3DS & Wii U eShop music
everyone knows the “Wii Shop Channel” music. even the ever prolific Drake-sama used it as a sample in one of his most well known and greatly memed songs. a truly iconic house music sound that stays just as fresh today as it was yesteryear. shoot, it probably hold up better today. so its little wonder that the spiritual successor and sophomore album jams just as hard as its predecessor. the “3DS & Wii U eshop music” is probably one of the most underrated follow up albums of all time. so why has it gone unnoticed?
the “3DS & Wii U eshop” music slows things down from the nearly manic Wii theme. it tones down into a more relaxed and inviting sound that beckons the listener to… shop with joy? i mean i love old school shopping mart muzak, but this takes on a whole new feeling. if you dont know there isnt just the main theme, but multiple tracks over they years and months to personify the seasons. im talking some 20ish unique songs to help you relax, breath and… shop!! with multiple seasons represented twice over with unique compositions, the catalogue makes for a unique album to play in the background of daily life. put it on while studying, cooking, writing music reviews, editing or brainstorming, this collection really soars when put up to task of background study music. lofi hiphop has become so incredibly prolific on youtube these days, garnering millions of views of countless videos. im talking, naruto lofi hiphop, ghibli lofi hiphop, persona lofi hiphop. im talking reformed video game music from pokemon, donkey kong, street fighter and more, all reframed in lofi beats for the purpose of easy listening. the people have spoken and the people love study music. so it only urges us to search for more and deeper ways of engaging with our focus through music.
perhaps its because there is so much out there today to melt our attention away, just about everywhere we look, we are so regularly burdened with mental exhaustion. i believe lofi music has skyrocked in popularity because it helps achieve a consistent and maintainable mental state while we work. im no scientist but even i can feel that a strong sub-beat and some poppy synth helps ease away mental fatigue. we seek this out for the same reason old fashioned shopping muzak and easy-listening elevator jazz has been prolific for decades before. it helps us focus. all the visual, auditory and mental noise can stress us out without our noticing. sometimes we dont realize how the phone notifications, the constant music in our headphones, the endless ads, the ever-present screens and so on, are constantly attacking our senses each day. so i see lofi music as a healthy way to drown out the noise. to filter our brains into a better more focused state. its noise to fight noise. in the same way our headphones use ANC to cancel out sound by using equal noise frequencies, we can leverage lofi to equal out our daily frenzy.
okay, i didnt mean to get all “lofi-appologist” there. well maybe i did.
i believe i can pinpoint two of the crucial origins of lofi music, “Wii Shop Channel” and the artist Nujabes (we will get to him another time). in the the grand landscape of lofi music, i find it interesting that the sophomore album to one of the the most iconic modern tunes remains so buried. i think it worthwhile to talk about it a bit and push on a bit further to the greater public consciousness.
the music is a little more quaint and joyful this time around. i mean just listen to the “September 2015” tune! such a wonderful sound that uplifts and twinkles. not to mention it hits some really sweet moments that are reminiscent of the “Wii Shop Channel” itself with that synthy shop sound.
try “November 2012” for a bit more contemplative experience which dances into playful percussion.
maybe youd better enjoy “May 2016.” a summery walk through flutes, xylophones, guitar strums and a french style accordion.
as much as i love the lofi beat genre, its lately become a bit homogeneous and even ai driven. and while its nice to focus through a session of whatever you are doing, even i get tired of the seemingly same sound on endless repeat. if there is one true weakness of the genre it is a lack of identity. so go to youtube, and search up some “3DS & Wii U eshop music.” listen to some study music with personality! youll be asking yourself by you hadnt checked it out long before this.
sometimes quaint music is perfectly okay to be quaint.
written by Marcus Landeros
