If you’ve been looking for some elevator-music type background tune to not distract you, yet provide some comfortable sound while you study or work, you’ve probably stumbled across Lo-Fi on search engines and YouTube. So, why do we choose to listen to Lo-Fi in our everyday life and why does it feel so good? Let’s find out together.
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Origin And Meaning
Lo-Fi, even though it sounds like a new term, actually dates back to the previous century. It was originated back in 1976, and it stands for “low fidelity.” By definition, Lo-Fi music means “music lower in quality than Hi-Fi music.” It refers to the music that is often made by new, not-yet-famous artists, and often somehow “degraded” in quality (often on purpose), as opposed to what is served to us by the mainstream media.
Productivity Boost
When asked about Lo-Fi music and its effects on people in the working environment, musical experts confidently nod. Victor Szabo, a musical expert, and the professor explained (source: https://elemental.medium.com/do-productivity-playlists-actually-work-6d362bd23bf7) how Lo-Fi music allows the listeners to be productive by allowing their brain to “predict on a subconscious level how it will continue to sound.” He argues that the music has almost a “comforting effect to the listener.”
As opposed to distracting the listeners, Lo-Fi sounds are repetitive, soft, and serve almost as ‘white noise’ which helps people concentrate more than without music.
What do you think about Lo-Fi music? Is it your companion while working, or the first time for you to read about it? Let us know. In the meantime, have a listen to some of the Lo-Fi playlists:
Lo-Fi HipHop Radio – beats to relax/study to
Japanese night cafe vibes / a lofi hip hop mix ~ chill with Taiki
Chillhop Radio – jazzy & lofi hip hop beats
Coffee shop radio // 24/7 lofi hip-hop beats
