The lost sound of Gap: Shoddy Goods 086
1A couple days a week I work in a co-working space just to get out of the house. One key difference from my normal set-up is muzak-like versions of pop songs, which provide a nice momentary break to stare into space trying to figure out if this truly is a quiet instrumental version of We’re Not Gonna Take It. How good are you at identifying songs you hear in stores and bars? And do you work with music playing, or prefer total silence?
- 2 comments
- Comment
It usually takes me about half the song to pick up on what it is.
I prefer music. Loud, aggressive music helps me focus for some reason.
Way back in the day, I managed a local restaurant where we had actual Muzak brand service. We had a special FM receiver hooked into the system that would pick up some sort of sideband where the music played.
What I found interesting was we could pick different styles of music, but they at that time eschewed vocals. Also of note was the 15 minute cycle. The music was programmed in 15-minute blocks, gradually getting faster in tempo and louder and brassier in instrumentation, apparently to reduce listening fatigue.
I enjoy background music in my home office today but I can’t tolerate the same style over and over. We have a cool “college radio” station here I enjoy because they are definately not “top 40.”