|KNIGHTWATCH|

Ambiguity and specificity:

Lo-fi hip hop is an instrumental genre, and it is not one that showcases virtuoso talent. As a result, the best way to communicate an idea as a Lo-fi producer is through the title of the track in question. Since it is difficult to develop a textual idea in an instrumental, many Lo-fi beats have very general titles. Titles relating to moods, times of day, and the four seasons of the year are common archetypes. However, this does not account for all Lo-fi hip hop beats. It is not uncommon to find track titles that express very specific themes or ideas. These titles may include relatively specific locations, activities, or lines from hypothetical conversations. This is because Lo-fi hip hop, in its pursuit of audience connection, exists at the intersection of the ambiguous and the specific, of the nebulous and the defined. The listener can project their own experiences onto the sonic canvas or let their imagination run free with the possibilities of specific events.

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Jinsang commented on his own musical background in an interview with DOPECAUSEWESAID’s David Anthony G. in May of this year, stating that his own musical background was limited to having “toyed with piano in my childhood and [having] played guitar for a bit in high school,” which only makes the quality of his beats that much more impressive. Jinsang exemplifies the balance of the ambiguous and the specific in his title selection for his song titles as well as his album titles. For instance, his 2016 album “Life” has the most general title imaginable, but includes tracks with titles such as “last autumn,” and “alone, together,” both of which have very specific titles. As a contrast, his 2014 tape, entitled “Kona Park” is a reference to a specific park south of Los Angeles, but includes tracks with titles such as “feelings,” and “homecoming // memories,” both of which have very general titles. Jinsang’s titles work in two ways. They either provide a general backdrop for the listener to project their own thoughts, or they suggest a theme that the listener can then expand on with their own imagination.

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Musical Style:

The name “Lo-fi hip hop” references two aspects of the style; low fidelity and hip hop. Low fidelity refers to a quality of audio recording that is lower than the current standard. This diminished sound quality allows producers to manipulate their samples more easily, because the samples in question have very little bass. This effect is often accentuated with the use of filters such as a high-pass filter, to cut out lower frequencies. The ideal time period to find this sound is from the late 60s to the early 80s. Particularly jazz, funk, and Jpop samples of this time. This is where the hip hop connection is revealed; many early 90s “boom bap” hip hop producers used samples from this era and combined them with drums from their time.

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The style of Lo-fi tends to lean towards the style of J Dilla as opposed to the style of Kanye West. Where Kanye normally chops his samples (which is common practice for stylistic and copyright reasons), Dilla would be more likely to find a sample that would play continuously, chopping the audio as little as possible to create a flowing, natural sound. It is this sound that Lo-fi producers seek to recreate. For many of them it is the sound of their childhood.

Jinsang commented on his sample choice in his DOPECAUSEWESAID interview, stating that he “grew up with a lot of jazz and 70s music.” This comes across in his sample catalogue, which ranges from Japanese rock/funk musician Makoto Matsushita to bossa nova giant Stan Getz. Jinsang incorporates the classic boom bap drums and auxiliary percussion into his beats, but goes a step further in paying homage to the 90s rap era by incorporating ad libs from hip hop legends such as Big L and The Notorious B.I.G.

Essentially the purpose of Lo-fi hip hop is to recreate the sound of an era that has passed us by, much in the way life passes us by. What Jinsang and so many others seek to create is what we all seek to experience; a chance to appreciate experience. Not necessarily a chance to stop time, but a chance to slow it down, and enjoy it along the way. As you delve down the road of Lo-fi hip hop, I encourage you to let Jinsang be your guide.