Guide to Lo-Fi Music & Visuals
Learn about Lo-Fi, the characteristics of the music and how it became popular among students.
MUSIC
Andy
Why Lo-Fi Music
Lo-Fi music especially Lo-Fi hip hop has grown in popularity over the last few years. There is a growing audience that particularly finds this type of music great to listen to while studying or working.
In our article, we will not debate if listening to music while studying or working can actually enhance the experience or bring better grades - there is actually research (e.g. Perham and Vizard, 2011) done on this topic. However, if you are one of those who first find a playlist before starting studying then maybe it is hard to be convinced otherwise.
So, for the ones who like to learn while listening to some nice music, we have the right style for you. Have you heard before about Lo-Fi music or Lo-Fi hip-hop? probably yes, but in case you haven't keep reading.
Lo-Fi music is a far less distractive music sub-genre compared to other genres and probably this is why it is one of the best music for studying.
There are a number of reasons for this:
1. Most Lo-Fi songs do not have lyrics. The absence or limited use of vocals makes the overall listening experience less distractive allowing you only to focus on the instrumental part.
2. It is a slower tempo music genre, which brings you to a calmer and more relaxed mode. The purpose of slow tempo music is to allow your mind to relax.
3. A repetitive pattern is also characteristic making the overall music easily absorbed while you focus on another task or chilling.
4. Simple and beautiful melodies and patterns revoking specific feelings. Feelings like nostalgia, bitter sweetness, and longing are usually associated with this music type however it is should not be seen that the music is restricted to that.
Overall, the above characteristics of Lo-Fi music make this genre ideal for relaxation or if you wish to listen to something while working or studying. No wonder why many students are Lo-Fi music lovers.
What is Lo-Fi Music
Lo-Fi (low-fidelity) music actually refers to a music production style and not a music genre style. It is the opposite of high fidelity or high-quality music production. The low fidelity or “lower quality” comes in as the tracks might appear to have errors in the recording process, including noise, vinyl scratch, etc., however, all of these “errors” are there by design. So, Lo-Fi is a music production style that is by design imperfect, containing flaws by design, and can cover any genre or sub-genre of music. However, it is mostly associated with hip-hop beats, jazz, and house, the output is thought the same towards creating an calming effect.
Although the music may seem unprofessional and also simplistic, this is exactly the intent of this subgenre and why it fits so well for the purpose.
What are LoFi Visuals
It is common to see in Lo-Fi hip-hop music videos anime style or cartoonish style visuals. There is no doubt that anime fits well the overall mood of the music style, but the reason why is used so much is connected to the first artists that used this type of visuals as well as being a trend. As with any music style combining Lo-Fi music with the right visual aesthetics can elevate further its effect. However, restricting a music style that can convey different feelings into one type of visual aesthetic is rather a strict boundary, instead, we suggest that you allow the feeling of what is to be convened to dictate what the visual aesthetics should be. Since music is all about being creative, we also do not see Lo-Fi being limited to only a certain type of feelings like nostalgia; it could be equally strong in conveying also feelings such as love, daydreaming, hopefulness, anticipation, joyfulness, creativity, elation or others.
