CHAPTER 3The New Rhythm of Work
Drop the Beat, Y'all!
Some music nerds feel that the ultimate in modern rhythm comes from James Brown's late‐1960s rhythm section, which featured not one, but two funky drummers (Clyde Stubblefield and John “Jabo” Starks) and the funkiest bassist ever (William Earl “Bootsy” Collins). You can't get much funkier.
Some point to the sounds of the 1980s: the Eurythmics, the Pet Shop Boys, Michael Jackson, Erasure, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, and Simple Minds. Also excellent choices.
Others roll with the old‐school producers who made hip‐hop what it is today: DJ Premier, Marley Marl, the Bomb Squad, and Rick Rubin. Makes total sense to us.
More recent generations will stump for the various electronic dance music (EDM) subsets: Downtempo, drum‐and‐bass, trance, dubstep, acid jazz, and techno. Good call, as we'll support a quality beat drop any night of the week.
Those are for the music nerds. But what about the business nerds? Like us.
Business nerds like us appreciate the awesomeness of a fat beat—just look at our Apple playlists—the kind of rhythm that brings people to the dance floor, the kind of rhythm that creates a feeling of oneness. This is why we choose a variety of (metaphorical) beats and apply them to our modern principles of work. After all, an office with a good groove has a considerably better chance of succeeding than an office that works to the sounds of paper shredders and battery‐operated pencil sharpeners.
You see, ...