Lofi Cities

Amsterdam

Bridge lights on the canal ·

Press play for endless lofi music is generated live in your browser

Amsterdam lofi: Bridge lights on the canal

A mild late-spring night at water level on a Prinsengracht quay, beside a houseboat with a roof garden and a grey heron keeping watch. Across the canal stands a row of narrow, slightly leaning houses with step, bell and neck gables and hoisting beams, a brown cafe on the corner, elms and canal lamps, and behind them the Westerkerk tower with its blue-and-gold imperial crown, whose carillon plays on the quarters. Cyclists cross a hump-backed bridge outlined with warm bulbs that shimmer in the water, a small boat with a lantern glides by, ducks paddle, mist drifts over the canal and elm seeds float down.

Sounds: The canal, a light breeze and voices from the cafe, with the Westerkerk carillon on the quarters, the hour bell, a passing boat and a duck's splash.

About Lofi Cities

Lofi Cities is a free web app that pairs hand-built pixel-art city nights with endless lofi music generated live in your browser. Pick a city and let it run: every scene is a 480×270 pixel animation that loops seamlessly every four minutes, with its own weather, landmarks and city sounds, while new lofi tracks are composed on the fly.

There is nothing to install, no account and no pop-ups. It works on computers, phones and tablets, and makes a calm background for studying, working or winding down.

Cities

  • Paris Rain on the attic window

    A painter's attic under the zinc roofs, rain on the window and the Eiffel Tower sparkling far off.

  • Tokyo Neon rain in Shinjuku

    Neon signs, cherry blossoms and wet asphalt, with Tokyo Tower glowing and a train crossing the viaduct.

  • New York Snow over Brooklyn Bridge

    A snowy winter night by the Brooklyn Bridge, with the Midtown skyline across the East River.

  • London Fog on the Thames

    Fog and drizzle on the Thames, with Parliament, the London Eye and a Victorian pub on the South Bank.

  • Rio de Janeiro Copacabana summer night

    A balcony above Copacabana, with Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf and fireworks over the bay.

  • Istanbul Bosphorus by night

    A rooftop tea garden facing the historic peninsula, with ferries and gulls on the Bosphorus.

  • Hong Kong Victoria Harbour after dark

    A crowded Kowloon rooftop facing the Hong Kong Island skyline, with ferries, a red-sailed junk and a light show on the harbour.

  • Sydney Jacaranda night on the harbour

    A harbourside park under a blooming jacaranda, looking across to the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

  • San Francisco Fog over the Golden Gate

    Fog pouring through the Golden Gate, seen from a steep Russian Hill street with a cable car and painted Victorians.

  • Hamburg Harbour lights on the Elbe

    Wind-driven rain over HafenCity, with the Elbphilharmonie, the Speicherstadt and container cranes across the Elbe.

  • Amsterdam Bridge lights on the canal

    A mild spring night on a canal quay, with the Westerkerk tower, gabled houses, a houseboat and a bulb-lit bridge.

All cities on Lofi Cities

How the music works

Every track is composed on the spot with the Web Audio API: a chord progression, a swung drum groove between 68 and 88 BPM, a bass line and a melody, finished with tape wobble and vinyl crackle. Everything is synthesized in real time, with no samples or recordings, so the stream never runs out.

The Vibe panel sets the mood: chill (60 to 72 BPM, softer and darker) or upbeat (80 to 94 BPM, brighter and bouncier), with the full band, no drums, or keys only.

Track titles are inspired by the city on screen, and a separate ambience layer mixes that city's sounds under the music. The Up next list shows the coming tracks so you can pick one to play right away, and music and city sounds each have their own volume slider. The city sounds mixer goes further, with a slider for each sound of the city: turn the rain up, the traffic off or the bells down, and the setting carries over to every city with that sound.

Keyboard shortcuts

← → 1–9 0
Switch city
C
City tour on or off: a new city every few minutes, or follow the night
Space
Play or pause the music
N
Next track
Q
Up next: see the coming tracks and pick one
A
City sounds mixer: a slider for each sound of the city
V
Vibe: chill, balanced or upbeat, and full band, no drums or keys only
T
Timers: focus (25/5 or 50/10, on repeat) and sleep (fade out and pause)
M
Mute
F
Fullscreen (or double-click the scene)
P
Mini player: the scene floats in a small window over your other apps
H
Hide or show the interface
S
Save the current frame as a 1080p PNG
?
Open or close this panel

Questions

What is Lofi Cities?

A free website that shows animated pixel-art city nights (Paris, Tokyo, New York, London, Rio de Janeiro, Istanbul, Hong Kong, Sydney, San Francisco, Hamburg and Amsterdam) with endless lofi music composed live in your browser, plus each city's ambient sounds.

Is Lofi Cities free?

Yes. It runs entirely in your browser, with no download, no account and no pop-ups.

Where does the music come from?

It is generated in your browser while you listen. Chords, drums, bass and melody are synthesized with the Web Audio API, without samples or recordings, so every track is new and the music never runs out. The Vibe button (or V) makes it chill or upbeat, with the full band, no drums, or keys only.

Why doesn't the music start right away?

Browsers block sound until you interact with a page. Click, tap or press any key and the music starts; the play button pauses and resumes it.

Can I use it as a background for studying or working?

That is what it is made for. Press F for fullscreen and H to hide the interface, or P for the mini player: a picture-in-picture window that keeps the scene floating over your other apps (on a computer, in browsers that support it). The controls also fade out on their own when you stop moving the mouse.

Can it switch cities by itself?

Yes. The Tour chip after the cities (or the C key) moves on to the next city every 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes, or follows the night: it shows whichever city is closest to 1 am local time, moving west from Sydney to San Francisco as the hours pass. Cities on the same clock, like Paris, Hamburg and Amsterdam, take turns.

Is there a Pomodoro or sleep timer?

Yes. Press T or the clock button. The focus timer runs 25 minutes of focus and 5 of break (or 50 and 10) on repeat, with a soft chime at each break and a bell to call you back. The sleep timer fades the music and city sounds out after 15 to 90 minutes, then pauses.

Can I use Lofi Cities as a stream background in OBS?

Yes. Add a Browser source set to 1920×1080 with a city page's address followed by ?obs, for example https://loficities.com/tokyo/?obs. The interface stays hidden and the music starts on its own; tick Control audio via OBS to bring it into your mix. Interact with the source to switch city with the arrow keys or skip a track with N.

Does it work on phones and tablets?

Yes. In portrait orientation the view crops around each city's landmark, all controls work with touch, and you can swipe the scene sideways to switch city.

Does it work offline?

Yes. Open it once while online and it keeps working without a connection, every city and the music included, since both are generated in your browser. You can also install it as an app with your browser's Install or Add to Home Screen option (on iPhone and iPad: Share, then Add to Home Screen).

Can I save a scene as a wallpaper?

Yes. The save button in the player (the down arrow) saves the current frame as a 1080p PNG, and S does the same with a keyboard.

Can my business appear in Lofi Cities?

Yes. Every city has a billboard for rent, where your café, shop, studio or brand can be drawn in pixel art. Click the billboard in any city, or fill in the short form at tally.so/r/rj7bY5, to get in touch.

Who made Lofi Cities?

Lofi Cities is made by Safa Elmali. You can support it on Buy Me a Coffee (the coffee link at the top right).

Does Lofi Cities use cookies?

No. There is no sign-in and no cookies. Anonymous usage statistics, such as which cities are viewed, are collected without cookies, and browsers that send Do Not Track are respected.

Billboard for rent · Amsterdam

Your business, in pixel art

Put your café, shop, studio or brand on the billboard in Amsterdam: drawn by hand in the same pixel-art style, and glowing in the scene while people study, work and unwind to the music.

Get in touch

A short form: your business, the city you want and how to reach you.