LCD Soundsystem and the Unbearable Sameness of Restaurant Playlists
Why is it that every hip restaurant plays the same music? When Eater restaurant editor Hillary Dixler Canavan kept hearing similar songs while dining for work assignments, she compiled a playlist of what she heard. It included songs by LCD Soundsystem, M83, Grimes, Biggie, Beck and the like. Her subsequent article about this music, \u201cThis Is Every Generically Cool Restaurant\u2019s Playlist,\u201d went viral.\nShe\u2019d captured the elusive sound of small plate dining. But what left her guessing was why this sound? And how did it reach so many restaurants in cities across the U.S.? She brought this question to Switched On Pop to understand why this 00s mostly indie sound was the ideal background for post-industrial chic establishments.\nInvestigating the issue, she discovered a small bubble of music selectors who curate these lists for businesses. She spoke with Yvette Bailhache, a D.C. based music selector for restaurants and bars about how these lists are made. And she asked Jonathan Shecter, founder of the Las Vegas based background music service Playback Prodigy, about what makes an ideal background sound. What she discovered is surprising. The sounds in the background may dictate more of our foreground than you\u2019d expect.\nMusic DiscussedLCD Soundsystem - I Can ChangeM83 - Midnight City\xa0Grimes - GenesisIce Cube - It Was A Good DayWu-Tang Clean - CREAMThis Will Destroy You - KitchenListen to Hillary\u2019s\xa0Every Restaurant Playlist\xa0and for more stories and news on food, subscribe to Eater's podcast\xa0Upsell\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices