Please note that the below is an English translation of this article which was originally written in French. Click here to access the original French version.
Music has always been a part of my life. From a young age, I collected it on all existing media, depending on the era: vinyl, cassettes, CDs, and then digital format. I liked listening to the pieces, dissecting them, classifying them, and creating playlists adapted to every moment of my life, to accompany me at all times. Since the love of music can be fully experienced only by being shared, I made it a point of honor to share with my friends and relatives new items and nuggets that I found. I therefore became the designated disc jockey for all our evenings—a boon for a poor dancer!
My passion underwent a real turning point a few years ago. My wife, seeing my enthusiasm for curating music and preparing playlists adapted to all types of events, gave me my first controller: a small mixing table that you plug into your computer. A click, a revelation! Since then, my excitement with music has continued to grow. My music collection has expanded, my mixing tables have become professional, and my penchant for electronic music has increased and evolved. However, all this remained confined to doing so in my private life: electronic music isn’t always compatible with the status of a lawyer and the resulting expectations.
But everything changed when I joined McKinsey three years ago as an associate general counsel based in the Casablanca office (Morocco). Right from the first few days, I could feel the open-mindedness of my colleagues and the values shared within the firm, particularly the inclusiveness. I quickly learned that a partner was a disc jockey and music producer, consultants who were members of a rock group, and other artists of all kinds. I was thus able to free myself from the weight of judgment and fully invest myself in my passion by producing music publicly and sharing my adventures with my colleagues, without any taboos.
Then, in 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic arrived. Instead of putting the brakes on this novel surge of creativity, the pandemic allowed me to find a new space for expression: I started to stream my mixes live and to post my sets on social networks. Thanks to my online presence, I was asked to lead virtual events, including some for the office! I then realized that several of my colleagues valued what I was doing and listened to me regularly. Some even told me that they had raised their productivity at work by listening to my mixes.
With the gradual return to normal life and the resumption of events in the office, teams began to increasingly involve me in organizing those events by having me take part in the choice of DJs. I have even been able to provide musical entertainment for my colleagues—a very rewarding experience. These relationships with my colleagues as a result of my passion for music have greatly helped me to build my network and forge links within our organization. This accessible and relaxed approach has also fostered the emergence of a safe space where we can all freely express ourselves, share our questions and any misgivings without fear, discuss the issues we encounter, and increase the opportunities available so that we avoid pitfalls and find appropriate solutions in a calm and serene way.
This also allowed me to bond with colleagues in the legal team because music can bring people closer together even if we are physically distant from each other, even if we are confined, even if we speak different languages, and even if we come from different backgrounds and cultures. It is also a way of feeling less alone and less isolated, though I have been the only member of the legal team in the Casablanca office for a long time.
Music helps me feel alive while the world around me is in a state of turmoil. It helps me cope with stress and improves my concentration, creativity, and performance at work. It brings happiness to my community and helps to combat judgments and stereotyping. It erases this negative image by providing new perspectives and expanding the possibilities for sharing and for establishing common ground.
The result is often new findings that allow me to satisfy my constant quest for original music from all over the world. Folk, tribal, and ethnic sounds, with a variety of rhythms and colors, mix with electronic sounds: a real invitation to escapism. The rigorous, coherent organization of these musical pieces is crucial to create an atmosphere that transports the audience on a true journey of initiation. My approach is based on a desire to share my discoveries, within my own sphere, of new artists and little-known musical styles.
To do that, I have to be meticulous, organized, patient, focused, and creative, and I must know how to read an audience and to communicate in the right way. All of these qualities are necessary in a good lawyer, too. My musical endeavors are therefore a way for me to improve my skills in order to have the best possible impact on my work, while at the same time I have fun and create a good atmosphere. That’s a way of combining practicality with pleasure!