jason X (2001)
* Lost in Space (1998)
* The Matrix (1999)
* Men in Black (1997)
* Men in Black II (2002)
* Minority Report (2002)
* Pinocchio 3000 (2004)
* The Net (1995)
* The One (2001)
* Spy Kids (2001)
* Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002)
* Spy Kids 3: Game Over (2003)
* Virtuosity (1995)
* X-Men (2000)
* Y2K (1999)
* Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999)
===Television and web series===
* 2030 CE
* Action Man (2000) 
* Alias
* Animorphs 
* Battle Angel Alita
* Beast Machines: Transformers 
* Beast Wars: Transformers
* Ben 10
* Blaster's Universe
* Bounty Hamster
* Bubblegum Crisis
* Cleopatra 2525
* Code Lyoko
* Crash Zone
* Cyberchase
* Cybergirl 
* Daring & Grace: Teen Detectives 
* Dexter's Laboratory 
* Digimon Adventure
* Ergo Proxy
* Friday Night Download/Download (2007)
* Futurama
* Galactik Football
* Heavy Gear: The Animated Series 
* Invader Zim
* Johnny Test
* Kim Possible
* La Femme Nikita 
* Macross Plus
* Max Steel (2000) 
* Megazone 23
* Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
* My Life as a Teenage Robot 
* Neon Genesis Evangelion
* ReBoot 
* Robotboy 
* Saikano
* Serial Experiments Lain
* Shadow Raiders 
* Silversun (2004)
* Squirt (1996)
* Texhnolyze
* TekWars
* The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius
* The Powerpuff Girls
* Totally Spies!
* Vandread
* Voltron: The Third Dimension
* X-Men: Evolution
* Wipeout (1999)
* Winx Club
* The Zeta Project
* Zixx
===Webfiction===
Orion's Arm may be the final sci-fi literary work since the 20th century to develop a world bigger by many people—which embraced prominent internet trends at the time—but would later make an aesthetic combining said aesthetic, Frutiger Aero, Hexatron, Biopunk, Weirdcore, Randumb, Old Web, Robotcore, Technical Scene, Xpiritualism, Silicon Dreams, Gen X Soft Club, and Abstract Tech.
Homestuck used things such as PDAs, CDs, and chat clients inspired by AOL as parts of the plot. 
*Orion's Arm (2000-Ongoing)
*Homestuck (2009-2016)
===Video Games===
When people think of Cybercore gaming, most could tell us about the Fifth (PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Sega Saturn, GameBoy Color) and Sixth (Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance) generations of consoles, as well as arcade hardware such as the Sega Naomi and Konami System 573 their respective lines of games, and their Low poly visuals (particularly noticeable in the 5th gen games).
During the late '90s and early 2000s, Sega had attempted to make one last console before they went out of business. The Dreamcast, released in 1999, had shown Sega's ability to make creative and innovative games. The most Cybercore-esque game was 1999's Space Channel 5, a rhythm game intended for a "casual female audience" that was applauded for its retro art style and soundtrack, encapsulating a lot of what people admired about Cybercore aesthetics.
Another Dreamcast game that could be considered Cybercore-inspired is 2000's Jet Set Radio, which, while not having the slick designs of Space Channel 5, captured other aspects such as Japanese punk fashion and early 2000s hip-hop. Jet Set Radio would also use iconography-inspired graphics for its UI. Jet Set Radio Future, its 2002 sequel, integrated even more Cybercore aesthetics into its art and gameplay, as did the series' spiritual successor, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk.
Rez, released by Sega/UGA in 2001 for the Dreamcast and 2002 for the PS2, had a wireframe-y Cybercore aesthetic, as the game centered round a computer virus nicknamed Swayzak invading the mainframe of a computer to reveal the true being at her core.
On the other hand, the series of Dreamcast network games, including ChuChu Rocket!, released in 1999 for the Dreamcast and 2001 for the GBA, as well as Dee Dee Planet, in production around 1999 until cancelled in 2001, had a heavy Cybercore iconography and bold minimalism as the main aesthetics of both games. In particular, secret movies that can be collected within Dee Dee Planet contains visual compilations of Cybercore imagery and graphics that was popular around the year of its production, thus cementing the game within the zeitgeist of Cybercore.
Yet more Sega games that embodied this aesthetic are Sonic R (1997), Sonic Adventure (1998), Sonic Adventure 2 (2001), and Sonic Heroes (2003), particularly SA1 with its janky-yet-charming visuals and atmospheric Cybercore music.
On the Sony end of the spectrum, no game series does a better job of embodying the Cybercore aesthetic than the Wipeout series, with art done by the aforementioned Designers Republic, even with recent iterations like Wipeout HD (2008) and Wipeout 2048 (2012). Metal Gear Solid, developed by Konami, had a lot of Cybercore aesthetics too. Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere also used Cybercore futurism aesthetics in its user interface, fictional aircraft designs, and soundtrack.
Most PlayStation Magazine demo discs, particularly the ones released in Europe from 1997 to 2004, are known for their very heavy use of Cybercore visuals in its menu interface, typically CGI for PS1 discs, and graphic designs for PS2 discs. Music tracks that were used in these menus are associated with the popular Cybercore electronic sounds around these years.
Other companies attempted to use Cybercore aesthetics as a promotion for consoles, controllers, and games. Even Flash games on websites had the Cybercore aesthetic, such as Cartoon Network's Toonami games (Toonami: Trapped in Hyperspace in particular being a whole 3D FPS similar to Cybercore aesthetic games Descent and Virus: The Game). 
Some other games that could be considered Cybercore aesthetic would include as follows:
* Almighty Human Project
* Beatmania (6th MIX + CORE REMIX)
* Bust a Groove
* Cave Story
* Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
* Dance Dance Revolution
* Dropship: United Peace Force
* Final Fantasy VIII
* Gex: Enter the Gecko
* Half-Life
* Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA
* Kinetica (2001)
* Kingdom Hearts
* Marvel vs. Capcom/Capcom vs SNK
* Messiah
* Mr. Driller (Project Driller)
* Oni (2001)
* Planet Dob
* Pop'n Music
* Pump It Up
* Ridge Racer
* San Francisco Rush 2049
* Sinistar Unleashed
* Slap Happy Rhythm Busters
* WarioWare (Made in Wario)
* Xenosaga
Recently, the indie game scene started to get inspired by the Cybercore revival wave and the developers to revisit the aesthetic. One of the first games is CROSSNIQ+, a puzzle arcade game mimicking the Dreamcast puzzles made by Max Kriegler. BallisticNG is a futuristic racing game inspired by the Wipeout series. Another example is Hypnospace Outlaw, and its upcoming sequel, Dreamsettler, with Hypnospace Outlaw, a game taking place in 1999, having its last parts of the game taking place in an upgraded operating system with Cybercore stylization, and its upcoming sequel Dreamsettler taking place in 2003, with a OS inspired by Cybercore stylized operating systems of its time, like Mac OS X and Windows XP. The upcoming indie game Neon White, and varied indie first-person shooter games SPRAWL, Ghostware: Arena of the Dead, and EXOCIDE, all yet to be released soon, embrace this aesthetic as well. Roblox is also involved, as it had in early development had a lot of Cybercore-esque elements and nowadays Cybercore skins and accessories are made by the community for example. Undertale was inspired by old internet aesthetics because Homestuck, its spiritual predecessor, was as well.
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===Artists===
*ALEJO•Z
*ANDYPANTS
*c0stadigital
*Cody Vondell
*ezpups (2008-present)
*Gooseworx
*Ichiro Tanida
*JVNPEY
*Mike DeBisco
*moistbreezy
*noisivy
*nxcss
*STP TV
*VLIF
===Other===
Cybercore aesthetics were used in architecture, such as the Encounter Restaurant at LAX, which opened in 1997, and was the filming location of the US music video for Moloko's "Fun For Me."
Even theme park attractions used the Cybercore aesthetic. One of the earliest examples of Cybercore could be considered The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, which opened at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom park in December 1994. Disney would later capitalize on the Cybercore aesthetic with DisneyQuest, a virtual reality entertainment center located in Walt Disney World's Downtown Disney, with a second location in Chicago, Illinois. They also had the ESPN Zone dining and interactive experiences in major cities. On the other side of the pond, Sega opened Sega World Sydney in Darling Harbour, Australia, and Sega World London at the Trocadero in London. Sega also partnered with DreamWorks to establish GameWorks, a series of arcades found at major cities.
==Music==
Nu-metal and Industrial rock were closely associated with the Y2K period, particularly in the United States and France, and received particular attention after the Woodstock '99 festival. The subgenres epitomized the more masculine aesthetics of the Y2K period, combining Hip-Hop and Electronic styles with Heavy Metal. Bands such as Korn, Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, Deftones, Filter, Incubus, Coal Chamber, American Head Charge, and Marilyn Manson epitomized this controversial strain of Y2K culture. Acts like Nine Inch Nails, Tool, and White Zombie served as progenitors of Y2K musical aesthetics in the early and middle portions of the 1990s decade. Subcultural styles like Mallgoth, Rivethead, and Cybergoth epitomized part of the Dark landscape style, a subtle offshoot of the landscape aesthetic heavily inspired by nu-metal and industrial culture in the landscape era.
One of the most well-known music associated with Y2K in the United Kingdom was big beat, a subgenre of electronic music that used "heavy breakbeats and synthesizer-generated loops and patterns". Bands and music producers such as The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method, Junkie XL, and Propellerheads performed this music during the '90s. However, the genre has since become less prevalent in the mainstream, with modern examples being few and far in between.
Another known genre at the time was trance, which has been more modernized and mainstream. Famous DJs from this period like Push, Ferry Corsten, Tiësto, Chicane, PPK, ATB, Signum, and Lange demonstrated well the euphoric and futuristic vibe of the Y2K aesthetic. Other tracks that became hits during the turn of the Millennium were "Better Off Alone" by Alice Deejay, Darude's "Sandstorm", and Rank 1's "Airwave".
Other genres used during the Y2K Era were jungle, drum n' bass, and trip-hop (like Portishead, Massive Attack or Tricky). Much like big beat (and what ultimately inspired big beat to begin with), these genres have a heavy emphasize on techno-style music, with fast beats and use of synthesizers. To this day, these genres are still used in EDM scenes all over.
Bubblegum Eurodance was also common during the Y2K Era. Aqua, the Scandinavian band responsible for the 1997 hit "Barbie Girl", is often attributed as being the most popular example of this genre, with an honorable mention going to the Italy's Eiffel 65, known for their 1998 single "Blue (Da Ba Dee)".
The Y2K aesthetic can also be seen in the music video to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Californication". The video takes the form of a fictional open-world video game that depicts each of the band members on an adventure in a California setting.
R&B and hip-hop also transitioned from the Golden Age/G-Funk/Boom Bap Era to the Jiggy/Bling/Shiny Suit 97 Era (widely known as the Hype Williams era, because of the prevalence of these visual cues in his music videos), with producers like Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, and The Neptunes. Many R&B and hip-hop artists used Y2K aesthetics in music videos, as shown were TLC in their "No Scrubs" video, Aaliyah in "Are You That Somebody", Jennifer Lopez in "If You Had My Love" or Janet Jackson in "Doesn't Really Matter".
Alternative rock and post-grunge were popular at this time and used in media such as Hollywood films and AMVs. Rap/hip-hop were similarly popular, and the popularity of it during this time influenced 2000s soundtracks later in the decade such as the ones for Homestuck and Scribblenauts and 2010s soundtracks like the OST for Persona 4: The Animation.
Since Cybercore was about embracing the future, the tone of music also reflected this. Electronic music was the go-to genre to capture this era as a musician, and other popular genres at the time were Eurodance, Bubblegum Dance, Hands Up, Jumpstyle, Britpop, R&B, etc. Some Record labels associated with Cybercore include System Records and Eldia.
===Songs===
*18 by Code Red
*Anthem #4 by Floorfilla
*All Around The World by A Touch Of Class
*All I Ever Wanted by Basshunter
*Better Off Alone by Alice Deejay
*Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65
*Can You Feel It by Max Farenthide
*Can't Slow Down by Bastian Bates
*Cry For You by September
*Dawaj, Dawaj! by Ruska
*Dissolved Girl by Massive Attack
*DotA by Basshunter
*Dragostea Din Tei by O-Zone
*Dreamscape by 009 Sound System
*Electro World by Perfume
*Everytime We Touch by Cascada
*Flying High by DJ Splash
*Hunter by Björk
*I Can Walk On Water by Basshunter
*I Can't Dance by Basslovers United
*Idols by Virtual Riot
*In My Mind by Antiloop
*Insanity by Basslovers
*Kernkraft 400 by Zombie Nation
*Major Tom by Peter Schilling
*More, More, More! by East Clubbers
*Move Your Hands Up by Clubraiders
*Mr. Saxobeat by Alexandra Stan
*La La La Girl by Paffendorf
*Linearmotor Girl by Perfume
*Living On Video by PAKITO
*One More Time by Daft Punk
*Pretty Rave Girl by S3RL
*Savage by aespa
*Seduction by Yoji Biomehanika
*Something by Lasgo
*Something About Us by Daft Punk
*Stereo Love by Edward Maya
*Supadupafly by 666
*Tears Have No Names by ...And Oceans
*The Age of Love by The Age of Love
*The Hypno by Floorfilla
*Tricky Disco by Discotronic
*We Are the Partystylerz by Partystylerz
*내가 제일 잘 나가 (I AM THE BEST) by 2NE1
===Music Videos===
TLC - No Scrubs-0|The quintessential Y2K aesthetic in action
Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson - Scream (Official Video)
Tiger Hit Clips™ Commercial (2000) (HQ)
-Official Music Video- Perfume「エレクトロ・ワールド」|Perfume - Electro World
Kylie Minogue - Can't Get You Out Of My Head (Official Video)
Brooklyn Bounce - Club Bizarre (Videoclip)
French Affair - Comme ci comme ca ( Official Video )
Daze - Together Forever
Two-Mix - Maximum Wave (Music Video)
Abyss - dj TAKA
A1 - Take On Me (Living The Dream 2000)
YOJI BIOMEHANIKA - Seduction Official Music Video
Daft Punk - One More Time (Official Video)|Daft Punk - One More Time
Crazy_Frog - Axel F (Official_Video)
BoA Skechers
==Resources==
External links to help get a better understanding of this aesthetic:
===Vendors===
*Aika Electronics
*BeWild
*Cyberdog
*Hackney
*Mineral
*Prega
*Tripp NYC
=== Pinterest Boards ===
* y3k aesthetic by Herb Mike
==References==
Category:Futuristic
Category:Visual
Category:Design Aesthetics
Category:Music
Category:Fashion
Category:1990s
Category:2000s
Category:Architecture
Category:Blue
Category:Cyan
Category:Light Blue
Category:White
Category:Electronic
Category:Nostalgia/Nostalgic
Category:Retro
Category:CGI
Category:Y2K
Category:Cyber Prefix
Category:Core Suffix
zh:Y2K