Post #4665 by Swanky on Tue, Jul 30, 2002 11:31 AM

I would stress that music is a part of your "decor" as well. In fact, it is more important. The right decor can be ruined by the wrong music. And sometimes the other way around.

Think about the mood you want to create, and make it really happen with music. There is a great power in those sounds to totally control your environment.

Hawaiian music tends to be very slow and quiet. Tahitian and other Polynesian music tends to be more fast and "wild." You'll need to decide what you want and get the right mix. You don't want people to fall asleep, nor do you want to drive them crazy or run them off.

You might consider distinct musics for various times of day. For dinner music, quiet and romantic might be great, but for later, when it's folks at the bar, up tempo, louder music is a must.

You can keep it rather traditional and have room to work if you try.

Listen to my station at the link below to get some ideas. Maybe I'm looney, but since Poly-Pop is a child of the lounge-era, I consider a lot of the music of that time appropriate. Not "traditional", but you can decide what periods of the day and week you want to be "traditional."

I have wondered why places like Taboo Cove don't pick some hours or days to play "traditional" tiki bar music. What would it hurt?

Just don't overlook the huge difference the right or wrong music will make.