Lo-Fi and Chill!

Do you need to have background music on while studying? But preferably music that is non distracting but soothing? Or maybe you just want to sit back, relax, and de-stress to something calm and therapeutic yet a little different from the usual music you might listen to.

Maybe listening to some lo-fi might be for you. With no distracting vocals or very minimal if any, lo-fi is calm, soothing, even transformative yet has a diversity of vibes that draws you in with each soothing beat.

I was first introduced to lo-fi music by two close friends of mine. We were all out on a Saturday night to grab a bite to eat and do some Black Friday shopping. Instead of the usual random playlist of songs from modern rock and pop we listened to faithfully whenever we got together for a long car ride, we decided to change it up a bit (or maybe a lot!) and listen to a totally different genre.

“Hey Jasmine, ever listen to lo-fi?” one of them took a brief glance back at me as he adjusted the car stereo system's volume.

A slow pulsating beat began to grow more steady as the volume increased.

Lo-fi?

Lo-fi stands for low fidelity.

I didn't answer him at first as I was entranced by the music and growing even more curious.

While I cannot recall the name of the song or the artist behind it for the life of me, I just know I liked it.

I continued to focus my attention to the different beats of the song. It reminded me of music you might hear in a classy lounge, in a hotel lobby, a mall, or while riding an elevator. It was music that was very soothing but easy to vibe to at the same time.

So What Exactly is Lo-fi?

Like me, you might have heard of the genre, but what is it?

A subgenre of electronic music, lo-fi is more than just soothing therapeutic music. It actually features imperfections that are deliberately kept or inserted into the song. This is what makes Lo-fi so unique compared to other genres.

In a sense, lo-fi highlights the beauty and strengths of music artists' imperfections.

Such imperfections you will hear include background noise, notes that were put in by error, and audio that’s considered low-quality. Hence the genre name, lo-fi.

It may come from low quality imperfections but it's far from boring.

Most lo-fi is completely instrumental with very few vocals heard if any. This is why it's one of the most ideal music genres to listen to while studying or even writing.

Here is an example of what lo-fi is. Perhaps give it a listen the next time you need to study or are in need of a moment to unwind, de-stress or just chill out.

There are so many various styles of lo-fi ranging from hip-hop, jazz, and electronica so there is always something new and refreshing to listen to within the genre. Some variations of lo-fi might be better suited for studying while some might be more ideal for just relaxing to.

The background noise that is inserted is very diverse and ranges from nature sounds such as birds and ocean to guitar, piano, and drums.

Lo-fi might sound like a new and modern subgenre of electronica involving some almost futuristic beats, but it has been around much longer than you might think. The term, “lo-fi” was first introduced in the 1950’s and has evolved immensely over the last several decades.

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