Class Assignment #1

Name: Ho Wing Hei Dennis

On September 19, I have made a visit to MOKO, a shopping mall situated in Mong Kok East. I chose this mall because it offered a wide range of stores for the customers, whether it is from restaurants, supermarket to furniture store, which I can have the opportunity to experience different kinds of programmed music. During my journey, I have noticed both background and foreground music being played in specific stores and areas. 

When I first stepped into the mall, I was already noticed a sweet, pleasant ambient tune trying to get in my ears, which gave a little bit cozy, welcoming vibe to the whole environment. Although it was around the peak hour of the day when I arrived, the place was crowded and buzzing that almost covered the background music of the mall, but I could still hear the tune vaguely. About the tune, what I heard is mainly about some slow syncopated guitar loops, paired with major seventh chords by the piano in a Moderato tempo. I think it suits very well to the shopping mall, as it gives us a relaxing feeling, tend to create a spacious thought for the mall, and it happened to be summer at the time, which to me the music is matched made in heaven. 

 

After staying for a while at the atrium, I decided to go upstairs to crave for more programmed music, and I found that most of the stores are playing foreground music, which is basically more intrusive and recognizable. The first one that caught my attention is a furniture store called FrancFranc. Unlike the tunes from the mall, the store is prone to play some foreground music, which specifically playing some slow R&B jam. At first, I was quite surprised as it was a little bit uncommon to hear R&B music outside. After listened a bit more, the music was sort of helped me to blend into the store, ease my mind while walking around. The capacity of the store was not large, but with the aid of the music, it helped me to forget all about it and appreciate the exquisite furniture in a pleasant way. 

 

Besides, I have also walked through other popular spots as well, such as clothing store, Uniqlo and Nike, they have a generic spectrum towards musical choice, what I heard is mostly the latest hit songs. I found it an interesting combination to observe, as nowadays the trendy songs are mostly hyped and cheerful, which is quite a match to the vibe in the shop, as both shops are prone to going to a more fashionable direction, giving the customers an energetic boost when shopping around.

 

Apart from those clothing store, I decided to look for something different. Then, I have come across a shop that reminisced my childhood, which is ToysRus, is also playing some background music. Unlike others, the music was more uplifting, bright but brought a chill, comfortable feeling at the same time and I have realized that the music changed at a period, keeping the freshness of the environment. I think it is a smart move, as it is suited for kids and teenager, a happy, playable theme of music is needed, bring out the joy and pleasure. 

 

Later, I had made my move to the attic of the mall, which majority of the space is owned by the supermarket, YATA. To my surprise, they didn’t play any Japanese pop songs, instead they decided to play some chilling background music. It is different from the aisle of the open area in the mall, the music is mainly jazzy, and it consisted of some Rhodes, xylophone. It has sort of created a relaxed, dreamy feeling when strolled around the supermarket, ended up making a perfect visit for me this time.