An Ode to Lo-Fi
Lo-fi, a term coined in the 1950s, is typically defined as the antonym for hi-fi- or high definition music. Lo-fi tracks employ copious amounts of repetition and use basic equipment to produce simple, but pleasant sounds. Recently, lo-fi beats have gained popularity across demographics, some as niche as anime producers and some as common studying high school students. Popular lo-fi artists tend to have around one million monthly listeners. Why is music that poses such a stark rhythmic contrast to popular tunes today suddenly gaining notoriety?
Lo-fi’s rise has is often credited to internet culture and accessibility. Sam Wise, college lo-fi artist from the UK who goes by Johto on Spotify, says that “hip-hop [which lo-fi incorporates elements of] is becoming the biggest genre- meaning underground scenes on the internet are bound to happen.” Even though Wise did ‘regular’ music in college, he got into lo-fi later in University after listening to lots of it online. “Beats was all I listened to so I wanted to learn how to make them myself,” says Wise. His music is certainly accessible as he boasts approximately 162,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. It’s no wonder Johto is gaining popularity as the mystical hip-hop based music Wise produces is enchanting. Wise plans to “eventually pursue music in another country, likely the USA.”
The world moves pretty fast these days making us become secure in being surrounded by stimuli. The Billboard 100- a site that ranks the top 100 songs of the week- reflects that. Most of popular music is jam packed with both changes of tone and style that evoke a rollercoaster of emotion and galvanize the listener. In its rhythm, popular music seems to reflect the fast paced world we live in. Many people, including myself, however, don’t want to be moved so much. Believe it or not, people don’t want Bastille, Ariana Grande, or even Post Malone all the time. It’s imperative for people to have a variety in the type of music they listen to; it’s the only way to have a balanced medium.
That’s where lo-fi music comes into play. In a world that can be overwhelming with movement, people seek out something that’s not so moody and frantic, but rather grounding and chill.
Much of the calming atmosphere that lo-fi creates comes from the type of music that artists tend to sample in their tracks. Lo-fi artists select only the smoothest bits from the jazziest songs, and then repeat it. Artists tend to use Jazz songs as influences not only because they sound great, but also because they capture the moment. For example the song “Again” by jazz artist Nat Cole King was adapted into “Monday Loop” by lofi producer Tomppabeats. The unique, moment-to-moment improvisation one hears in Jazz is magically transformed in lo-fi through repetition to drown out sounds from one’s real life and showcase an illusion of an eternal, creamy, consoling moment. Other ambient music does not have the same effect. Although lo-fi does use elements of ambience to tie everything together, the unique repetition I mentioned serves to extend the best of the best moments. As Miles Davis- renowned jazz artist- puts it, “don’t worry about playing a lot of notes. Just find one really pretty one.”
