I have never met Mick Hucknall.
Never had the opportunity to shake his hand and say “Thank You” for assisting me in producing numerous successful corporate meetings and events.
Most of you old enough will know Mick as the lead singer of the soul-influenced pop band Simply Red who rose to fame in the 1980’s. Their 1985 debut album Picture Book, and 1991 album Stars are both considered soul/rock classics. I consider them go-to royalty for any event playlist.
Bringing ten executives back into a board room for a serious meeting requires just the right balance of calm and pep. Most of Mick’s soulful songs, many a commentary on Thatcher-era politics, hold their own for the task.
Bringing 2000 folks into a general session and needing to set a calming tone, Holding Back The Years is a viable go-to option.
I don’t think there has been one corporate event or meeting in which Mick has not attended.
Jay Kay should be your second go-to event playlist collaborator. He rose to international fame as one of the founding members of the funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai. Their beats and grooves fit just about any event situation.
[Jamiroquai Sampler]
Background for an evening mixer – check.
Pumped-up general session exit – check.
15-minute break with timeless modern funk jazz – check.
Canned Heat, Virtual Insanity, and Cosmic Girl are all hitting 30 years old and are absolute timeless event playlist royalty. Space Cowboy and Seven Days in Sunny June are classics for entering back into general session. Love Foolosophy is a classic exit the session anthem.
Time and time again event attendees will come back to the production desk and ask one of the plethora of black-clad tech team, “Who did you just play? We LOVED that!” Happens every time.
Many event producers do not put tons of thought into the event playlist. It’s understandable why. They’ve hired, or have in-house, audio tech professionals and they’ll certainly know what tunes to best implement. I agree. For the most part they do, and I often appreciate the varied selections they chose and learn about other – new or older- artists that get added to my royalty list.
But it’s always nice to have some of the tried and true, royal stalwarts on hand and rest easily knowing they will make their appearance and that one entrance, break, or exit will be very well produced.
My team always looks forward to the next private or corporate event where Mick and Jay play their parts in producing another stellar bespoke event.
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