After 30 years in the industry, we really have seen and heard it all. Below is a list of what we consider to be the best cocktail hour (or dinner time) music! These options will be fresh for your guests, and allow you to show your personality!
Tropical House – This is a newer favourite! Give off the vibes of a cool summer cocktail party on the patio of one of Toronto’s awesome venues. Up-tempo, fresh, and there is a good chance your friends have not heard these versions before! This will make an impression, and have your guests coming up to ask us “what was that song/ artist?” so they can add it to their Spotify rotation.
Postmodern Jukebox – Want a classic twist on recognizable songs from your life? Check out the library of Post-modern Jukebox on YouTube. We suggest you start on YouTube as it is the best place to see them live out their songs. And the videos are also amazing to watch too!
Piano Guys – Hard to believe it has only been 7 years since the release of “The Piano Guys”. Their music started a huge trend in the Classical Crossover genre. They are great for pre-ceremony, dinner time, and cocktail hour music when it is played in the background and not meant to take over.
Ratpack Crooners – Dinner and cocktail favourites since when I started in 1987. These guys just don’t get tired! If Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin are not your styles, you can also put in Michael Bublé, Norah Jones, and Diana Krall to freshen it up.
Vitamin String Quartet – They have exploded with a library of thousands of string covers of anything you can imagine. “Vitamin String Quartet is about applying rock n’ roll attitude to classical technique,” says Tom Tally, a violist, and arranger who has performed on and produced over fifty Vitamin String Quartet albums. Go to your music service of choice, and there will be VSQ covers of everything from Metal to Alternative and Top 40. Great for pre-ceremony, dinner time, and cocktail hour music too. We love the look of shock when someone is listening and then realizes we are playing a cover of Nine Inch Nails or Nirvana during pre-ceremony and grandma just thinks it is beautiful string quartet dinner music. Check out our Blog Post about the Top String Quartet Covers your guests will love.
Brazilian Samba and Bossa nova – Noting says summer like the smooth sounds of João Gilberto and the more contemporary take from his daughter Bebel Gilberto. Take a listen, maybe it is right for you.
