How the turntables
By Chris Devonshire | 2nd February 2021
I miss the water cooler moments.
Making your own energy is tough when the company you keep is your own and your outlook is the same four walls of yesterday, and the day before, and the day before. You get my point.
Back in those heady office days, I would be surrounded by the vibrant and fun community of my business partner, Matt Hayes and our amazing team. We’d have those mindless chats about latest shows, or the weekend debrief. Those water cooler moments when you need a bit of respite before getting on with the job at hand.
It used to be that when I needed to get my head down, working from home was the answer. Well, well, well, how the turntables. Now, I remember with fondness the comfort of the daily commuter routine.
That ‘will I, won’t I fit on the train today’ gamble, the rush of success as I hurl myself against complete strangers and the victorious beep beep beep of the train doors closing behind me.
Then there’s the walk between station and office with a hundred thoughts running through my head. The ‘I hope there’s no queue at Starbucks’ or ‘what have I got to do today’, or ‘I may go for a run after work’ (or not).
Speaking of turn tables, that brings me to my point. Whether we’re talking pre-lockdown or right now, there is one constant in my working life, and that’s music.
Is music in the workplace all the rave?
It’s a workplace debate that leaves people divided. Does music in the workplace make you more productive or is it destructive?
For the avoidance of doubt, I’ve always been in the pro-music at work camp. It’s my essential energy. More prevalent now than ever, as we enter our second year of working from home.
Whether it’s the placebo effect or not, for me, music makes work enjoyable. Music makes me productive and regulates my mood when my energy levels are waning.
I get that in the office you have the challenge of finding the right balance of genres of music to keep everyone motivated. Some companies feel that finding the balance isn’t worth it. It’s the opposite for us at Devonshire Hayes.
We’re lucky enough to be a small team with big opinions. Which means that everyone gets a say and a choice. Even if the music selected isn’t your go-to, its great to open yourself up to new genres.
Perhaps we’ll start to incorporate it into our interview process. One for me to chat to Matt about.
What’s your power song?
We’d love to hear what music energises you. Tell us your power song to get you in the zone.
According to a TotalJobs survey a while back, Pop/Chart/Folk/Indie take the top spot of best genres for workplace music. Me, I’m into house and techno.
Sometimes I’ll go for a podcast by Defected or Glitterbox, or I’ll go deeper and listen to some techno from the likes of Adam Beyer or Joseph Capriati.
We’ll create a playlist of the top tunes that you send to us and share it with you.
My top tunes.
Different music works for different activities. From meeting a deadline to getting your head down, here’s what works for me.
Check these tunes out and let me know if you have heard of, or like, any of them.
- Meeting a deadline
Joys | Roberto Surace
- Being productive
Final Credits | Midland
- Getting your head down and clearing off your activities list
Soft Landing | Jody Wisternoff & James Grant remix
- Work uninterrupted
Tears | Frankie Knuckles
Thank you, Spotify.
I think it’ll come as no surprise to my network that, outside of the music industry, the top profession to allow music in the workplace is technology. And I get it. Earphones in, get the job done.
According to Spotify’s 2020 Wrapped, the most streamed artist globally was Puerto Rican rapper, Bad Bunny with Billie Eilish continuing her reign as most streamed female artist of 2020. The most streamed song of 2020 was The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights.
Send us your top tunes and we’ll create a playlist of the most popular suggestions to share with you.
Whatever your music preference, it’s likely that the top genre for 2021 will be making up for lost time.
Happy listening.
Chris.