Setting the mood at reception
The inclusion of the projector & screen at the bar for the 2017 Wimbledon tournament was a huge game changer. We got it installed in time for the 2nd round and had coverage around the clock while we were open. With it such a seismic moment in the British Summer, when everyone suddenly becomes a tennis expert & stat keeper, I personally found it a great counterpoint to music to engage the clients with, whilst never missing a big match.
It has always been the case that without music at reception, we’ve felt naked, non-ambient & doctors surgery-like. The staff on at the time have full control of what goes on the NS1000’s and ‘almost’ everything is the correct way to go. New tunes, old tunes, weird tunes. Starting a conversation with our clients & summoning a vibe is what it’s all about. Once we had the ability to blend the music with visuals too, the possibilities exponentially increased.
Sure, the sporting events are great — the Winter Olympics coverage was up at the start of the year for weeks, bits of Commonwealth games/ FA cup — even Elon Musk’s Tesla car in space got an evening dedicated to it the other month. A bizarrely hypnotizing feed when mixed with Sigur Ros. I think our collective cultural experiences are in decline and it’s good to highlight the ones in this way while we can.
However, what I have personally begun to really enjoy is whipping up contradictory sound to visual combinations to pleasing aural effect and here are a few of my favourite examples:
Kaye’s good cooking to Chopin — A channel brought to you by a friendly woman in Derbyshire, it’s a real ‘everyman’ cooking channel, with simple ingredients. The low production nature of the videos is perfectly complemented by Frederic’s romantic era nocturnes. Try:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsL2pFPBG70 (muted) with;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wygy721nzRc (sound on)
Retro Sega/ N64 games to G funk — For us 90’s kids out there, the sight of Sonic 2 or Diddy Kong racing transports us to a simpler time of endless Summers, Sunny-D and pushing bed times. Games and music were purer then, hit with more weight and were less disposable mediums than they are now. How about some Toejam & Earl with Dre’s 2001:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29TaGhYZZlA (muted) with;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucNFmvzTy0g (sound on)
How it’s made to Three Trapped Tigers — Production line footage can be both mesmerising and depressing at the same time. In any case, it’s impossible to not look at, even if just for a few minutes while you wait at a bar. Mixing it with intricate math rock seems to work too well! This:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i1oMwNgH2Q&list=RDQMCxa-9kLpZ1g (muted) with;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlK4qK7uyeY (sound on)
Naturally, the combinations are bottomless. On a Friday we’ll be checking out new releases no matter if its retro surfing competitions, the 1990 Monaco Grand Prix, impressive japanese sushi chefs, or computer game long plays on the projector.
If you’re ever in and want something on (music or visual!) don’t be too shy to ask. It’s a conversation not a lecture.
Jimi Wheelwright
