This soapbox all came about when a friend implanted into my head that I ought to blog about my personal music tastes. Frankly, it's nothing extraordinary - I think I just have a good ear for tunes and lyrics, coupled with a relatively good memory that's very fond of nostalgia.
As a side gig, I compose music playlists for a family of very hip and high-profile restaurants. I got into this while I was managing one of their locations. I saw an urgent and very real need for a renovation of their sound and identity, and so I offered to make a list just for fun. I turned this set loose on the public one weekend, and then the next... and then the next, and the next. The response was remarkable - the entire staff was elated for a breath of fresh (and modern) air, and the business - the weekend evening lounge in particular - boomed exponentially. A playlist on an iPod turned into an organic and personally controlled list on a music server, and my instincts and profound appreciation for controlling an environment through music and clever timing evolved along with the restaurant's popularity. All of a sudden, people were coming to the restaurant SPECIFICALLY for the music.
Though I've moved on from the restaurant, I continue to compose music sets for the restaurants as a labor of love. It's gratifying to hear about a guest who marvels at the selections I put forth, but it's infinitely more gratifying to discover and rediscover new and old music. This forum is my way of getting my thoughts on certain songs out there so that you all can either read and find something unexpected, or better yet recall something from way back in the day that you feel you should have never forgotten.
And let there be no discussion about what I do: I compose and put forth the music, but I am not a turntablist. I respect DJs far too much to even consider calling myself one.
Anyway, welcome to my head. Enjoy the music.
-mellowsmoothe
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