The Tiki Wedding Cocktail Hour Playlist
Tiki is a Polynesian pop fantasy movement that captured the American imagination during the 1950s and 1960s. This fad extracted bits and pieces of culture from foreign lands (hula dancers, tropical birds, thatched huts, carved idols, fancy cocktails, etc.) fusing them into kitsch known as Tiki. To complement the exotic cocktails created by Tiki pioneers Donn Beach and Trader Vic, a new style of musical exotica emerged. Martin Denny, “the father of exotica,” popularized his brand of lounge music that included exotic percussion, imaginative rearrangements of popular songs, and original songs that celebrated Tiki culture. Archivist Dan Shiman describes this musical exotica as such - “Set against a tableaux of lush strings, punctuated by bird calls, made to shimmer and dance with Afro-Cuban percussion, vibraphones and mad jungle flutes, it was music manufactured to take the suburban classes to five o’clock dreamland.”
Our playlist below begins with classic exotica by artists such as Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman and Les Baxter. We expand our international footprint with side trips to Jamaica and Brazil, add some vintage lounge music, before finishing the set with several modern electronic re-imaginations by Club des Belugas. While this playlist may have an old-fashioned feel to it, keep in mind that Tiki is currently enjoying a resurgence in America. Tiki also makes a great party theme!
For a signature drink, we’ve selected a “Zombie” - this recipe was created by legend Donn Beach in 1934. As per Martin Cate of Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco regarding the Zombie, “Notorious would be an understatement. Donn’s most famous and lethal concoction, it too has been abused beyond recognition in the past. Urban legends about its madness-inducing properties and menu warnings about a two-person limit (“for your own safety”) cemented this drink in history.” To view an instructional video on how to mix a Zombie, click here.
The Tiki Wedding Cocktail Hour Playlist - by DJ Gregg Ambient
Quiet Village - Martin Denny
Taboo Tu - Arthur Lyman
Eden’s Cove - Eden Ahbez
At the Tiki Bar - Kenny Sasaki & the Tiki Boys
Singapore Swing - The Tikiyaki Orchestra
Call Me - Walter Wanderley
Mucha Muchacha - Esquivel!
Rum Jamaica Rum - Aaron Collins & the Cadets
Jump in the Line - Harry Belafonte
Samba De Verão - Walter Wanderley
Agua De Beber - Sergio Mendes & Brasil ‘66
So Danco Samba (Jazz ‘N’ Samba) - Wanda De Sah
Eu E Voce (Me and You) - Stan Getz Quartet
The Coffee Song - Frank Sinatra
Diamonds are Forever - Project: Pimento
Make It Another Old-Fashioned, Please - Julie London
Scotch & Soda - Lou Rawls
Black Orchid - Cal Tjader and Eddie Palmieri
Return to Moorea - Martini Kings
Que Bueno Baila Usted - Beny Moré
Jungle Flower (Club Des Belugas Remix) - Les Baxter
Yadadey Samba - Club des Belugas
