50,000 Watt Sound System Anyone? James Murphy has you Covered

Updated: July 22, 2013

Most people like music to some extent – some live for it, while others just enjoy it, but in any case music is essential part of life. Until the turn of the century any source of music had to come from a “live” source in order to hear it as there was no so-called canned music in that time.

The invention of the sound system changed all of that and from the first record player to today’s modern super systems music can now be heard almost anywhere at anytime at the push of a button. The one thing that really brings the life to most clubs, parties and well, concerts, is the sound system and how loud and how well it sounds. Without the invention of the sound system many forms of music might never have well existed at all. We wouldn’t have reggae, ska, dub, disco, or funk. There would be house, techno, synthpop, trance, hip-hop or dubstep. Without the sound system, we’d still be dancing the waltz.

James Murphy was the frontman of now defunct LCD Soundsystem and a guy who spent 20 years working as a sound engineer only to be distracted by becoming a rockstar in the process. Now, however, Murphy is getting back to his roots working with David and Stephen Dewaele, who are better know by their trade names Soulwax and 2manyDJs to help build his dream sound system for a 3-night engagement in Manchester called Despacio.

Despacio in Spanish translates to slow, which is what was the original plan by the Dewaele brothers was as they planned on using this for technique to play records between 95 and 115 bpm for a night in Ibiza. These guys are really into the concept of slowing down records and playing them in a way that has a more swampy sexy effect (their words) explains David, claiming when we moved it to Manchester we just stuck with it and keep trekking forward.

If you think your system has a pair of hairy balls, just take a look at the system these lads have made that features a huge 50,000-watt rig that has been designed from the ground up from these three. The beastly monstrosity consists of eight enormous 11-foot speakers stacks, which are positioned in a circle around the audience surrounding them with a complete wall of sound. Most systems are geared for maximum audio level or decibel levels, but not this one, this system has been tuned for optimal sound quality not maximum volume. The guys consider this system to be a dinosaur that has fused with modern technology and James says if dinosaurs had lived and evolved along side with modern creatures this would be the resulting creature. I mean take a look at just one of the speaker cabs as the guys just causally sit upon the behemoth like its no big deal, but you can see these are some of the largest speaker cabs ever assembled.

James goes on to explain that the old school discotheques were just sound systems really giant HiFi’s, albeit off the hook and more like sound reinforcement systems, live systems, Dub Step, PAs and so forth. In fact, Dub systems were the very first designed to actually get really specific about large groups of people all moving around to pre-recorded music. Then disco systems like the Paradise Garage started using HiFi and dub techniques to make big noises. Things being what they are technology wise smaller and more efficient boxes and drivers were developed with minor compromises on sound quality, but with things like size, power requirements and so forth. As each new evolution occurred some minor compromise was made, but we eventually ended up with today’s modern club system that have a great range in how they are made and implemented. Systems range from ear bleeding loud and obnoxious with shit sound that is so loud no partygoer can even hear their own thoughts all the way to the ultra-modern systems that have sound so sweet it makes the ears sing. These systems are geared toward modern dance music and sound great for that style of music, but AC/DC’s “Hells Bells’’ may not have that same quality.

Despacio the company goes another direction and they are designing systems that will play not only modern dance music, but play the “Hells Bells” style of music as well and with that same quality sound reproduction. To get to that end the trio says they will only play vinyl through those systems as that medium just plain sounds better to their trained ears. When asked why this was so James stated that anybody can use digital music, but why be lazy and do things the easy way when you have better options at hand. Getting the components right is also very important here as well. McIntosh an Audio Company founded in 1949, just before the very first sound systems starting showing up in Jamaica has provided all the components for this project. The company’s heritage included supplying amps for the most famous rock shows of all-time the Woodstock festival of 1969 as well as creating the Grateful Deads Wall OF Sound. James says that the McIntosh amps are “Banuts” Which is a combination of bananas and nuts. All three of the trio use McIntosh in their homes and studios as they are true devoted fans to the technology and they say it also just looks so damn awesome to boot. The front panels with the blue VU meters are just simply a classic design.

With 8 of these bad boys surrounding you and 8 humongous stacks with amps built-in and the blue VU meters, the total package with meters moving is better lighting than many clubs have in-house. Once the three nights are played, the system will not be dismantled and the guys feel like they should find a mystical island to build a shrine on in hopes that it will last forever. Stephen adds that they would like to do a US tour with the sound system and like the rock group Emerson, Lake and Palmer the systems would need three trucks just to transport it from town to town. The flyer should be a helicopter shot of the three trucks driving on the turnpike saying “MURPHY, DEWAELE and DEWAELE on the roof.”

Given that the collective talent of these three gentlemen is immense and that they have worked in unison on different things the question arises?: Will you guys collaborate on anything new in the future together? They said that although this was a lot of fun and that they enjoy working together at this moment no plans have been made to do anything else other than fun for the moment. “The truth is that we’ve made some amazing music together but ‘someone’ has been too ‘busy’ tasting wine and producing popular music, so none of it has been finished yet,” David adds. Despacio is running for three consecutive nights in the ballroom of New Century House during the Manchester International Festival, from July 18th to the 20th.

Via: The Verge