For the better part of ten years, starting in college and going into my late twenties, I went to nightclubs a lot. Nightclubs were fun. I loved the scene, I loved the looks, I loved the music, and I loved to get down. It was about the three Ds: dressing, drinking, and dancing.
As the sun started to set on my third decade, I figured it was time to step off the dance floor, toss the coke straw, and let the kids enjoy their time. Plus, I just wasn’t into it anymore. I think I had just gotten it out of my system. Call it growing up, perhaps. That’s not to say I still don’t love to shimmy when the right beat comes along, but I effectively retired from the club scene by the time I hit thirty.
Unfortunately, though, the club scene doesn’t seem to be relegated to clubs anymore, rearing its head with a vicious trend of DJs at dinner and even daytime settings. The nightclub vibe is permeating restaurants, cafés, vacation spots, or any place where unsuspecting patrons trying to relax, chill, or even chat are now bludgeoned with a soundtrack fit for a Chechnyan drug dealer’s leather-upholstered penthouse.
The choices in music in these settings are bad enough, overrun with sexless remixes of soulless songs that probably never should have been recorded in the first place, let alone remixed. It’s tacky and tasteless, and I hope this tragic trend of nightclubbing everything within spitting distance of a bar or body of water ends sooner rather than later. I don’t bring glow sticks to brunch, and I’d rather not get ear-raped by the whitest meth-mix of “Don’t Stop Believin'” while I try to enjoy a $40 Chilean sea bass.
I put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the owners, proprietors, managers, and DJs, i.e. the ones who are on this relentless quest to “raise the energy” at any given restaurant, café, lounge, bar, or pool. For them, I have this message: Stop it. For fuck’s sake… just stop. It’s awful. It would be a considerable improvement to just fire up Spotify and drop the digital needle on any Hotel Costes playlist. But here we are.
In the meantime, as a zig to everyone’s zag, I made an alternative playlist for the mood and the moment. I, of course, called it The Resort Collection. If people like it, I’ll curate a second volume. Enjoy.
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6 Comments
Fme hard. took me a bit but as soon as I got to Miss U Baby I had to hear all instead of just bait.
Damn you George! Pure magical playlist. Thanks man, your Daniel
George
I couldn’t agree more ! I took my family out to celebrate an important birthday at Time Warner center. $1000 later, I don’t know if I was more miserable about the noise or the prices. Loud music causes everyone to scream. Horrific
I’m reminded of the great Andrew Mueller (of Monocle Radio) and his reflection on visiting Munich: “…lots to like about it as a city, obviously, but especially struck (again) by what seems almost a municipal tradition of no compulsory music in restaurants. You can converse with your dining companions! Is one such establishment in London really too much to ask! Etc.”
Boy, this playlist…talk about revisiting my youth in a way I haven’t in years (decades?). Stellar.
Love the playlist!
Music in restaurants has been a pet peeve of mine for quite some time. I did my spin as a college radio DJ and as a music aficionado I love filling my time and my ears with music, but so many restaurants get it wrong.
I’d love some spaces without music – where the music WASN’T competing with conversations. And if the restaurant insists on music, the owners should recognize that the sound is as important to what they’re presenting as the food and the decor and every other aspect of their project.
I remember a great new Italian restaurant that opened near me when I lived in Chicago (West Loop) – I remember the space, the great service and the mouthwatering food but the music was SO wrong – honky tonk bar music blaring. They’d thought of every aspect BUT the music……
That is the #1 thing I hate about living in Vegas. As you described it’s everywhere. What’s wrong with Yaght Rock at the pool during the day. Or just chill music. You always articulate exactly what this GenXer is feeling.