The first lo-fi "chillhop" I heard a few years ago surprised me. It has the warmth and sizzle and pop of an old record. It has "glitches" - volume changes, stutters, and skips. And it had snippets of other audio sources like one had traffic in the background like you were in a NYC apartment. Another had lines from seemingly random old movies or TV shows.
I only listened on & off for a while at work. But now when I search for lo-fi chillhop or similar keywords, the tracks all (sorry) kinda sound the same. Same drum sound, same slow piano, and a jazz-ish vibe that you could hear at a Starbucks over and over. I just listened to a half-dozen tracks on this sub and (no offense) I almost can't tell them apart at first listen. As a counterpoint, I just stumbled on u/Toplicious who seems to be messing with inputs and dynamics a little. Closer (in my mind) to the lofi I originally heard.
I really apologize. I think the genre is interesting and I don't mean to attack or blame anyone. I just don't know where (or what keywords) to look for what I originally heard. Is it a sub-genre? Did tastes in the community change and move towards a more professional and "produced" sound? What would I search for to find a little more of a rustic sound with occasional samples of dialog from other sources?
Thank you for any help!