Signature grooves - The Rhythmic Path of our company values

The Musical groove

Can you recall the last time you were at a casual gathering, in a place where music was playing in the background, and at some point a certain song starts playing and you realise that almost involuntarily, you are moving different parts of your body, in sync with the beat of the song, even if it’s not one of your favourite songs, or even a familiar one? Maybe moving your chin, shoulders, maybe keeping the rhythm by tapping your heel lightly on the floor. I guess most of us have experienced this nice feeling at least once.

That happened because the groove of that song caught your attention.

“Groove” is a popular term in the music field that isdescribed differently by everyone, according to the context. Some describes it as a state of being or a feeling of joy, others refer to it as the desire to move or the pleasure of dancing, or it's the story about "that thing" that makes a song catchy.

Musically, the groove is the pulse of a song. It is that sequence of sounds that acts like a pulse and keeps everything connected. During a song, elements appear, disappear, the energy level changes, but the groove can be observed throughout the whole song. We usually don’t listen to it voluntarily, most of our attention being directed to follow the lyrics or other more appealing sounds, while the groove it’s there, it just happens, but we would easily notice its absence if it would disappear.

Every masterpiece has a solid groove that stands out and can be easily followed throughout the story. To identify the groove of a song, just play one of your all-time favourite songs and try to identify the sequence of instruments that sounds like a pulse. Once you identified that pattern, keep the attention on it throughout the whole song and, on the way, add those moves that you used to do involuntary, synchronising the body to that pattern…

Now, why do people describe it as a feeling?

Because of its imperfection! The sound of the pulse is not perfect, it’s just even, repeating symmetrically for the whole song. The pulse isn’t created as a sound packed in a perfect container like a cube or a sphere, having perfectly defined edges, but more like a stone thrown into the lake which creates small waves around it. The feeling of the groove it is created by the waves that resonates from the core sound, embracing the whole song in an aura, making it sound warm and natural. In fact, if the pulse would sound perfect, the song would lose its groove.

The sequence of the groove gives reference to your dance moves, makes you want to dance to the rhythm of the song, while because of its natural sound, guides you to move with softness, more like a leaf falling from the tree and less like the cylinders of an engine. It’s a feeling that you experience when you connect with the music and let yourself go with the flow. The groove is what makes a song catchy, and it’s what keeps you coming back for more. So, next time you hear a song that makes you want to dance, pay attention to the groove, and let it take you on a musical journey!

The Catchy groove

“Groove” is a widely used term that transcends beyond music. We often hear about groove in different contexts that have nothing to do with music. Individuals want to find their groove; groups want to find their groove. Students want to find their groove in studying and passing exams, a sport team wants to find the groove in practice and winning games. This need for consistency comes in everything that we do on a long run, and we want to feel like dancing in the stories that are meaningful for us.

The groove is established by an assemble of elements, usually the drums, bass, and percussions, but it can come from any other instrument or layering multiple instruments, executed with the right symmetry and repetition. This way of assembling and executing elements can serve as inspiration to create a groove for any story.

A good start would be to have the same creative approach also for other life stories: Naming the theme to emphasise the desired emotion - aiming excellent results - choosing the core instruments holistically to generate balance - and executing them with the right symmetry and repetition, sounds like a good plan. In this way, a three-month preparation for the “I enjoy running” marathon has everything that it needs to develop a groove, while being aware that this groove is dependent on the goal. It will last just for the length of the goal and will be finished suddenly just like any catchy song, creating nostalgia and the tendency to listen on repeat, which gradually transforms a nice song in to a boring one.

The universal need that we all have, to do anything, is motivation. Just as the groove of a song makes us want to get up and dance, motivation is a feeling of wanting and actioning. A challenge with a nice story and a good plan generates enough motivation to action, creating the opportunity to develop a groove and to feel like dancing for a while.

The Solid groove

Motivation that comes from inside and keeps us going no matter what, needs more than a challenge with a story, but a compelling narrative and the right environment to cultivate it. The groove of the environment is an assemble of psychological needs: Autonomy, Competency, and Connection and it is one of the most studied grooves in psychology. The theory of self-determination suggests that individuals who are empowered to make decisions, are learning something new and are part of a community where they have the space to exchange the learnings are becoming intrinsically motivated.

Autonomy, Competency and Connection are the core values of every community of practice gathered around any form of art, from dancing or acting, to sports, to tech hubs and robotics, where practitioners are regularly meeting to practice, partnering, exchanging challenges, and continuously improving, everyone with the same narrative: to become masters in the chosen field.

Mastering a discipline in a healthy environment is a great opportunity to build a solid groove that stands out and lasts across multiple challenges, independent from the goals of the moment, just like the solid groove of a masterpiece can be clearly noticed throughout the whole song, independent on the instruments that appear or disappear, or the energy levels changes, keeping everything connected on the journey of becoming masters in the chosen field.

The Signature groove

Some artists are very recognisable, and fans can notice their songs even from the first audition. These artists manage to build their signature sound through certain techniques, through the frequent use of the same instruments or simply through personal performance. The signature sound reflects artist's influences, personal choices, experiences, and achievements but it is also the result of failures and personal limitations. Recognising and embracing limitations helps us to accelerate in the directions where we can truly shine and creates for us a road which we can take to find authenticity.

At work, the groove is established by an assemble of the company's values.

At METRO.digital, our signature groove is ownership, pragmatism, respect, and passion. This is what we refer to as our values and are the driving force behind our success. This is highly reflected in the way we work, encouraging teamwork and diversity, and offering a people-caring environment where experimentation is encouraged. We believe in learning, exploring, and building together to achieve common goals.

By incorporating these values into our daily work, we have created a unique identity that sets METRO.digital apart, just like how musicians create their own unique sound, rhythm, and grooves...

Curious about our solid groove at METRO.digital? Get to know more about our company values and check all our job opportunities!