Pull down your bucket hats, crack open your Arizona Green Tea and throw on that “24/7 lofi hip hop radio”—it’s time to get low fidelity.
Lo-fi, slang for the term “low fidelity,” was originally used to express the recording quality of music, as opposed to high fidelity. But throughout the late 2000s and 2010s, the term that was once so reviled by audiophiles took a life of its own as a voluntary artistic choice. From hip hop to rock, jazz to pop, most conceivable musical genres have been redefined by the trend that has now even adopted its own aesthetic. Read on to learn how lo-fi made its resurgence in the digital age.
Vaporwave & Etc.
The explosive popularity of the lo-fi subgenre spawned a variety of microgenres that were popularized by the Internet. The chillwave microgenre, initially called glo-fi, is characterized by its faded retro pop sound, psychedelic lo-fi features and escapist lyrics. Similar to indie music of the 80s, the genre was criticized for its reliance on nostalgia. This, however, didn’t stop one-man acts Washed Out and Toro y Moi from defining the entire subgenre with their music. And while it’s no longer the “Summer of Chillwave,” many people continue to enjoy the dreamy, indietronica music.
Much of the popularity of music derivatives stemmed from internet trends and memes rather than any sort of commercial success. The vaporwave microgenre, with its electropop aesthetic, can trace its origins from the experimental music of artists like James Ferraro and Ariel Pink. The Internet, however, quickly remodeled the derivative into an ironic incarnation of the chillwave genre. The music style’s visual aesthetic (often stylized a e s t h e t i c with full width characters) incorporates early Internet imagery, complete with 1990s web design, pastels and anime.
Similar to vaporwave in terms of its emphasis on aesthetic rather than complex or meaningful music, the seapunk microgenre was originally an underground Internet trend. The obscure subculture combined the punk lifestyle with an aquatic theme, eventually culminating in bizarre, ocean-themed music videos with hazy music. Although genres like these may seem outlandish, the increasingly blurred line between a genre and niche preferences ensures that music continues to evolve.
Garage Rock
While computer produced music rules the airwaves, the classic sound of lo-fi garage rock continues to instill both a sense of nostalgia and rebellion in its modern audience. The fuzzy, chaotic guitar riffs and echoing vocals that characterized the music of the late ‘70s and ‘80s were merely a side effect of the limitations that came with the analog recording and audio processing techniques of the time. And although technology has improved since then, the sonic aesthetic of this era continues to persist in its even louder derivative genres—hard and punk rock. As recalcitrant teens of the ‘70s began to prefer lo-fi garage rock, partly due to the British Invasion of rock groups, many bands such as the Beat Happening and The Cramps profited off their lower quality recordings.
Although many bands in the ‘90s depended less on the raggedy buzz of lo-fi and found their voice through clean, pop production, many outfits such as Sonic Youth and Pavement still clung to their cheap four-track recorders and fuzz guitar pedals. These bands continued to be major players in the underground lo-fi scene, producing nonconformist music that spoke to their audience; components that carried over to their present-day descendants. Garage rock still appeals to modern musicians and audiences who prefer a more unrefined, do-it-yourself approach to music. With modern garage rock bands like The Strokes and The Black Keys continuing to use lo-fi recording, low-fidelity has become an extension of the punk rock attitude that made the subgenre popular in the first place.
Hip Hop
Of all the recent genres and musical trends, lo-fi hip hop seems to thrive the most in the contemporary era. A direct response to the manufactured songs of modern rappers, lo-fi hip hop is beloved by enthusiasts for its slower, mellow sound and audio imperfections reminiscent of vinyl records and cassette tapes. Artists such as Nujabes, J Dilla and Madlib were the first to introduce the genre to a larger audience, incorporating jazz and classical music samples as melodic motifs into hip hop songs. Nujabes in particular promoted the association between lo-fi hip hop and anime, using samples from popular animes like Samurai Champloo and Studio Ghibli in his music.
Lo-fi hip hop’s aesthetic, a prominent aspect of the subgenre, reflects the nonconformist sentiment of most lo-fi artists. Soundcloud rapper Jonatan Hastad is famous for his trademark aesthetic (bucket hats, sportswear brands and Arizona iced tea) and depressing music, unintentionally unleashing a “sad boy” culture craze that has become popular with male teenagers. The underground subgenre’s increasing popularity is indebted to Soundcloud’s social community and Youtube’s Recommended Videos feature. Its digital platform has allowed its users to attract a global audience much faster than an artist can tackle the barriers of the traditional music industry. Equipped with cheap recording machinery and online forums with tips and tricks, an aspiring artist can easily kickstart their own platform with a click of a button.