Chillhop Music

Whilst trip hop music came out of British city Bristol, and the UK is notable in the chillhop movement, it is far away from there where chillhop was most prominent. In Japan, Nujabe had been producing music since early 2000s, and whilst never knowingly setting out to create chillhop, he is widely credited as the forerunner of this sound. Nujabe sadly died in 2010, after which posthumously celebrated, and his influence was evident on other artists that could be described as making chillhop tunes.

In America, some have gained more mainstream success, such as Flying Lotus, who like many are not restricted to this sub genre, but whose music regularly falls into it. Possibly the most notable example of a current chillhop artist is over in Europe, Gramatik, whose techniques and vibe personify its existence. Chillhop music is mostly electronic, with a combination of some, but not always all of: broken beats, mellow strings, subtle synth, soft piano, slow pace, underplayed rap or lilting vocal.

But more than the instrumentation, it is the mood chillhop creates that makes a track be classed as such. It has become popular as a helpful genre to play whilst studying or focusing on a task, acting as both background music and imposing enough to keep a person in the required mindset. It is also a music choice for times when one is wanting to either wind down alone, or spend a day relaxing, or for an evening hanging with friends. The sub genre is now recognised enough that there is a platform and label 'for lo fi hip hop and jazzy beats' called Chillhop Music.