ADJ. Beats to VERB To
- Chill beats 🎶 to study and work to
- Jazzy beats 🥤 to relaxy and sleep to.
- LoFi beats 💰 to fold laundry and file taxes to.
Live YouTube LoFi radio stations are curated to be the soundtrack to the mundane parts of life. They supply an inoffensive mood to the inane activities. Where lyrics and a hook will distract, these stations play repetitive LoFi beats, and similar sounding songs to lull the listener into a concentrated state. They show visuals of a cozy room, or a present walk to give the sense of home and comfort, even if the listener is in a public space.
In this post I will be taking a look at the history of the “ADJ Beats to VERB to” LoFi phenomenon. Then I will be reviewing some of my favorites from the genre.
A short history 📖 to ponder and reflect to⌗
To look at the history of LoFi ADJ beats to VERB to we will first take a look at the history of LoFi hip-hop. LoFi beats were enabled by the advent of the sampler work station. A sampler work station is a table top electronic device allows a user to record audio samples. These audio samples are mapped to buttons that can be triggered to play the sample. A multitude of controls allows the user to manipulate the sample in real time to remix them into new beats and melodies. The BOSS SP-303 Dr. Sample and Rolland SP-404 are two popular sampler work stations to include a builtin LoFi setting.
Image by By
LonerXL
SPVIDZ Using the LoFi button on the SP-202, SP-303, and SP-404x Example of the LoFi setting on the SP-202, SP-303, and SP-404x
LoFi, or low fidelity, means the bitrate used when recording the signal is reduced. A lower bitrate means there are less discrete steps to represent the analog signal. This results in a diminished reproduction of the original sample. The LoFi setting on the SP-303 and SP-404 reduces the bitrate of the sample to give it a more “crunchy”, “distorted”, and “warmer” sound.
These sampler work stations were popular among hip-hip producers such as J Dilla, Madlib, and MF Doom. They used these samplers to create beats that feel warm and crunchy. They only had access to a limited number of samples on the workstations, so songs would often repeat the samples with syncopated rhythms to create a cohesive beat.
YouTube released live streaming in April 2011. The first major LoFi hip-hop live stream was ChilledCow’s “Lofi Hip-Hop Radio - Beats to Relax/Study to” in 2017. It featured a looping animation of Shizuku Tsukishima from Studio Ghibli’s Whisper of the Heart while playing beats from various LoFi hip-hop producers. ChilledCow created a record label in 2019, Lofi Records, for supporting LoFi producers. The channel was rebranded to Lofi Girl in 2020, due to the live streams virality. The success of the channel inspired many others to create their own LoFi radio stations and record labels. The genre defining features are: an animated character with a looping animation, looping playlist of repetitive chill beats, banners for social media integrations, a “now playing” display, and a chat for the community interaction. Loops, repetition, and warm community. Let’s take a look at some of my favorite LoFi “ADJ Beats to VERB to” radio stations.
Reviews 📝 to read and flame to⌗
Lofi Girl⌗
14.5 Million Subscribers at the time of writing
LoFi Girl is the most popular LoFi hip-hop radio station. And the featured subject of this post. Created by ChilledCow in 2017, it features the same looping animated homage to the Studio Ghibli character Shizuku Tsukishima from Whisper of the Heart.
lofi hip hop radio 📚 beats to relax/study to⌗
500 Songs - 20 Hours
A classic. A mainstay. Genre defining. A bit melancholy for my taste. If I listen too it for too long I get a lump in my throat; mind filled with rainy days. I still throughly recommend it. It get in the mood to study. If I need to phase out the music, e still can focus on my work. The visuals are not too distracting, yet cosy. The playlist is long so there are not too many repeats.
Review: 8/10
synthwave radio 🌌 beats to chill/game to⌗
317 Songs - 17 Hours
Synth forward beats, lots of reverb, going for techy futuristic feel. I find this channel a too detached from catchy tunes so comes off a bit in-human and cold. Visuals make you feel like you are at an all-nighter LAN party. As per usual with this stations, the songs are repetitive within themselves, and sound similar from song to song. It also seems like this station does not update it’s playlist very often. Or maybe the songs sound too similar.
5/10
Halloween lofi radio 🎃 - spooky beats to get chills to⌗
99 Songs - 3 Hours 15 Minutes
It’s spooky 👻💀🎺🎃. The fall vibes on the visuals are very fall witchy. Music is the very thematic. I which the playlist was longer, but it is a holiday special so I can’t be too picky here.
8/10
dark ambient radio 🌃 music to escape/dream to⌗
276 songs - 9 Hours
Maybe I am more of a fan of ambient music but this is my favorite of the LoFi Girl stations. The visuals are a bit dark and moody for my taste, and the character looking longingly out the window does not help, but the music is very atmospheric and dreamy. This station fills me with calm rather than the depressing of some of the other stations, without diving too far into the poppy or jazzy side of the genre.
9/10
Chillhop Radio⌗
3.28 Million Subscribers at the time of writing
Chillhop Radio is my favorite LoFi hip-hop radio station. It’s mascot is a adorable hipster racoon.
Chillhop Radio - jazzy & lofi hip hop beats 🐾⌗
300 Songs - 13 Hours
I love the Chillhop raccoon. There I said it. The weather changes as he visits, lakes, mountains, and cities, without being too distracting. I enjoy working on task and checking in on where my raccoon man has ended wandered to this time. The music is jazzy and upbeat. I don’t find myself getting too melancholy listening this curation. The playlist is long enough, and music varied enough that I don’t get bored of it on a work day. I will caution that a few songs have mild lyrics, so it is not a pure “beats” experience.
9/10
lofi hip hop radio - beats to study/relax to 🐾⌗
200 Songs - 8 Hours
The chill hop raccoon has gone to bed. He did a lot of walking today so cut him a break. The visuals are cozy, but not as varied as the jazzy beats. He types away at a laptop (like I’m doing right now). The music is a more melancholy and relaxed take on the genre. I do still get a bit dreary after too many hours listening to this station.
6/10
Conclusion 🎉 to celebrate and dance to⌗
Check out some of these stations next time out need to focus on a task. If things are too hyped, check out a more melancholy station. If things are too repetitive, tune in to a jazzy upbeat channel. Thanks for reading! I think my next post on this topic will be on how to host your own LoFi radio station. Stay tuned. 📻🎶🎧
-E