The worst part of going shopping or eating out, at least for me, is the soulless music that plays as background music in most of these hangouts. I always used to wonder who on earth buys those Brian Silas piano renditions of popular Hindi songs or eighties “classics”, tripe like Lionel Ritchie and George Michael. But the more I go to malls and eat-spots and any commercial outlets that play piped music, the more convinced I am that the “bad instrumental covers” section of the music store flourishes entirely because of these places. The same way that all these “College Classics”-type compilations seem to be bought by lazy pub DJs who can just play one of these albums from beginning to end and go smoke with his pals. So I make it a point to mention, in one of those rare occasions when feedback forms are available, to explicitly point out that the music was terrible.
“How bad can it be?”, you ask.”After all, nobody is really too concerned about what music is playing when one is at shopping, or eating out, yes?” Hmm, maybe you’re right, but I, in my delusionary state of mind ( “I-am-right-and-you-are-not-so-I-shall-be-excessively-verbose”) shall put forward the theory that good music always helps individuals do things well, definitely better than when they are listening to terrible music. Now hold on, before you call this a nonsensical theory, let me point out that workers becoming more productive when they listen to proper music was a patented observation made in 1922 by Major General George Squier, and that gentleman went on to create a company called The Muzak Corporation. Later on, of course, “muzak” became a much-vilified term, a synonym for bland, soulless music, but Major Squier’s intentions were noble, I must say.
So I am thinking about an alternative career for myself – a sonic texture designer. Someone who decides what music an establishment can, and should, play. A playlist, probably a mix-CD at regular intervals of time with well-researched, good music. Something that ensures that people associate the experience of being at that place with the song that was playing when they were there. It’s definitely not as live as deejaying gets, where there is the constant crowd feedback, but at least it’s better than listening to tepid crap on public speaker systems. If people can hire interior designers to jazz up the physical surroundings, they can sure hire a sonic architect to enliven one’s aural environment.
I frighten myself with my rational thinking these days.
And so what is good music then?
I need to profile you before I can answer that. How much are you paying?
I’m paying with my attention…
Good music is something that does one of the following:
(a) gives you goosepimples
(b) makes you smile
(c) makes you stop whatever you’re doing and pay attention to the music.
And so if Brian Silas gives me goosebumps?
In that case you need help, my friend, you need a lot of help.
Hmm, I do realise I am being heckled, but just to humour you (and myself), what other kind of music gives you goosebumps?
I don’t have any particular syles I like. Good music to me can transcends genres. But the music I am have been addicted to recently include:
Infect Mushroom: Classical Mushroom
Kaskade: San Fransico Sessions
Mingus: Pre-Byrd
Beethoven: Piano Sonata 11 in Bb (I am playing this myself so I get the double music experience)
Khachaturian Piano Concerto in Db
Harry Manx: East meets West
Why are you heckling me then? :)
Ha Just it good fun really. But also I guess because I find that while I would never turn on Easy Listening Hits Volume 29, the interested muso/people empathiser part me cannot help but understand the need of some people to have such placid music. To be honest, I think that throbbing Psy-trance or crashing orchestral disonance would be too much for most people to handle in the elevator heading up to the dentist. Although I have to say I could never understand why people by the CD of the one-minute-wonder tamely doing Sinatra covers instead of real Sintra stuff in all it’s remastered glory.
But mostly just for fun :P
Seriously, man, you need to get rid of all these people-love-empathy thing. ;-)
And frankly speaking, people don’t need Easy Listening.
You misunderstand me when you say “throbbing Psy-trance or crashing orchestral disonance would be too much for most people to handle in the elevator heading up to the dentist”. The last thing I would want is for someone to get pissed at IDM/classical music because they were not in the right mood at that point of time. Force-feeding esoteric music to the masses is hardly the gospel I preach.
It’s just that there’s better music in any genre which would be more pleasing to the human ear than the generic crap that plays, but there’s no one to actually point those out to such establishments. Maybe there ought to be…
Word of advice – one is taken more seriously on LJ if one leaves a note of identity, however slight, behind. A first name, even a nick, would help.
Yeah I should’ve realised about the name. We be nice to give name instead of “Anonymous”.
Point taken that better choices are out there. So all you need to do is find a building manager and whisper into his/her ear…
Andre
Shiok, I know :P
Sshhhhh.
Is the ‘mad’ fellow around?
who on earth buys those Brian Silas piano renditions of popular Hindi songs
Me. :-) Just bought 2-3. Not Brian Silas, Ronu Majumdar and someone else, instead.
Ronu Majumdar is fairly renowned for producing all these relaxation albums that sound very bland. I didn’t know he was into producing cover versions of Hindi tunes. *sheesh*
Are you looking for good flute pieces to listen to?
Good flute pieces?
Any particular reason you ask? But yeah, I wouldn’t mind. The only flute pieces I have listened to are Ian Anderson and a bit of Hariprasad Chaurasia.
Those cover versions are not all that bad, really. :-) It’s kind of nice to try and sing along till the end of the first stanza. And then, of course, I don’t know the lyrics!
My problem with Brian Silas is that he tries to ape the inflections of the original singer on the piano, which is extremely stupid, because the note on a piano cannot “slide”, if you know what I mean. The end result is *really* cheesy. Plus the accompaniment on most of his songs reek of cheap electronic tonebanks. Dunno about Ronu Majumdar’s cover stuff…
I will try and upload some good flute pieces one of these days.
Not sure I know what you mean :-), but “ape the inflections” kind of helps me imagine. That does sound cheesy! I wouldn’t know too much about the accompaniment quality. Me just listen!! My ancient taperecorder will ruin even high quality stuff anyway! :-)
Ah, flute pieces sounds good! Gracias! Shall look forward to them. Just started to listen to some new stuff again, after what seems like years!
Delhi has a new disease…Worldspace.
Most of the medium budget family eateries now get a subscription and tune it onto a channel most acceptable to their target consumers – the old hindi music channel which only plays the good ones at prime time. Other times, listless old ones you never think will interfere with your eating.
What I don’t get is, why have music at all if you want the most antiseptic one? Silence is way more preferable.
not quite, bro.
we aren’t used to silence, and the sounds of sipping and slurping without anything playing in the background can be incredibly frustrating.
a pregnant pause, in such undeafening circs, is a surefire killer.
So what wins in a toss-off between silence and bad music? :-P
“Ah,” he smiled smugly at the question, tossing curls back so ears would come into view. “My iPod, comrade.”
Umm yeah, Worldspace makes sense.
Have to agree with Raja here, man. Chewing in silence, and hearing others chew at the same time is so….so bohemian. Besides, isn’t that a way of beginning a conversation? “What a lousy song that was!” and etc…
Listening to other people chewing would indeed be a painful exercise.
I derived my comment from my experience in eating at a couple places that actually do not play any music. Instead, the chatter of people sitting and talking drowns out the chewing noises. Terribly chatty places, but really cool food, and no bad music.
Of course, that still does not solve the problem of hearing other people chew, since this kind of place is rare to find, not to mention hard to warm up to.
That still does not answer the question – bad music or masticating noises? As ourlong haired friend pointed out, it has mostly to do with filling the pregnant or awkward pauses. I can’t just put on an ipod to my ears in between conversations, can I?
… d00d. Do it. Sonic texture designing will become t3h new computer-engineering.
Hah! Wishful thinking, I’m afraid. The world’s too full of J2EE experts. :-(
Agreed…Being rational is scary
~phoenix
http://apublicdiary.blogspot.com
oh fuck no. please, no, please leave your electronic sounds and your arrs and your chinese pipsqueaks in your bedroom. the world is an inhabitable enough place right now
Hahaha, move on, puny Floyd Lover. The Revolution is here.
The worst part of going shopping or eating out, at least for me, is the soulless music that plays as background music in most of these hangouts.
Valid point!
>If people can hire interior designers to jazz up the physical surroundings, they can sure hire a sonic architect to enliven one’s aural environment.I frighten myself with my rational thinking these days.
Weirdly enough, I’ve had the same thought myself. Like Keaton says to the French investors at the beginning of the Usual Suspects: “In other words, the atmosphere will not be painted on the walls.” Unless we’re talking about Cafe Mondegar, of course.
I hereby dub thee Sir Think-Alike, Order of the Unsound Table of Knightmares!
>Sir Think-Alike, Order of the Unsound Table of Knightmares!
Cool. I’ve always wanted to be a knight ever since I heard this:
“I find this new science most fascinating, Sir Bedevere. How is it again that sheep’s bladder may be used to prevent earthquakes?”
And warrior and a savant. Woohoo!
Ha ha ha.
music…
how bout he collection n mix of JAWAHAR LAL YADAV ,manoj tiwari,n babu ali with sootness of anand milind….
sundara sundara
Excellent post…
“Careless Whispers” is bad enough with vocals. And the ultimate place for mindless muzak has to be Landmark… they have only one album of the stuff, which they repeat ad infinitum.
all hail major general george squier! there’s a scientific study to say that cows produced more milk when listening to classical music, while rock produced a kick- the- bucket syndrome. now i don’t always see eye to eye with cows, but they’ve got something there…