The Lo-Fi house has become one of the main phenomena in the world of electronic music over the past few years. We did not notice how this music moved from our headphones to the main clubs worldwide. Why is it so special and why it shouldn’t be neglected – read below.
Lo-Fi as Alternative
The digital revolution of the 90s influenced many aspects of electronic music culture. The move from analog to digital has changed the sound and approach to music writing, forcing major industry players to compete for the purest sound. At this time, music called “Lo-Fi” emerged as a reaction to “Hi-Fi” recordings, aimed at the commercialization of music in general.
The first was the indie rock bands of the mid-90s who massively recorded their music through cheap four-channel cassette recorders. Today, lofi music download is available to everyone, especially on the free download stock libraries.
The irony is that house has been lo-fi music from the beginning. For example, one of the house godfathers, Frankie Knuckles, recorded his first DJ set on cassette tapes. However, the term “lo-fi house” only became widespread in 2015, as a description of a bunch of young house producers whose recordings began to spread like a virus. Many of them deliberately invented rather stupid names for themselves, playing on the absurdity of their work.
In an attempt to play retro, they greatly distorted their music, adding some noise in contrast to mainstream pretentiousness. In most cases, tracks in this style are intended to be listened to through headphones rather than powerful audio systems. Until recently, this style remained an exclusively Internet phenomenon, whose circle of admirers was limited to a few thousand subscribers. However, the situation is rapidly changing, and famous labels have started using it.
Examples of the genre
1) DJ Boring – Winona
This is one of the defining dance tracks of 2016, earning over 600,000 YouTube views in its first three months. The composition is dedicated to actress Winona Ryder, and excerpts from her interview with British presenter Terry Wogan are used in the track.
2) Mall Grab – Menace II Society
Australian nugget Jordan Alexander (Mall Grab) has grown from an unknown producer to a world-class DJ by the age of 23. Almost all of his tracks are in demand on dance floors around the world.
3) Subjoi – Love Shy
The discharged noise crashes against the bass line, shooting into the void like a blaster. A whining, nasal vocal hook heats the atmosphere of the smoky garage up. This is the composition of Luke Palmer, released on the leading label Lobster Theremin.
4) Florian Kupfer – Feelin
From the very beginning of his career, the German musician linked the aesthetics of the early house and its modern trends. Faded and gloomy, but at the same time retaining a glimmer of light – the track involves you from the first seconds.
5) Delroy Edwards – Always
Delroy Edwards has been plowing his own way through house music for several years. The musician’s father (actor Ron Perlman) once answered a question about his son’s music: “I think my son is the smoothest motherfucker on the planet.”