Once you’ve heard a handful of licks from the Tokyo-based pianist and producer Kazumi Kaneda, you won’t be able to forget his warm, one-of-a-kind sound and feel. When those minor chords start to jingle around like a set of keys, you know Kazumi is on the track. He’s a visionary jazz pianist who knows how to work with hip-hop material, too, and blend both worlds effortlessly. Listen through to the end because we saved the best knock for last this weekend.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 087 - Hip Chimp
Fusing lo-fi textures and a plethora of downbeat genres, Hip Chimp channels lucid compositions and smooth, cerebral beats. As a multifaceted instrumentalist and producer, he has dug his hands through a wide variety of musical styles, and the Hip Chimp catalog reflects an appreciation for numerous attitudes and atmospheres.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 086 - beatmaschine
There’s a thriving beats culture in Germany. We’ve covered several German producers in this column and for more, check out Millenium Jazz Music’s On The Radar Vol 2 - Made in Germany. But we haven’t found a German producer who captures the “golden era” boom-bap sound of hip-hop so well until stumbling across beatmaschine, who represents labels called Krupplyn and Papier & Bliestift from Dortmund.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 085 - S-ilo
Bringing a warm, soulful spin on traditional lo-fi and hip-hop flavors, S-ilo is a production powerhouse from Malmö, Sweden. His music has an unmistakable connection to R&B, utilizing smooth harmonies and groovy bass lines in abundance.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 084 - Prgmat
One of the more talented producers working in the somewhat strict, traditional lo-fi style is Prgmat from Riga, Latvia. His music is often one giant wash of ambient pads, steered by muffled drums, and punctuated by discreet, well-cut samples. It’s some of the music one would put in a time capsule in order to show someone 500 years from now what lo-fi hip-hop in 2019 sounds like.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 083 - outcrowd.
Hip-hop and Detroit have a visceral history between each other, and the indelible impact the city had on its homegrown artists and creators continues to flow through modern veins. outcrowd. is an upstart Detroit beatsmith who’s been knocking breaks and warping samples for the last 5 years and running.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 082 - Puar
We first found the British Columbia-based producer Puar through his collaborations with Vancouver’s bsd.u, and we had the good fortune to catch his set at the Grove Cedar Lounge (a side stage) at Shambhala Music Festival on the Salmo River Ranch in BC. He was playing his signature style of highly vocalized phonk, some lo-fi, and a ton of straight west coast bass beats evocative of the Lab Group.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 081 - DLJ
Hailing from Toulouse, France, DLJ has spent the last two years producing a steady stream of top tier lo-fi content. A standout member of Retro Jungle Records, DLJ is a constant practitioner of musical cleanliness. His tunes are full of life and specificity, giving his catalog an approachable, well-rounded veneer.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 080 - Beasty P
Our next edition of Lo-Fi Sundays brings us to the city of Minsk, Belarus. Beasty P is a European beats producer who runs with the internationally acclaimed NINETOFIVE Worldwide Beatmakers record label. He’s packing a stereophonic quality to his dusty tunes that is in short supply in the lo-fi world, and has a clear skillset for flipping breaks and samples.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 079 - RudeManners
The experimental hip-hop and R&B producer RudeManners follows the axiom that a diverse portfolio is a stronger portfolio. Pegging this New York producer with one style is hard. He makes jazzy work, boom-bap tunes, “phonk” and trap beats, a bit of lo-fi house, and a ton of spacey trip-hop-influenced songs. But in comparison to his peers, his catalog has a distinct and recognizable sound that’s defined by a lounge aesthetic.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 078 - nick tesla
Channeling New York City's undeniable hip-hop legacy, nick tesla reinvents the relationship between sampled gold and head-nod rhythms. His style absorbs the melodic sensibilities of soul, jazz, blues, and disco wrapped up and delivered in a Lo-Fi veneer.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 077 - Telemakus
Telemakus is a 19-year old producer from the Bay Area who is skilled beyond his years on the piano and in the digital audio workspace. His first productions appear to come from three or four years ago, and his most recent work came earlier this year; Calantha Vol. 2, the second of his two LPs. On this record from Inner Ocean Records, you can hear Telemakus truly indulging his jazz sensibilities.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 076 - J. Vibes
While the majority of lo-fi hip-hop content is, by definition, low fidelity, a few producers take a walk off the beaten path. Fusing lo-fi textures and sampling motifs with audio dynamics characteristic to trip-hop and other sibling genres, the music of J. Vibes comes out extremely lush and stereophonic.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 075 - Mecca:83
Every weekend we curate 10 tracks from one instrumental hip-hop producer to try to capture his or her essence. This can be a challenging task, but it may have never been more challenging than this weekend as we feature the music of Manchester-based producer Evan Jones aka Mecca:83. His catalog is vast, and virtually every cut is worthy of a deep listen. What’s more, music from his jazz alias Rise just became available for streaming for the first time.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 074 - 1 UP
Laying down stupendous cuts with an almost lackadaisical hand, 1 UP is a relative newcomer with an audacious talent for vibrant Lo-Fi music. With three EPs and dozens of singles under his belt already, his style varies as widely as the hip-hop terrarium allows, capturing a variety of moods separated by hazy lines.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 073 - Juan Rios
Hailing from Seville, Spain, producer Juan Rios has been releasing textured lo-fi instrumentals for almost five years. He’s released on over a dozen labels, and collaborated thoroughly with vocalists. Rios comes from a Spanish underground where the influence of 1990’s boom-bap hip-hop is strong. He puts his own unique spin on the traditional boom-bap sound and has rightfully earned a prominent place in the playlists of lo-fi fiends worldwide.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 072 - Emapea
The name of the game for Polish producer Emapea is range and personality. Reminiscent of producers from the golden era of hip hop, Emapea aims to create a unique sound that is not limited to one style. He often uses rap samples, turntable cuts, and fresh boom-bap breaks to add just the right amount of street flavor to the smooth texture and serene atmosphere of the track.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 071 - standingwolf
Cracking open a melodious morning egg for this edition of Lo-Fi Sundays is the California-based beatsmith standingwolf. Replete with all of the traditional hip-hop deliciousness that we’ve grown so fond of, standingwolf demonstrates a knack for a wide array of modalities and musical motifs.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 070 - Korey Wade
Korey Wade is a diversely talented producer based in Phoenix, Arizona, and one of the instrumental (ha!) individuals behind Brunch Collect, a community-based platform for beats, food and the combination thereof, also based in Phoenix. In a word, Wade’s music can be described as fun. it’s rich with soul and full of colorful sampling and bright melodies.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 069 - CPY
Bringing in clear, pure-bred cuts for this weeks Lo-Fi Sundays is CPY; Banging beats out of the United States, CPY brings the smooth vision of complimentary samples and volume-conscious mixing to the Lo-Fi table. His productions exude a particular, familiar dust that stirs in the mind images of mid-November dusk strolls and the scent of a town gone sleepy.
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