We All Need a Little More Music

Music has always played a really important role in my life.? Growing up, my parents always had music playing in the house and in the car.? I guess it was to be expected as my parents met in Jamaica, where my father lived and owned a nightclub back in the 60’s and 70’s (if you know me, this explains a lot). My mom was a stewardess with Air Canada (you can fill in the remaining details and you’re probably pretty close!). From a very young age and still today, I have associated specific songs with life events, people, moments and places.

Little known fact about me: I paid my way through university as a DJ back in the 90’s. I wasn’t the Tiesto/DeadMau5/Skrillex type (although I did have my share of club residencies) because I had to go where the real money was back then for an aspiring disk jockey: formals, weddings and yes, even karaoke!? While my personal preference for music tends to be more deep house, reggae and 90’s alternative, I spent over a decade catering to the tastes of a pretty wide variety of demographics, styles and genres, and rather than grate against my musical preferences, I found I actually enjoyed the exposure to all kinds of music I might not have otherwise? tried on my own. I had (and still have) crates upon crates of vinyl, cases of CDs and a sizeable library of MP3s.

The world is a crazy place these days. All of us in the tech community are affected by the economic, geo-political, societal and personal tensions that seem to be continuously escalating.? More than ever, we need an escape and for me, that has always been music.? As a matter of fact, it’s something I recently started doing for myself: listening to music more intentionally. The power of music is irrefutable - it can be a mood booster, a self-soother, a motivator, and a connection point to others who share the same love of a particular song or style. At times, it helps me focus or clear my mind while at others, it can be uplifting and motivating. Music has always been a consistent soundtrack in my life, and more than ever these days, I’m trying to lean into that.

I recently got back into DJ’ing for the simple reason that it forces me to spend more time with music.? As an indirect (and unexpected) result of that, I’ve also been sharing music with more people, and an interesting thing has been happening. I’ve noticed that sharing soundtracks has led to some pretty deep and interesting conversations, of the sort that typically don’t evolve until many months into a friendship. There seems to be something about music that makes people be open about how it affects their lives. The good, the bad, the challenging - the common theme is that music plays a huge role in shaping our day-to-day experiences, and we all have that in common.??

So, I decided that I’d be more public about this relationship I have with music and find ways to share this passion with those who are looking for that type of connection, who want (need?) more music in their lives and want to discover new soundtracks for their own moments.

I’m going to start by sharing some Spotify Music Promotion playlists that I’ve curated myself that I hope will resonate with my community of founders, builders and entrepreneurs facing similar themes, and in the new year, would love to crowdsource some playlists from you!? After all, everyone’s got a “pump up” track that gets them ready for a big pitch, presentation or meeting, right?

If you’re interested, feel free to check out my first playlist called “Winter Chill” which is a collection from different eras and genres that make for a great soundtrack to wind down for the year. If you’ve got any ideas for soundtracks you’d like to hear, let me know and I’ll add them to the list. Welcome to Sound Lounge!