If we needed to resolve what the soundtrack of the post-2010 Web was, lo-fi could be the one affordable reply.
For the reason that phrases “lo-fi hip-hop” and “chillhop” began circulating greater than a decade in the past, the style has undergone fairly the metamorphosis. What was as soon as a rating for the geekiest locations on the internet—unfold by younger children within the type of newbie mixtapes with anime-inspired artwork—turned a mainstream sensation that even Will Smith and Disney tried to take advantage of at one level.
Between these two cut-off dates, the historical past of lo-fi is much from linear, however it’s straightforward to pinpoint its protagonists. With no shadow of a doubt, considered one of them is Chillhop.
For anybody remotely acquainted with lo-fi music, Chillhop and its iconic Raccoon mascot are primarily synonymous with the style itself. Regardless of sharing comparable origins with many different networks, the Rotterdam-based firm launched into a trajectory of its personal that has led to a thriving model, which works far past the notorious “lo-fi beats to check to” mixes and features a document label, in-house studio, life-style model and way more.
As we strategy the tenth anniversary of the launch of Chillhop’s flagship YouTube channel, we caught up with the corporate’s founder, Bas van Leeuwen, to debate the hyperlink between development and tech innovation, the origins of the challenge and the Raccoon’s lore.
Chillhop’s founder, Bas van Leeuwen.
Rauwkost Movie
EDM.com: Let’s begin from the very starting. Chillhop is now famend for its YouTube channel, its cozy aesthetic and compilation sequence, however the model’s story started in a really completely different manner. It began with a weblog, proper?
Bas van Leeuwen: It began in 2012 once I was residing in my hometown and most of my associates had moved. There was one shut pal I spent plenty of evenings with taking part in board video games, having drinks and listening to music. We then discovered the sort of music one way or the other and spent plenty of nights exploring what was on the market by way of music on this fashion. There have been artists making this music, however there weren’t plenty of locations or listener communities actually centered round it that we may discover on the time. It was plenty of enjoyable simply looking for nice tracks on locations like Bandcamp, SoundCloud and Final.fm, and sharing it with one another and listening to it collectively.
I used to be at a degree the place I completed my research and did not actually know the place I needed to go, so I figured that if I hung out serving to individuals discover this music that we actually loved and which we felt was under-appreciated, I may assist the artists in addition to be taught one thing from the method… and that is the way it began. Simply as a enjoyable manner to assist artists discover listeners and create one thing across the music. It started as a weblog the place I’d speak to the artists about their new album or simply do some write-up of music I discovered and appreciated, however it wasn’t lengthy till I spotted I loved creating movies on YouTube containing this music greater than writing.
I actually loved pairing the music with visuals I made or discovered, and I figured that if individuals did not learn about this music step one is getting them to hearken to it as an alternative of studying about it.
EDM.com: How did the challenge evolve after that? Did the YouTube channel or the document label come first?
Bas van Leeuwen: The YouTube channel was the bottom of all the things. I spent a few years merely discovering music, connecting with artists and sharing that music with the small quantity of listeners we had then. I additionally began our first combine sequence referred to as the “Chillcompilation,” the place I’d make a month-to-month choice of tracks I discovered and shared it on platforms like Mixcloud, SoundCloud and YouTube. This was on the time a interest I spent plenty of time on—I did not earn money off of it nor did that even come to thoughts as being a risk. I merely loved discovering and sharing the music in addition to connecting with the artists and seeing how I may assist them attain a bigger viewers.
Again then it was small. Spotify and streaming wasn’t actually a factor so the entire thought of making a living with the music did not actually reside—it was simply individuals creating and sharing it as a result of they appreciated the music. After working the YouTube channel for about three years I began the label as a option to get extra concerned within the course of and be capable to do extra for the artists than solely importing their music on our channel. As a result of I had constructed up a great relationship with plenty of artists over time and the YouTube channel was rising, just about each artist I spoke to was enthusiastic to be concerned and have us launch their music.
EDM.com: Quick-forward virtually virtually a decade later. What does the Chillhop model embrace?
Bas van Leeuwen: Apart from the 2 “faces” of the model, particularly the Chillhop YouTube channel and the Chillhop Music label, we now have a publishing and sync division. We additionally constructed our personal recording studio right here in our workplace in Rotterdam and we launched the Countless Sunday life-style model.
The Chillhop music studio.
Berdine de Gier
EDM.com: Let’s give attention to YouTube. For legions of music listeners, you’ve been the incubator of their expertise with lo-fi. While you began the channel, have been there already established lo-fi curators who impressed you? How was the scene on the platform?
Bas van Leeuwen: The time period “lo-fi” to explain this type of music wasn’t in any respect a factor again then. That solely began in 2015 or so. In 2013, once I began the channel, there have been a number of channels like Bob42jh, iE4tBe4tz808 and DLoaw that have been inspirational to me. There have been another small curators from around the globe that have been necessary to me, however Bob42jh—who additionally ran document label Cult Traditional Data—has been actually elementary for the sort of music, though no one who listens to the music these days is aware of him.
There have been additionally small labels like Dusted Wax, who hosted a easy web site the place you might obtain a whole lot of beat tapes by artists, again then which have been an awesome supply of music for me. I’d say the scene was actually nice and it was straightforward to attach with everybody and share the eagerness for the music.
EDM.com: How was Chillhop’s channel initially structured?
Bas van Leeuwen: We uploaded single tracks that we discovered and appreciated and I created mixes each on occasion, principally. That was earlier than the label was launched. It was actually fairly easy and just like plenty of YouTube curators.
In the event you’re speaking in regards to the label, that grew first from simply me to working with a number of different individuals like Brandon (often known as Birocratic) serving to out on the music facet casually, with another associates concerned casually as properly. In 2017 we employed the primary few individuals full-time to assist work on the label, together with Bastien to work on design and plenty of label-operational duties, in addition to Simon (often known as Philanthrope) to work on the A&R facet of issues. From there on out, the workforce grew additional because the label grew, counting now 24 individuals, half primarily based within the Netherlands and half worldwide.
EDM.com: Right me if I’m unsuitable, however the livestreams have been an instantaneous success on YouTube. How a lot has that function modified the sport for you and the entire YouTube ecosystem?
Bas van Leeuwen: Large. I believe it has been the one greatest issue for the expansion of the music and many of the huge channels on this house. We have been one of many first channels on YouTube that began a 24/7 livestream in music and on the time, we had our music taking part in with extra enjoyable, real-life nature visuals within the background, aerials of islands and that type of stuff.
It did not actually blow up or set off the YouTube algorithm as a lot. However as soon as another channels began livestreaming and used studio Ghibli visuals as an alternative, it appeared to click on with lots of people, which then triggered the YouTube to suggest the stream to tons and tons of individuals. The recognition of these channels and the music skyrocketed fairly all of the sudden and shortly.
EDM.com: How has the rise of Spotify and different streaming platforms modified your strategy? Beforehand, to be a music curator, particularly on YouTube, there was a sensible barrier. You needed to obtain the observe, get the artist’s approval, discover a becoming cowl image and eventually add all the things. Spotify, for instance, bypasses all this, making the curator’s job only a matter of drag and drop. To not point out that its UX is smoother with regards to discovering and listening to music. How did you cope with all that “new” competitors?
Bas van Leeuwen: It is a laborious one, actually. I appreciated YouTube since you might actually create one thing new that mixes the music and visuals and engage with the individuals listening to it by means of the feedback, et cetera. I believe what’s hardest, is discovering a steadiness between all the things. Whereas 10 years in the past, all the things could be new and I may do no matter I would like every time I would like, however we now have listeners, artists and a workforce to consider.
As issues change shortly, you will have the accountability in the direction of all of these individuals—particularly the artists—to create the most important publicity for his or her music. It is generally laborious to seek out the time and preserve the give attention to the artistic facet. I believe the truth that there’s lots of people or competitors doing just about the identical factor with out plenty of variation makes it laborious to essentially get impressed by one thing anymore. I like doing one thing barely new, however by no means see myself as some groundbreaking innovator or one thing. I attempt to take it step-by-step.
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Nevertheless, that feels prefer it has slowed down a bit as a result of I am simply attempting to maintain up with all the things. That is the problem for me personally. I nonetheless actually just like the music however I really feel like I’ve to interrupt away from it creatively considerably to maintain it fascinating for myself, but in addition whereas persevering with to serve the music and artists in our catalog in addition to maintaining our operation afloat. That is what I am attempting to determine. I do not essentially see competitors in itself as one thing that I give attention to or get too riled up about. It largely simply highlights the weak factors in your model and the shortage of uniqueness or ease to mimic one thing.
EDM.com: Let’s return as soon as extra to the origins of Chillhop and speak in regards to the followers’ favourite matter, which has even been the topic of video essays: the Raccoon’s lore. When does it come into play?
Bas van Leeuwen: So that is an fascinating one, and relies on the lore as described within the “Chillhop universe” or the precise story. The precise story is that I used to be on the lookout for a mascot that represented the fashion of character of Chillhop. A raccoon got here to thoughts because it’s an animal that stems from nature however is usually urbanized, so the mixture between nature and metropolis match with my thought. Then by way of angle and character, it seems calm, laid-back and chill on the floor, however has a little bit of an angle and edge to it, which I actually like as properly.
So there was a second once I was on a vacation-business journey in Vancouver with a colleague, and we have been out within the mountains and coincidentally discussing the mascot factor. Then, after we seemed out the window, we noticed a raccoon standing there, simply taking a look at us. That is once I was like, “Yeah, let’s go for the raccoon.” And that is the way it was born!
We labored with a number of completely different illustrators to carry it to life, each within the brand in addition to the livestream. From there on out, it simply advanced naturally and we are actually constructing a bit extra of a cohesive universe and storyline across the Raccoon and its “squad” as time passes, and sharing extra particulars over time.
The actual-life raccoon that impressed Chillhop’s signature mascot.
Bas van Leeuwen
EDM.com: However Chillhop’s aesthetic isn’t just constructed on the Raccoon. A key part of your id are the artworks that accompany your uploads and releases. I observed that the primary hints of this artwork path could be seen round 2018. How has it advanced and the way do you handle the artwork path?
Bas van Leeuwen: In the event you look again on the earlier movies on our channel which can be nonetheless there, about seven years in the past we featured visuals in plenty of completely different types, from photographs to illustrations to small DIY animations. It advanced from there and as time handed, we began focusing extra on illustrations fairly than photographs. We now have an inside workforce of individuals engaged on artwork path, in addition to a pool of proficient illustrators and animators we work with on a frequent foundation.
Though these days we attempt to create some consistency by working extra in a single particular fashion. I just like the completely different interpretations of the Raccoon by completely different artists however it additionally feels good to go extra in-depth with a visible artist we’ve been working with for an extended time.
EDM.com: Your neighborhood creates plenty of fan artwork. Have you ever ever turned a kind of creations into an official art work or merchandise?
Bas van Leeuwen: Our neighborhood at all times blows me away by way of fan artwork. There are some actually proficient individuals on the market and it’s at all times superior to see what they provide you with.
We turned an animation by Nigel Ng right into a sticker pack and blend. We at all times repost Leto T. Varian’s art work as properly as a result of it’s simply so good, and used some for the art work of official mixes.
EDM.com: As a spectator, I shortly obtained the impression that your neighborhood is extraordinarily devoted and vice versa, a lot so that you simply go to nice lengths to supply them essentially the most optimistic and immersive expertise attainable. How has this relationship advanced over time? What are an important digital hideaways for the Chillhop neighborhood?
Bas van Leeuwen: It’s nice to have a neighborhood that cares so deeply in regards to the model. It’s laborious to call one place that folks most continuously go to, however with regards to the interactive facet, each our Discord server and livestream chats are the locations the place individuals hang around most frequently. However there’s plenty of simply as superior followers on platforms like Twitter, Reddit and Instagram.
The connection advanced largely for me as an individual, the place it’s sadly develop into tougher over time to be as near the neighborhood as earlier than. I lurk on our livestream chats and Discord continuously, however considered one of my ambitions is to have extra time to hold with the neighborhood.
EDM.com: Lo-fi turned fairly a mainstream development in the course of the pandemic years. Have you ever skilled the results?
Bas van Leeuwen: Yeah, it’s a bizarre duality the place I like the truth that the love I’ve for this music is shared by lots of people. However, the truth that it turned greater additionally jeopardizes a few of the magic that was there early on. There’s plenty of proficient and passionate individuals in it, but in addition plenty of ingenuity.
However, I additionally don’t wish to be an previous grumpy gatekeeper, so actually I’ve grown over that half and give attention to individuals doing cool shit, which there’s plenty of. For us personally, our greatest peak was earlier than the pandemic so I really feel the expansion in competitors is greater than the expansion of curiosity within the music as a complete.
Chillhop’s raccoon mascot.
Chillhop
EDM.com: Lo-fi is a really (if not solely) digital style. It’s not a scene that resolves round golf equipment, concert events or festivals. Regardless of that, it has a really robust relationship with bodily codecs. What’s the motive for this duality?
Bas van Leeuwen: I like holding issues and we like creating packages, whether or not that’s within the type of a video or within the type of a bodily product. I believe a great steadiness between doing issues digitally and having fun with issues in actual life is necessary, so the bodily product facet is crucial for us in that sense.
EDM.com: You’ve at all times been very lively on this entrance as properly. When did you begin doing bodily releases? Has the demand elevated or decreased over time?
Bas van Leeuwen: We began early on, in 2016. Our first launch on vinyl was Deeb’s Slowmocean EP. I bear in mind for our first few releases I did all the things from curation to contracts to cowl design and coordinating the vinyl manufacturing course of, which we did on Qrates on the time.
I’d say the demand grew quite a bit after the primary few years and it nonetheless does, though the insanely lengthy manufacturing occasions for information makes for an enormous problem on that facet.
EDM.com: Persevering with to speak about bodily experiences, how’s the Countless Sunday bar going?
Bas van Leeuwen: We simply closed our cafe. It was a tough choice to make however in the end we took over the lease for this place simply earlier than Covid hit, and burned by means of our reserves too shortly to have the ability to construct a sustainable place in an more and more laborious market.
We discovered quite a bit from it and had nice expertise working occasions there, so all in all it was a really invaluable expertise and we will certainly use the expertise we gained there working occasions to proceed doing that sooner or later.
EDM.com: Do you will have plans for the 10-year anniversary of the challenge subsequent 12 months?
Bas van Leeuwen: We now have some concepts, however can’t share extra there!
