LoFi Chill: “Isolation” – rich, textured, and grand in sound and imagery

LoFi Chill is a U.S. based music producer. His style includes elements of lofi hip-hip, chillhop, and chillwave. “Isolation” is his fourth album release. Previous albums include “Optimism”, “For Lovers Only”, and “These Are The Days”. The producer describes the idea behind the album as feeling a deep sense of disconnection while living in heavily populated urbanized areas. Despite the modern-day reclusive and disuniting theme, this album seems literally tailor-made to relax and zonk you out whether it’s been a long day at work taking shit from the boss, or waking up to an unbearable hangover after a night on the piss. Either way, whatever your momentary woes may be, the recording sets you up into your little corner, alone on a Sunday morning, to take stock of your personal moment of “Isolation”.

And that’s the thing – for an album so minimal and short in length, “Isolation” is one ambitious effort, packaged as a double whammy of audio and emotional components, which gives the impression to the ears and the soul that it’s a much longer affair than the mere 21 minutes it actually is.

And that’s because it manages to come across as rich, textured, and grand in sound and imagery at the same time as it does ethereal, abstract, soulful, funky as well as jazzy. Perhaps only LoFi Chill can pull this off, and if not, he’s one of the better ones who can.

 From track one, “I Don’t Want To Let Go” is a big fat stew of free jazz, hip hop and lounge – peppered with occasional hand-claps and random vocal samples LoFi Chill picked up along the way, to give the album so much depth and texture, which literally demands that you pay attention to keep up. Again, although this clocks in at around twenty minutes, it’s easy to see how LoFi Chill spent time perfectly assembling this sonic collage.

Blissful bass-driven chillers like “Don’t Go Changing”, “You & Me” and “Change Of Heart” were custom made for in-depth soul-searching, sounding somehow nostalgic yet impersonal at once.

And that seems to be the directive behind the album; to use scores of indulgent samples, beats and aesthetics to spawn an immersive, calm and relaxing environment that is nostalgic yet impersonal – hence the theme of isolation keeps presenting itself throughout the songs.

“Isolation” is LoFi Chill’s search for identity and self in the modern world, and through the use of sounds and beats the listener is forced to feel the disconnect that LoFi Chill has encountered in his experiences- moving between the ‘nostalgic’ and the ‘impersonal’.

Basically, “Isolation” sounds like a hazy, atmospheric and rhythmic kaleidoscope with the oblique, twisted vocals added to the thumping swirl. This is the sound of being high…but being alone. Strangely enough the final track is entitled “Don’t care”. This one seems put there purposely to make you rethink the whole concept of “Isolation”.

On the whole, LoFi Chill has crafted a consistently enveloping and rewarding album. It’s concise, so one can put it on for a brief moment of relaxation or deep introspection. Your choice.

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