Kidd Nostalgia spent the last two years shooting his shot to share the stage with the likes of Com Truise, Englewood, Macross 82-99, Chromeo, Starjunk 95, and to DJ at dedicated fanbase events such as Neotropolis, Rose City Comic Con, Waku Waku, and Yoi Toki. Let's take a closer look at how things took off.
Featured Show
18 July 2026 at Kelly’s Olympian; Portland, OR. Velocity 128 [DJ set], Kidd Nostalgia, and Underwater Nightclub will be supporting Dream Commander’s EP release party for a Hot Synth Summer! Presented by Pacific Northwave Collective.
To Bend and Back Again
I was first introduced to Kidd Nostalgia at the very first Pacific Northwave Collective show in the spring of 2024, headlined by Watch Out for Snakes. At the time, this young artist with a promising outlook on the scene just moved back to Portland and had already thrown his own events, was looking for more, and brought the good vibes. While it’s easy to grow weary as the years go by, Kidd Nostalgia had the sense of optimism to make things happen. Sure enough, the past two years of unlocking opportunities led to his upward trajectory. We’ve since DJ’d several SynthCadia events together including the Rose City Comic Con afterparty at Wonderlove last fall. We’ll be sharing the stage once again in July.
Kidd Nostalgia in the audience; Watch Out For Snakes, Portland 2024
Q1: Before moving back to Portland, you were promoting events and playing in bands in Bend, Oregon. What was the local music scene like at that time, and how did those early experiences shape your approach to promoting events, your own performances, and building a community? What motivated your move to Portland?
KN: The music scene was really fun in Bend, it was a smaller town with less competition so at least in my experience I saw a lot more people coming out to support local music than I have seen in bigger cities like Portland. I was in a funk band called the Rum Peppers. Our lead singer had incredible stage presence and I learned a lot about performing live and having a great stage presence from him and the rest of the band.
Kidd Nostalgia performing live, 2024; Bend, OR
My main motivation to move to Portland was to chase a better and bigger music scene. I loved my time I spent in Bend, but in my opinion, it could get very boring and have a lack of things to do. And since I have moved to Portland it has opened up a lot more opportunities for myself in music.
Q2: How did you get into vaporwave and future funk, and what pulled you towards those genres? Which artists, labels, or events inspired you to start producing and DJing within those scenes?
KN: I had a friend that showed me vaporwave in high school and I forgot about it for a while before rediscovering it and similar genres. I had a few songs on my roster I already liked like Resonance by Home and Horsey by Macross 82-99. Then I got really into George Clanton’s music and that is when I really fell in love with the scene and really deep dived into it. I ended up going to the last ElectroniCON vaporwave fest in New York, and opening for future funk legend Macross 82-99, and I got even more into it in more recent years.
Kidd Nostalgia opening for Com Truise, 2025; Portland, OR; @J_Lim23RD
Q3: Over the past couple of years since we met, you've become a recognizable artist in the vaporwave, future funk, and synthwave communities. How has the music scene in Portland changed since you first got involved? What have been some of the best moments for you?
KN: I think one of my favorite moments was my first show I ever threw in Portland. It was a vaporwave-themed night and everyone I got on the lineup were people I met through Reddit. It was at a smaller bar called The Big Legrowlsky and it was a really good turnout and I played an awesome set!!! and I kept going from there.
Kidd Nostalgia opening for Engelwood and Macros 82-99, Yoi Toki, 2024; Portland, OR; @J_Lim23RD
Q4: You've had an exciting run of shows recently, including opening for Com Truise, Chromeo, Engelwood, and Starjunk 95, along with DJing at Yoi Toki parties. What stands out the most for you? How did those opportunities come together, and how have they influenced your direction as a performer?
KN: Opening for Macross 82-99 with Yoi Toki was a big turning point for my career, it was my first big show and I really hit it off with everyone involved. It really helped boost my confidence as an artist and I started shooting my shots more and more for gigs.
Kidd Nostalgia opening for Starjunk 95, 2026; Portland, OR; @guesthouse.tv
Q5: I had a chance to play one of your recent tracks at our SynthCadia DJ nights recently. Back in 2025, you made it to Neotropolis as a DJ while also releasing music. How did Neotropolis compare to nightclubs or festival settings? And for listeners discovering you for the first time, what do your recent releases represent creatively?
KN: For Neotropolis, it was fun to be able to play different music than the norm out in live settings, it was fun being able to play dark synth and other similar tracks I don't normally get to play elsewhere.
As for my recent upcoming releases, I have semi-recently decided to go full blown disco/French house with my sound and DJing and I'm really excited for this next chapter of Kidd Nostalgia. I strive to try and spread positivity through my art because there is so much negativity in the world right now and disco is about as uplifting as it gets!
Q6: You've done a lot in the past few years. What's next for Kidd Nostalgia or other projects? Do you have upcoming releases, collabs, tours, festival appearances, or new ideas you're playing around with this year?
KN: Yes, like I was saying before, I've gone full blown disco house and really fallen back in love with DJing. I'm playing in L.A. next week, an anime rave called Waku Waku. And I'm also playing future funk for Yoi Toki in Denver, Colorado. I've also got some music videos coming up and I've been posting and marketing myself a lot more on socials. 2026 has been my biggest year yet for music and I'm excited to see where my hard work takes me next!
Kidd Nostalgia DJing at Waku Waku anime rave, 2026; Seattle, WA; @wergulz
Kidd Nostalgia’s upcoming shows:
4 July 2026 Los Angeles, CA; Waku Waku rave night at The Moroccan Lounge
18 July 2026: Portland, OR; Hot Synth Summer [Velocity 128, Underwater Nightclub, Dream Commander] at Kelly’s Olympian
19 Sep 2026: Denver, CO; Yoi Toki party at Cervante's Other Side