Café Music 2.0: Bossa Nova, Lo-Fi and Acoustic Radio for the Whole Day
Lofi stations picked for you
A coffee shop you never want to leave
A good café is remembered for more than its espresso. The sound matters too: a quiet background that makes it easy to read, work or talk. We already put together a lounge guide for home. This is the sequel: café music sorted by time of day.
The idea is simple. In the morning the music should wake you up without rushing you. During the day it should stay out of the way. In the evening it should help you slow down. For each part of the day we picked stations from the Radio Finder catalogue based on the genres on their station pages.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Morning: bossa nova and soft Brazilian guitar
Bossa nova was born in Rio de Janeiro in the late 1950s. A hushed voice, nylon strings and a steady rhythm make it a natural match for the first cup of coffee.
- Radio Caprice – Bossa Nova – a themed stream with no talk, just the genre.
- SomaFM Bossa Beyond – an independent San Francisco station mixing classic bossa nova with modern takes.
Midday: lo-fi and mellow jazz for working
Around noon the café turns into a co-working space. You need music without sudden changes or loud vocals, and lo-fi hip-hop and instrumental jazz do that well.
- Lofi 24/7 – round-the-clock lo-fi, the classic soundtrack for a laptop and a cappuccino.
- I Love Chillhop – chillhop from Germany's I Love Music network, with a little more groove.
- Jazz Radio Classic Jazz – a French station for jazz standards if you prefer live instruments.
Evening: acoustic and warm
After six, warmer sounds work best: guitar, piano and gentle vocals.
- Radio Caprice – Acoustic Guitar – instrumental guitar that never competes with the conversation.
- COOLFM Acoustic – a Hungarian acoustic stream with covers, folk and pop, without heavy electronics.
A note for café owners
If you play radio for guests in your venue, that counts as public performance and usually requires a licence from your local collecting society (for example, GEMA in Germany). Check the rules before you start. At home, of course, you just pick a station and make yourself a coffee.
Find more stations through genre search and save your favourites.