SPEAKING VOLUMES

Music curators Barton Strom and Paula Moy share their favourite things with Sarah Downs

Barton Strom and Paula Moy are experts in background music. The couple are the founders of SoSound, a business that makes playlists for local and overseas brands, based out of Karangahape Rd’s Thievery Studios.

“You know instantly when the music’s wrong — it’s like ‘get me the hell out of here’,” says Paula. Barton adds that sound — one of the most important emotive senses — should be anything but overlooked.

“Playlists have been one of those things that get left behind after the fit-outs of the stores, or the Michelin-star chefs. It’s such a waste if they’re just playing the same songs on repeat. On the other hand, good music gives off good vibes and can make an experience and lasting memory. That’s what we try to do,” he says.

Their clients include top restaurants and retail. Amano pumps out smooth world music to match the modern Italian fare; Huckleberry stores play an upbeat mix of folk and easy blues to spark

wholesome food choices; Karen Walker shops — one of their very first clients — boast a rotation of female and alternative artists, a bunch of classic Motown, and is unapologetically a little eccentric to echo the mood of the designs.

The couple share a passion-meetsobsession with music and both come from creative and design backgrounds. Paula has worked as a photography agent and now takes care of marketing and production. Barton curates the playlists and credits his understanding of music to years spent as a music producer and as an international DJ duo with his brother, Hayden. He still turns tables at weekends and manages a music label.

Their idea to become “music stylists” started in 2013. With nothing similar at the time, the couple built software from scratch with the help of a product designer. A state-of-the-art music player plugs in on-site and lets users skip songs, pause the playlist overnight, and choose and change where to start the playlist.