Music but it's Lofi

Have you ever heard of Lo-fi music? Chances are high, since the genre has been rapidly increasing in popularity over the last two years. Videos with titles like “1 A.M Study Session - lofi hip hop/chill beats” have gained millions of views and are extremely popular among students. This boom did not come out of nowhere though, the roots of Lofi music go way back to the 1950s.

Since then the definition and style of Lo-fi (low fidelity) music has changed quite a bit. The first time Lo-fi music got an entry into a dictionary was in 1976, in the English Oxford Dictionary it was defined as “sound production less good in quality than ‘hi-fi’” – a very vague definition. So Lo-fi basically started out as music produced with lower sound quality and audible imperfections.

The background noises in the recordings are still one of the most prominent characteristics of Lo-fi music. While nowadays the iconic background noises are often added afterwards, they originally were a result of home-recording and regarded as a sign for “authentic” music.

In 2003, the Oxford Dictionary added a second definition for the term—”a genre of rock music characterized by minimal production, giving a raw and unsophisticated sound”, which mirrors the increase of punk and indie artists, who started producing music at home and therefore contributed to the increasing popularity of raw, imperfect sounds. Bands like Guided by Voices were the pioneers of Lo-fi. hop was implemented into the Lofi culture and rock music stopped to be so prevalent in the genre. In 2008 it had reached a point another definition of Lo-fi music was added: “unpolished, amateurish, or technologically unsophisticated, esp. as a deliberate aesthetic choice.” By now the low sound quality had long stopped to be a by-product by home-made or DIYmusic, it became a style of itself.

Today the main characteristics of Lo-fi music besides the intended imperfections like a scratching record or static noises are drum loops, jazz chords and samples. The drum loops are used to form the

chill rhythm and usually between 70-90 beats per minute, which means they are on the low- to midtempo range. While Lo-fi has its roots in punk, indie rock, and hiphop music, nowadays jazz chords became an important part of the Lo-fi culture. The little bits and pieces of jazz incorporated to the Lo-fi tracks are supposed to create a relaxed, thoughtful vibe and adds to the retro aesthetic, which is a great part of the Lo-fi theme in general. Even though a great part of Lo-fi music is instrumental some artists use sampling or other effects to underline the music and switch it up a bit.

Especially in the last years it became common to not only use vocal samples from pre-existing songs or record them yourself, but to take small dialogues from anime shows. Lo-fi music and anime are strongly interconnected now and this also shows in the Lo-fi illustrations often used as a thumbnail for the YouTube playlists. While famous channels like Chillhop Music or Lofi Girl (formerly known as ChilledCow) create their own music, others remix anime soundtracks as Lo-fi music. As it can be seen, Lo-fi music has quite a history and resulting in that there is broad palette of subgenres. So, if there is such a high demand for Lo-fi music apparently, one might wonder why.

The main audience of Lo-fi music these days are students. During the last years Lo-fi playlists with names like “1 A.M Study Session - lofi hip hop/chill beats” have become extremely popular and are said to improve concentration and enhance the productivity.

Similar to classical music used for studying, Lo-fi creates a soundscape shaped by rather slow (mostly) instrumental music. There have been years of research proving that slow instrumental music can improve the ability focus. In the 1990s research conducted by New York Academy of Science found a “Blur Effect” – it proved that kids were actually doing better at test while they were listening to music they genuinely enjoyed. One hand this is related to the rise of serotonin and dopamine levels; If we are in a good mood, we can be more productive – this can work with any type of music, just try to avoid songs with lyrics, since they can be distracting for you. On the other hand the “Blur Effect” works because the music drowns own any distracting background noise and therefore makes it easier for us to focus on whatever activity.

In addition to increasing our concentration, Lo-fi music can also be extremely relaxing and thus is also liked as “chill out” music. The calm beats boast the restorative system and reduce cortisol levels, which are responsible for anxiety and stress. This can actually not only improve your overall mood, but also help you to use your time more effective, since stress lowers your productivity.

While there are little studies about the effects of specifically Lo-fi music on us, there are many studies that examine the effectiveness of elements used in Lo-fi music. You could technically achieve the same effects by listening to classical music – if you enjoyed it just as much. Since everyone has their own preferences when it comes to music, the impact of Lo-fi on your body and mind can greatly differ from others experience, but I think it is worth a try at least. I for myself can say that I love listening to Lofi music and was able to see a big improvement in my concentration since I started doing that.

Angelina Berndt

Sources

“Music and Spatial Task Performance: A Causal Relationship” by Rauscher, Frances H. ; “Music Listening and Cognitive Abilities in 10- and 11-YearOlds: The Blur Effect” by E. Glenn Schellenberg ; “Does listening to preferred music improve reading comprehension performance?” by Nick Perham ; “Is it OK to listen to music while studying?” by Dr Timothy Byron ; “Lo-fi Music Guide: History and Characteristics of Lo-fi Music” on MasterClass. com ; “Phänomen Lo-Fi-Musik – Zwischen Rebellion Und Lifestyle” by Meon on Thomann.de; …