Created as a space to ‘celebrate artistry and indulge the senses’, London’s Spiritland combines café, bar and radio station with an in-depth musical programme that has already featured guest DJs Jarvis Cocker, Andrew Weatherall and La Roux. Operating seven days a week, a collaboration between Spiritland and Audio-Technica UK has resulted in the systems used to deliver interviews, Q&A sessions, DJ sets, album playbacks and radio output.
Five pairs of Audio-Technica’s flagship ATH-M70x headphones and five BP40 large-diaphragm dynamic microphones are the foundation of the radio studio set-up (with limited edition matte gray ATH-M50xMG headphones available for visiting artists at the DJ booth); while U853R condenser hanging microphones are also installed from the ceiling for ambient sound pickup of the audience in the main seating area. The brand’s hard-working ATM610a hypercardioid dynamic and BP892 subminiature condenser headworn microphones also feature for live panel and interview sessions.
Audio-Technica UK also provided a solution for the spoken word and background audio with six Apart Audio Mask 6T two-way speakers mounted above the café/bar area, powered by Apart’s four-channel Revamp4120T bridgeable power amplifier. The Mask 6T’s sleek, curved cabinet design fits well with Spiritland’s considered design aesthetic, while an additional Revamp4120T powers different pairs of vintage bookshelf speakers which are located in each of the venue’s four restrooms.
Spiritland’s sound system uses a unique pair of Living Voice loudspeakers, valve amplification from Italian manufacturer Atelier du Triode and a Kuzma turntable. At the head of the audio chain is Audio-Technica’ s handcrafted ART1000 direct power moving coil cartridge. Additional cartridges selected from Audio-Technica’s new VM moving magnet range are used for vinyl playback from the separate twin decks at the DJ booth.
‘The venue’s dedication to deliver a real “live” audiophile listening experience as well as stimulating discussion around music and sound is inspiring,’ says Audio-Technica Europe Marketing Director, Robert Morgan-Males. ‘Spiritland is a particularly interesting project for Audio-Technica UK as it enables our company to engage a number of our specialist product segments in the one location: broadcast, live sound, installed audio and the highest end of audiophile reproduction. It’s truly a pleasure to be involved in the delivery of such a diverse programme in the heart of London.’
‘Spiritland is a huge operation in a small space with elements including hospitality, nightly DJ sets, radio broadcasts, live talks, a retail offering and more – and Audio-Technica are involved in every aspect, from the cartridges used in the DJ booth to the amplification throughout the venue,’ adds Paul Noble, Spiritland Artistic Director. ‘The Audio-Technica team have been a fantastically supportive partner in this project.’
More: www.audio-technica.eu
