Music is often a vessel in the form of sound waves. It’s a catalyst of many things from thoughts to feelings to events and happening to memories and nostalgia. If you’re a true music enthusiast, you’ll know the power of a truly transformative piece of sound.
As the world has become saturated with songs (some good and some not so good), it has become incredibly rare to find artists who can speak to your soul through their music. Well, if this is one of your concerns, then you’ve come to the right place.
Today, on The Muse Culture, we’ll introduce you to an artist who does exactly what we’ve described above, Erik Lee. We’ll take a look at who Erik Lee is and why you should get to know him, fan sentiments about his music, his latest releases that you should get into if you’re not into already, and where you can catch the train of revolutionary tunes that he’s making in the future to come.
Behind the Music: Who Is Erik Lee?
First and foremost, Erik Lee hails from the Midwest of the United States and wants to claim his stake in the musical world and the hearts of his listeners. He makes music in the genre spaces of ambient, experimental, and lo-fi hip-hop.
Having started sharing his releases with listeners back in 2017, his musical channels have grown thanks to the affections of thousands of audio lovers. Whilst as an artist, he may keep his identity hidden and mysterious, he loves to engage with those who engage with his tracks. He has a strong sense of community present on his platform, which adds a personal touch to the musical experience.
"I make music to promote positive vibes and deep introspection. I hope even if people don’t like my music, they at least feel something."
— Erik Lee
Lee stands by this quote and it even reflects in the name of his popular YouTube Channel “Inner Space” which showsthat his compositions delve into the innermost parts of the soul.
With the hashtag #JustPressPlay scattered throughout his channel, you can tell that Erik Lee is someone who values the opportunity for his songs to be heard. Whether you pre-emptively think about whether this song is going to be your cup of tea or not #JustPressPlay and his music is destined to work its magic.
Reviews From Fans of Erik Lee
"No words… WOW… love it."
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"Wow. Good work. Masterpiece."
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"Best music I ever heard! it's some kind of strange but neither the way this music is so good."
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"Nice mood-setting music."
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"Your talent is something else."
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Erik Lee's Music in Review: A Brief Look at His Recent Discography & Musical Versatility
If Erik Lee’s music could be defined in just a few words (which is a very difficult task, by the way, as his discography has so much bandwidth), those words would be along the lines of ambient, imaginative, relatable, conceptual, and more along those lines.
One of the key qualities of Lee’s music is his fine ability to keep a tightrope-like balance between tonal qualities, tempo, sparseness, fullness, etc.
Lee doesn’t only offer you an escape from the mundane ebbs and curbs of daily life but also offers you an in. That may be tapping into a core memory that helped shape the person you are today or even a memory that seemed insignificant at the time, but in hindsight had some kind of volume in your life. Lee prides himself on being able to make music that makes you feel something, and his music does all that and then some. His music prompts you to ponder your own life experiences…
Whether you are transported to the days you spent hanging out with your school friends at the mall, or get tapped into the euphoria you felt when you achieved a major milestone… One thing is certain. His music will take you somewhere, no matter where that is.
We’ve made a small selection of some must-listen works by Erik Lee for our readers. Check out the reviews below.
5 Must-Listen Recent Erik Lee Songs
'Sunset at Marble Beach'
‘Sunset at Marble Beach’ was released in April of 2024.
The introduction channels old-school hip-hop before ebbing into the most relaxing and dreamy fusion of heavy bass and whimsical melody. It’s difficult to explain, but ‘Sunset at Marble Beach’ feels like you’re floating on top of the water but anchored to something bigger than just you and your being at the same time.
Maybe that anchor could be in the form of a tube that you’re floating on which makes you feel as light as a feather whilst the tube does all the heavy lifting… Or at least that feels like what this song tries to do for you… Taking some of the weight of your burdens through its heavy bass, the song lets you let loose, kick back, and relax to it.
'Lofi Lullaby'
‘Lofi Lullaby’ was released in June of 2023.
Released last year, ‘Lofi Lullaby’ is one of Erik Lee’s most popular releases. This track, once again, shows his duality as an artist as it brings a new vibe to your ear compared to his other music. Lee is constantly surprising you with what he can do musically.
The first chords of this song can only be described as a sound that is somewhat ‘out of this universe’, thereafter a funky chord comes in that gets the groovy tone going. There’s a slightly intergalactic feel to it but that’s not to say that it’s space-themed - more that it transports you to somewhere that feels like home but still very unfamiliar.
As the title ‘Lofi Lullaby’ implies, the song does indeed put you at ease with the occasional synth riff that brings you back to your feet, and another that feels like it is being played along the intricate grooves of your spine as the soulful melody hits you somewhere deep.
If his other music sounds like a dream, ‘Lofi Lullaby’ sounds like the sweetest rhapsody.
'Trippin'
‘Trippin’ was released in June of 2024.
‘Trippin’ feels like a song that woke up one day and decided to tip your musical ear on its head. It takes the word ‘psychedelic’ and transforms it into the hippest of illusions. The charm of trippin is not in its grandiose sound but lies in the little details. The occasional trill here and there, the heartbeat-esque bass foundation, the background rumble now and then… ‘Trippin’ is what it claims to be. It is the experience of going down that swirling rabbit hole that we define as a literal trip.
'While the Sky Shrugs'
‘While The Sky Shrugs’ was released in April of 2024.
In this track, Lee has done it once again. ‘While The Sky Shrugs’ personifies the heavens into a nonchalance that is evident from the moment the song starts. At first, it’s not trying to do anything - we hear lots of chatter and ambient noise… Then the music starts, and it sounds exactly like a nonchalant sky overlooking the world without a care.
The jazz notes add a melancholic and sober attitude to the song, The underlying skipping mimics the carelessness that one often puts into practice when not phased or bothered by anything, duplicating that hollow dragging out of the day. In one way, the chatter and busyness in the beginning and the end of the song feel like the figurative tapping in and out of caring - almost like a separation of the nothingness that the sky feels at the shenanigans of those wandering about below it.
'Dreams at 84 BPM'
‘Dreams at 84 BPM’ was released in June of 2024.
One of the most charming things about ‘Dreams at 84 BPM’ is that the song feels like it plays with the concept of time and space. As the beat rises and falls between what feels empty and what feels full, there’s this game of cat-and-mouse that tugs at the heartstrings as the beat appeals not only to your heart but also to your body as you find yourself bopping along.
A lot of lo-fi tends to lull in the background, leaving little room for the mind to run free, but this song (true to its title) allows room for you to dream. In fact, the song in itself is a daydream - the longer you listen, the more and more you get sucked into thoughts. This makes it the perfect ‘soundtrack to my life’ material.
Not only does it do that, but the switch-up from a somewhat doldrum sound in the first third of the song to an inclusion of higher synths, creates the illusion that we’ve entered into another path or place in the journey that the song takes us in. Just before the end of the song, we feel we’re hanging in limbo before it comes to an end, suggesting that we have arrived. ‘Dreams at 84 BPM’ is an experience, to say the least.
All of the songs we have explored by Erik Lee today are different in terms of sound, vibe frequency, and the emotions that they make you feel; and that has to be one of the best things about his musical gift. No song is like the next. Each one is different. Each one makes you feel something different. Each one makes you long for something different. It is a holistic journey from start to climax to crescendo to finish… From ‘just pressing play’ to becoming a fan of the one and only Erik Lee.
You can check out more of their music on the following platforms: Erik Lee YouTube Channel | Erik Lee SoundCloud
What do you think of Erik Lee’s music? Let us know in the comments!
