Who among us hasn’t gone down the rabbit hole of Youtube videos and stumbled across a lo-fi hip-hop tune with a looping Anime GIF? These songs may not have been immediately recognisable a few years ago, but they’ve become standard fare for YouTube playlists. You can’t help but think of old-school legends like J Dilla and Nujabes as their smooth rhythms and wistful melodies waft through the speakers.
The history of the YouTube lo-fi beats scene is a fascinating one. Finding a song with hundreds or thousands of views on YouTube not long ago required extensive searching. Originally intended to express one’s enjoyment of rhythm and melody, this has developed into something far more promising.
Who knew there would be live, loopy stream versions designed to help you get things done or provide you with a place to relax and think?
More people than ever before are using their free time at home to broaden their horizons, increase their knowledge, and get things done. These tunes act as background music to jam to for all your pandemic efforts. Listen to and subscribe to these ten YouTube channels for lo-fi hip-hop tracks with a Japanese influence.
10. lōland:
This is a more recent discovery than some of our other top recommendations on YouTube. These days, YouTube’s algorithm can read our minds since the site’s music recommendations are constantly spot-on and uniquely suited to our tastes.
Three producers created lōland, a band that uses lo-fi rhythms and vintage instruments. The fact that lōland produces its own samples immediately sets it apart, creating a distinct yet recognisable sound within the lo-fi hip-hop subgenre.
Their music is available on streaming platforms like Spotify and video-sharing websites like YouTube. Stay informed on their upcoming releases by subscribing to their newsletter.
9. Dizzy Inc.
If you’re a Hayao Miyazaki fan seeking chill-hop study tracks or lo-fi rhythms, you’ve found the right place. With its remixes of fan-favourite tracks from Studio Ghibli films such as Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Princess Mononoke, Dizzy Inc. has quickly become 2018’s go-to channel for admirers of the much-revered animation studio. The producer creates distinctive sounds by blending the best tracks’ catchy melodies.
Famous composer Joe Hisashi’s piano performance combines wistful sorrow and laid-back hip-hop beats, helping you get those reports done quickly.
8. Ikigai
When I thought I had discovered all of the top channels on YouTube for Japanese lo-fi hip-hop and chill-hop study beats, a buddy recommended this one. Here, the mixes become really imaginative, combining the track’s fundamental concept with the proper melody and rhythm to evoke the emotion the composer intended.
If you’re a lover of lo-fi hip-hop and a nostalgia junkie like me, you must check out Ikigai’s Kudasai series. Call me a fanboy, but the locations where these songs are featured are among the most peaceful, upbeat, and enjoyable spots on YouTube and the web. Ultimately, all people care about is spreading good, immaculate vibes.
Where else can you go to find kindred spirits and talk about the lost love on that trip to Japan you never had?
7. Helynt
All you weebs, otakus, and gamers out there: chow on! If you’re looking for the most fantastic lo-fi hip-hop channel on YouTube for video games, go no further than Helynt, who remixes the best tracks from some of your childhood classics. His Nintendo-themed lo-fi mix includes fan favourites such as Zelda, Mario, Pokemon, Sonic, and Donkey Kong tunes, making it a hit among gamers.
His other low-fi compositions include remixes of music from Overwatch, Minecraft, and Animal Crossing. It’s a nostalgia trip that’ll make others wonder who’s got you smiling as you’re taken back to the days when things were much simpler, adding single digits instead of completing your PhD.
6. Cozy
Anime fans often listen to lo-fi hip-hop because of the style’s close ties to the medium. This genre, widespread on Youtube, is usually utilised to recreate lo-fi mixes of different anime opening and ending themes. This connection was born between Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop, a pair of well-known anime due to their thrilling soundtracks.
Samurai Champloo’s rhythms were meticulously crafted by lo-fi icon Nujabes. Seba Jun is well-known among fans of laid-back lofi sounds and jams. If you are familiar with this music, you probably think of the famous producer when you hear it.
Cozy honours the legacy with a Jazzhop/Chillhop take on Nujabes’ rhythms, repackaged in his own lo-fi-inspired single video. It’s great to see Nujabes’ work influencing other artists aside from Cozy; he’s the undisputed leader of the lo-fi movement. You can hear its influence on the other videos on his channel, with sprinkles of Nujabes on his lo-fi takes on the soundtracks of Final Fantasy, Demon Slayer, Persona 5, and even Kingdom Hearts.
5. RELAXATION (LoFi & CHILL)
RELAXATION tapped into the successful combination of an adorable anime girl and smashing rhythms. Although this won’t surprise you, the Lofi Girl is the most recognised face in lo-fi hip-hop videos on YouTube. There is a channel on Youtube that features a near-identical copy of the original Lofi Girl, but, you guessed it, with a different heroine serving as the channel’s muse.
The rhythms it provides are appealing because they are tailored to what you want, presumably with pinpoint precision. To address the issue of “What exactly am I doing?” RELAXATION provides music to complement your current activity. For instance, they have videos that’ll help put you in a better mood, make you happy early in the morning, or relieve stress. On top of that, they have themed remixes that take hits from whichever season you’re going through, be it spring, summer, fall, or winter. It’s just what the doctor ordered.
4.) Abao in Tokyo
Abao is the lo-fi husbando we never realised we needed, joining the Lofi and RELAXATION gals. Despite having just begun a year ago, this channel has amassed 911,000 subscribers, making it one of the more recent and popular entrants to the lo-fi music zeitgeist. Unique to his channel is that he serves as a timer and social pressure for students. His movies aren’t all computer-generated; sometimes, they include real-life landscapes that take you to peaceful spots far above Tokyo.
Usually lasting between two and four hours, they provide relaxing rhythms ideal for the zoned-out study of everything from algebra to linguistics. Abao in Tokyo has a diverse musical selection that includes jazz and soothing piano pieces in addition to the signature lo-fi, live-scenery jams that people can’t get enough of. Did we mention that he also has a lo-fi husbando avatar?
3. Ambition
Ambition is a lo-fi hip-hop Youtuber who uses his emotions to express his feelings through melancholic Japanese-inspired beats. Many of his tracks’ lovely piano tunes and heartbreaking hymns will make everyone who has ever suffered a shattered relationship wonder who is chopping onions. This is especially true if you’re going through something that relates to the emotion Ambition wants you to feel with his mellow melodies.
It does what music is supposed to do: it makes you feel something and reflect on the significance of your own life via its lyrics, melody, and arrangement. The capacity of music to touch you on a deeper level via its tune is one of its defining characteristics. It’s fantastic to share your life with people in a manner that connects them, no matter where you’re from – and Ambition does precisely that.
2. The bootleg boy:
I can’t stress how excellent this low-quality hip-hop channel on YouTube is. With 4.36 million subscribers, the bootleg boy is extraordinarily unique, as his music is designed for something other than chilling down. Still, it is a very personal experience to listen to because of the sheer uniqueness and diversity of his approach to conveying a notion or a vibe. The lovely and identifiable sadness in his songs makes them so relatable.
Amazingly, he utilises boppy rhythms, mainstream media audio, and taps of raindrops in his compositions. The obscure and unfamiliar piano in his R A I N I N G series transports you to the exact scene he envisions. No matter what you listen to from The bootleg boy and his collection—Raining in T O K Y O or Raining in O S A K A—you’ll be transported to a calm and soothing place.
A quick scan of the YouTube comments reveals the following:
“I wish there was a way to know you’re in ‘the good old days’ before you’ve actually left them.”
1. Lofi Girl:
This list is worth doing by mentioning the one and only Lofi Girl. Everybody is familiar with the major lo-fi hip-hop station, thanks to the constant live feed of our chill anime waifu doing schoolwork with her faithful orange tabby cat. With 11.8 million subscribers, Lofi Girl has become the status symbol for lo-fi hip-hop beats. I turn to her when I need to get down to the nitty-gritty of getting things done.
Lofi Girl’s Youtube page constantly has a live stream where you can share your thoughts on the tracks and chat with other lo-fi community members. It’s a blast from the past to go into what is essentially a Youtube forum whilst doing your homework, work, or chores.
Once you subscribe to Lofi Girl, you won’t look back.
