Online record store Objects & Sounds claims to be the world’s first mood-based record store by encouraging guests to find their next album based on their moods and emotional state, rather than conventional classifications. Started by two music fans in Ghent, Belgium, Objects & Sounds is run by freelance web developer Alec Seynaeve and Aimee Bacallan, who also operates a visual design and storytelling studio.
“Not coming from a music background gives us a somewhat different perspective on things. Instead of classifying music according to genres, we feel it’s more natural to classify music into moods, so we defined eight moods where we often feel ourselves to be in,” says Alec.
When customers log onto the online shop, they are asked to describe their current emotional state. Finish the sentence “I am feeling rather ____” with words like “calm”, “dreamy”, “energetic” or even “all over the place, and a second sentence, “I want to listen to a ____ sound” with either “warm” or “cool” to get recommendations. Users can also select “surprise me” for the site to pick something special on your behalf or explore some pre-categorised moods, like “emotional rollercoaster” or “lost in dreams”.
To make your listening experience even fancier, the shop also sells bottles of wines, candles and curated bundles of records that will spark all your senses.
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