Music Matters

"What type of music do you like?" Is a personality assessment question. What kind of music I don't like is very important too. Most people lie and say they like all kinds of music. It is a standard answer. However, you will hear me change the radio channels constantly while driving because I don't want to linger on songs I dislike. The Touareg's radio buttons were abused in five years.

My youngest complains when I keep changing, he says its wrong. But he has taste in music too and he will often ask me to change the "overplayed" songs. He doesn't like DJ Guetta anymore because the four year old has realized that it is played ad-nauseam. He doesn't know how fortunate we are in Dubai to have cool radio stations, with little talk and little advertisements. Also the Dubai stations I have picked rarely play oldies, unless they are retro-cool and play dance music as early as our morning commute!

"Music matters to me" was what I SMSed Nathalie, Dubai FM92 DJ and friend, when she played Go West by the Pet Shop Boys for my birthday, a few days ago, upon request. We rarely bother her with requests, but I always sms her when she plays music I really like!

My husband's IPod, which he lent me to attenuate the pain during my root canal dental visits, is a reflection of what tunes motivate him to accumulate the running kilometers. Most important, his IPod is his inseparable travel gadget.

It was with my other half that I discovered "Alors on Danse" by Stormae, at the cool Raina club, in Istanbul. The music there is so fabulous that we were dancing the June night away and when we heard it for the first time, my husband couldn't stop me from running up to the DJ, baffled as I was by the tune, to discover the artist. My friends in Dubai and a sibling who didn't read my blog, didn't catch the song until it became a best single today!

The one who liked it from the minute I sent him the name by blackberry was my older brother. With much thrill, he endorsed my choice immediately. My strong taste for music doesn't compare with his passion/obsession. He enters a music store the way I enter a bookstore. His ear captures intricacies that seems scrambled to me. Moreover, he is patient when he explains them to me.

In fact, I met my future sister in law for the first time at a Faithless concert when I was the third wheel on their date. Love conquered all and music was a cement. They got married and we went to other concerts together: Cold Play and DJ Guetta.

I sometimes wonder what music Dai Rahim would have endorsed today had he still been with us. He used to tease me so much about loving REM! With Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode, he still lives. He was the one who initiated us to music.

When my phone rang endlessly at the hairdresser's today, I didn't feel self conscious. The stylists are British and hip. They did not blink when the Depeche Mode ringer tuned.