10 Questions & 20 Songs with Unicorn Barista Willie

August 9, 2022

Our Unicorn Barista and DJ, Willie Lücking, explains what he takes into consideration when selecting the music for AEG 2 and shares his own favorite genres of music with us. Willie created a special playlist with 20 selected songs he plays the most for our users. Read on to find out which music can put you in a better mood and which songs are best for capping off the work day:

1. You’ve just gotten up. Are you “up and at´em” or do you take your time in the morning? Which songs help you start off your day?

Mostly I like to take my time getting out of bed in the morning. But for me, it also depends on the weather. If I see there’s a blue sky and the sun is shining, I enjoy getting up much more than when it’s gray and cloudy outside. First, I need to have some peace and quiet. But then, when I start getting into the swing of things, I sometimes listen to music in the morning. Something that’s uplifting, something that’s kind of happy - such as soul, jazz, techno or hip hop.

2. Bus, train, bike or car…how do you get to work? What songs do you listen to on the way?

I use my bike, the suburban railway and the subway to get to work. As for the music I listen to on the way, that really depends on my mood. But I tend to listen to either old school or new school hip hop.

3. You’ve just arrived at work. What music do you put on for yourself while you’re getting everything prepared for the day?

Well, that depends on my mood, too. But I’ve devised a little plan for the music at work. On Mondays, most people are totally shot and at first they need to just shake off their sluggishness and get a handle on things. So that’s when I have smooth jazz or soul on, to ease everyone into the new week. Most people might call it elevator music: something tootling in the background exuding a calm atmosphere, which helps our users to start off their week in a relaxed manner. On Tuesdays, I see if everyone is up for something more robust, and then I normally put on old school hip hop. Over the course of a week I keep building on the styles, expanding to new school hip hop and a mixture of indie, electronica and breakbeat music. On Fridays, I always put on progressive and melodic house music, streamed from Spotify Playlists which I’ve created.

It would have a big impact. In the worst case scenario, I wouldn’t listen to any music at all. Otherwise, I’d prefer some “light fare”, like downtempo or indie.

5. What do you like to listen to on your break? What do you play for the users during this time?

It depends on what I began playing in the morning. I don’t differentiate between lunch music and work music. What I listen to is the same as the users, and of course, if someone has a special request, I’m happy to fulfill it, or sometimes users play their own music. So far, there haven’t been any complaints.

6. The afternoon slump – which song helps you get energized again?

Usually, old school hip hop or disco can get me going again. And if that doesn’t work, then a good coffee has to come to the rescue!

7. The work day is finished! That calls for which song?

That depends on what I’ve been playing and on the mood. I’d pick out a song from the playlist which I’ve played that day, one that’s good for making high spirits. Or I’d turn the music up to accentuate that buoyant mood that comes with clocking out. And if it happens to be a Friday, then I try to send the users off into the weekend with some motivating music, to whet their appetite for going out to a bar, beer garden or club afterwards.

8. Now you’re back home. What music do you have on in the evening?

During the week I usually don’t listen to any more music in the evening. That’s rather on the weekends, and then I like listening to a mix of hip hop, techno and house.

9. What do you listen to when you’re traveling?

It depends on why I’m traveling. If I have a gig, then I listen once more to the songs I’m planning to play. If I’m on vacation, then I usually watch a film or a series. Otherwise, I just listen to whatever I feel like.

10. Anything else you’d like to tell us?

When it comes to music, I find it personally difficult to limit myself to 20 songs, because I listen to a really wide variety of music genres: classical, rock, 80s, reggae, future beats/trip hop, German rap, trap, and also hard techno up to 132 bpm. But I wouldn’t play that in our space – our users should feel comfortable with the music. Genres I don’t listen to: hardtech, hardstyle, jumpstyle, frenchcore, or heavy metal type of stuff. And sometimes I don’t listen to any music at all. Not because I’m in a bad mood – I simply want to appreciate the silence now and then. I’ve put together a playlist for you that I really like listening to in our space. It features 4 of my favorite genres, with 5 tracks per genre. I really hope you enjoy the music! :-)