What is lo-fi music?
Lo-fi music is both a subgenre of hip hop and a broader philosophy that applies to many genres of music. Lo-fi is short for “low fidelity,” meaning a low-quality reproduction of sound. For example, when a beautifully recorded album like Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon is played back on a busted cassette deck, you’re definitely not getting the full sonic experience. That’s low fidelity.
But low fidelity listening experiences have their own unique characteristics – and even charms. Over the decades, musicians and listeners have come to appreciate them. “Lo-fi” refers to musical practices in which these qualities are pursued as an aesthetic goal in their own right.
Today, lo-fi often describes a specific strain of hip hop that celebrates these qualities in a particular way. Lo-fi beats tend to be relaxed, jazzy, and smooth – perfect background listening while you study or relax.
Lo-fi beats are usually recorded on high fidelity equipment and mixed in a DAW with modern-day plugins and processing – but they’re designed to sound old and fuzzy.
Listen to some examples of modern lo-fi beats. Do you hear the grainy, vintage quality?
