What’s the story of how you first started designing sound systems?

Working in recording studios and live production, my focus in sound was always within the metrics of practical application and performance. I’ve never been a hi fi acolyte – not because I don’t respect the culture – but really because I’ve always approached speakers as tools. I think that’s gravitated me towards practicality and simplicity when approaching design – function will always follow form.

But I’ve come to realize that many people listen with their eyes more than their ears and that to get them to “stop and listen” you have to create a visual focal point to engage that interest beyond fidelity.

How has your background in the music industry as a producer played a role in your approach to designing speakers today?

As a producer, you are always trying to get the most from an artist within a session – your role is to capture sparks and stoke fires. You are there to streamline the process, smoothe complex roadblocks into simple navigable solutions. You’re a problem solver, a troubleshooter, an innovator without ego. I try to approach speaker / audio design with clients in the same way … bringing the conversation beyond simply wanting “nice speakers” and more of continuing the conversation into the emotional motivations behind that ask.

Are the speakers intended as a statement piece or a seamless blend with an existing interior etc. You also have to be aware of and respect aesthetic borders. If you excel as a jazz producer but someone wants you to produce an industrial record, there is the danger of that being a hindrance towards fluid creation – UNLESS both you and the artist open to the unique form that might come from that collaboration.

What sets your sound systems and design practice apart from what’s already out there?

All my work is unique to each client and project. When nothing is built more than once, it means a lot of prototyping / material sourcing / experimentation. I take pride (and try to emphasize to my clients) that each speaker is one of a kind.

It’s tempting (and probably smarter financially) to subscribe to replication of what “works” and deliver on quantity but I enjoy the process of unique sculpture. I think of myself as more of a personal tailor than a fashion designer.

Can you walk us through the design process for Eavesdrop, and what kind of experience do you want to create for visitors?

I start off looking at physical constraints … available space, pre existing layout, what can be moved / what can’t. That pathfinds my “box”. Then I consider what’s ideally in that volume – what type of people, what type of atmosphere, how do those people move and interact via social / commerce / behavior.

It’s important to create intrigue, depth and warmth via lighting and material tonality. It’s easy to keep yourself zoomed out from a design – but when people are in space, their experiences become relatively micro from a single perspective, giving attention to what their hands will feel, what their eyes will see and what their ears will hear from their intimate station. In Eavesdrop, I wanted people to be drawn through the space, encouraging exploration while remaining cohesive. I didn’t want boundaries – between the sound system, the DJ, the room via booths etc. It was a priority to make it feel as if the space and the people flowed together.

Eavesdrop was a stunning build to us for the seamless integration of the sound system and treatment into the space itself, while still retaining the feel of a bar. What aspects go into building out a full listening experience that the average person may not be aware of?

I think listening bars are a very hard concept to nail with authority – and in full transparency I had no intent of trying to create one with Eavesdrop. My motivation was less trying to create a temple for listening and more a place of celebration of it.

Speakers are always going to be the hood ornament by which most people judge quality. The better the speaker – the better the sound. But sound is just air being moved and once it leaves the beautiful speaker, it enters an ugly room at the mercy of acoustic dragons. Designing the room to tame them, via acoustic treatment and layout is really uncelebrated. It’s a pretty common audiophile creed of paying attention to every step of the audio chain to assure quality – using the best source, the best cables, the highest class amps, the most full range speakers … but the end component is the room and the end source are the ears within it.