Introducing Woodlands EP: A Melodic Journey into Nature and Hip Hop Nostalgia

After a couple of successful releases on Stereofox Records, Mondo Loops & Stereofox teamed up with Native Instruments for a beat challenge on their platform Metapop, to celebrate Mondo Loops’ latest sample pack ‘Organic Lofi Hip Hop’. Combining impeccable warmth and distinct sound design, Mondo Loops’ sample pack features a meticulously curated selection of piano and guitar loops, drums, foley, and ambiance

The result was over 300 tracks, 5 of which won their place in the official release of Woodlands EP, together with Mondo Loops’ own “Weirwood Tree”, creating a cinematic & melancholic experience that would transport you deep in a magical forest.

Arbor Avenue: “When I decided to produce lofi music in early 2020, Mondo Loops was one of the first producers I discovered. His YouTube channel was a great resource for me to build upon my existing guitar skills and learn to find my sound without the use of samples. So when I was writing this track, I wanted to emulate his style and incorporate as many organic elements as possible. Almost all the sounds used in this track are played by me, with the exception of a few samples of his. “I Hope We Meet Again” is about two people who have gone separate ways, but still hang onto the hope that they will one day reconnect.”

Arbee: “I thought the sounds I used sounded like a night time ambiance near a forested area. The idea was using the “organic” sound pack which is maybe why I feel it is connected to the forest. Wanted to focus on that night vibe with a more ambient take on the samples, just a light drum and some of the processed Mondo Loops sounds.”

Sam Cisco: “I was out in California working on this one, and that particular week there was a run of exceptional golden hours late in the afternoon. The way that sunlight hit the mountains and the forests got into me, and I had to put into a track. Huge thanks to Mondo Loops for creating the sample pack and for all the inspiration over this last year.”

Mezro: “I was trying to capture the feeling of nostalgia hence the title “Missing you”. I always thought that an acoustic always sets that kind of tone and I figured some soft piano and slide guitar would fit perfectly to match the overall vibe. So I plugged my Les Paul and a patch on Keyscape and starting playing until I heard something that I liked. I didn’t want to change the original sample so instead I kept adding layers to keep the flow of the track interesting.”

Jing3: “As a foreigner, winter 2022 was my 7th winter in Cheonan(a city in Korea). I added wind sound (recorded in my room on November 29th, 2022) and water dropping sound (In winter, we have to let the water drip from faucet to prevent pipe from freezing in Korea) to let the listeners feel the winter in Cheonan. This track is for the people who feel homesick like me.”