Audiohead. FLARE ZERO – The Future Sound Of Sound.
Flare Audio is Britain's home grown genius, sound technology on the level of USA's Apple imprint
A picture may paint a thousand words, but close your eyes and listen. Words are not enough. You need to HEAR this.
Flare Audio is a brand new way of listening, courtesy of pure, undistorted waveform.
Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin nailed this home grown achievement in two words; “Absolutely Magnificent.”
Having been totally gob smacked by a sneak preview of Flare Audio's headphones at the end of last year, there was no way that I was missing the revealing of Flare Zero; Sound Statement.
This was the 30 second teaser clip.
If you think that sounds good through your own headphones...
The invitation to to attend the launch at the legendary Olympic Studios in West London (where their system is installed) was met with a resounding “Oh yes!”
(I even set off early so that the sitcom of a Transport For London journey didn't turn me into a raving John Cleese caricature by the time I had reached Hammersmith). I didn't want to miss anything. I knew I had to be there.
Repping every day music fans in a cinema screening room filled with some of the most marvellous ears in the industry.
Flare Zero loudspeakers are technology of the highest standard. The ultimate in high end home and studio loudspeakers. 4-way, innovative and crafted from aerospace technology and bespoke 3d printing. They are honestly like something out of Men In Black. Out of this world (quite literally where the space technologies involved in zero sound distortion is concerned).
High power. High definition. We literally got so high on euphoria at the launch that emotions ran, you've guessed it, high. Just about stopped at open weeping (though I did do a Wayne's World we are not worthy bow, on the way out, ha ha). Nobody wanted to go home. Cue a couple of extra hours after in the bar, close to blubbing with superlative laden exchanges.
It sounds as different as it looks. After the demonstration there was so much to talk about.
Honoured to be there, as to be honest, over the past couple of years, Flare have been coming on in such leaps and bounds that wider attention is unstoppable.
There are a posse of TheZineUK team based in Sheffield, and Flare Audio used that great musical city as a test location. It's a sign. Right? BBC North ran a TV article this Summer in which sound engineer, Waq Aziz and music venue, Sheffield Leadmill bear testament to just how special their equipment is.
I'm not a musician, DJ, producer, sound engineer or anybody who could tell you what the hell was going on with technical words. All I knew was that I heard it in my soul. I wanted to win the lottery, install these in my creating n chilling space (I would have one, oh yes) and listen to my entire music collection all over again.
I've been in studios when some of my favourite life time recordings were being made, and a little of that essence got lost on hearing the finished product. Flare Zero speakers, on the other hand, made the familiar tunes we heard sound fresh and lush.
Never mind me, though, take the word of multi-talent Bestival boss, Rob da Bank who worked with Flare sound installations previously; “I was blown away almost quite literally by the sound quality that Flare provided for our LEAF festival, whether it was a live act or DJ, or in a small room to a vast warehouse space, they delivered on every level and were supremely professional all weekend."
Being idealistic, I would LOVE so many music venues to have Flare Audio sound that the public would HAVE to go out more, to experience this gold dust slice of Audiophile heaven. In the same way that you go to the top restaurants for chef crafted flavours and textures. Imagine being raised on compressed MP3s then really hearing your favourite sounds as they were lovingly crafted.
This could all be hyperbole, on my part. But, the drip drip effect of people actually getting to experience something that deconstructed the rule book of speaker making, to start from instinctive scratch has started to pool. I met an awesome poet, Martyn, on the day. We turned to each other and, in all excitement, imagined songs that we wanted to hear. We mind melted on 'Release The Pressure' by Leftfield and a muchness of Radiohead entered my brain, hence the title of this article; Audiohead.
We, as a nation, should be so proud. Flare Audio is our home grown genius, sound technology on the level of USA's Apple imprint.
Ear dreams come to life when Zero gets its first public demonstration on stand K52 of PLASA 2015* at The ExCel Centre in the first week of October.
* The globally reknown business event of the Live Entertainment Technology Industry, now at The ExCel in Docklands. http://www.plasashow.com/