(c) Migs Tarrosa
As modern music evolved and branched out to the public through the web, music transitioned into various new subgenres mixed and matched with past genres. One of these is lo-fi, a rising genre in the safe home we call the internet. Javier Pimentel a.k.a. lui. is one of the many prolific artists rising in the local lo-fi community, and he has gone a long way into creating pieces influenced by artists across the internet yet true to his creative self.
“I started producing music when I started learning at Cosmic Sonic Arts.”
Lui. had always listened to “traditional” music but soon got influenced into discovering the internet genres of vaporwave, lo-fi, and future funk. Local music producers from SoundCloud such as similarobjects to international stars such as Kanye West continually influence his works. The Strokes, The Beatles, and Gorillaz also found their way into lui.’s musical journey. Though he admits he is not an expert in the art of music theory, he, however, finds old pieces, samples them, and hashes around a brand-new piece— signed with his personal creative style of creating beats. Sampling from an array of hip-hop artists and collectives such as MF Doom, A Tribe Called Quest, and so many more, lui. is able to build up his music career to a higher level, being part of the notable music producers that are attempting to give a name to the rising lo-fi community in the local music scene.
(c) Migs Tarrosa
“At the start, it’s really gonna sound like shit.”
It’s no doubt that lui. already has mastered his own style. For the ambitious artists that also want to make a name out there, lui. advises dwelling in all of the genres you love or might appreciate. “For example, you used to be a metal-head, then [you do] lo-fi or hip-hop, then indie, then vaporwave. All of these genres will come together and create your own unique sound.” Though there is nothing wrong with wanting to be like one’s idols, developing an individual style of music often comes from the practice of just being true to the creative self. Lui. finally adds, “just do you and eventually, you’ll make something that you really, really like.”
“There is a community, not just lo-fi but all music genres.”
The internet beat makers and producers are becoming more prevalent, according to lui. With the rise of social media, the music lui. produces become more trending, uso in this generation. More nights (in Black Market for example) are opening up solely dedicated to internet music. The lo-fi community according to lui. is growing. “I hope we would be recognized more. And, for the upcoming people when they start making, they would become their own individuals with their own unique sound.” The future is definitely bright for the musicians of the genre. The internet is rising, and so are they.