"Taste The Music" is an ongoing series of explorations set around the relationship between food and music. It is a multi-sensory experience utilizing cutting edge technology and psychology theories to provide a new appreciation and perspective on your food and drinks. This series of events has been in progress and development since 2016 and has been heavily inspired by Ben Houge's "Food Operas" and Charles Spence's research and theories of cross-modality between the senses.

​

Joe Chris presents events from this series in various formats:

 

"Sonic Tastings" are beverages (beer/mead/whiskey/wine etc.) paired with soundscapes in a linear tasting format. The soundscapes are usually in the form of original music written specifically for each drink, however sometimes it is interesting to pair the drinks with pre-recorded music around a theme, such as Halloween or 80's music. Sometimes the pairings even include sound effects to better tell a "story" with or about the drink itself; helping to provide a new emotional experiences with the drink.

​

"Food Operas/Operettas" are very much inspired by Ben's concepts, writings, and lectures; though done in a way that has been modified and adapted to better fit Joe Chris's abilities, style, and workflow preferences. This is an interactive and curated pairing of food/meals with music that adapts to multiple diners as they move through course to course at their own individual rates. A Food Operetta is a Food Opera on a smaller scale - such as a single dish. 

​

"Beverage Meditation" is a long form reflective music/beverage (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) pairing where a piece of music modulates and develops for a longer period of time over a single drink. The idea here is to really get inside the particular flavor of a drink and use this experience as a means of meditation. The minimalist music helps get you into a trance, and the beverage helps relax you and gives you a singular focal point. These events can be guided, though work as well without voices breaking the immersion; indoors or outdoors, with outdoors having the beautiful ambient sounds of nature; or with or without headphones or blindfolds, as both of these provide a much more intimate and personal experience while also providing the benefit of isolating from ambient noises.