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...Working alongside some of the world’s most famous DJs and having their respect is invaluable.


ALEX BARRAND AUDIO SPECIALIST, PIONEER EUROPE


How did you get involved in the clubbing industry? I did some work experience at a sound hire company when I was at school. Notting Hill Carnival is one of the gigs I remember very well. I was installing loudspeakers on stage for Radio One and it was incredible. I got to go behind the scenes and to all these great parties, which was mind blowing and a real eye-opener. When I fi nished school, I looked for opportunities to be more involved in this industry. When I wasn’t studying, I was working for the sound hire company where I did work experience, in FOH doing sound system confi guration and engineering.


Tell me a bit about your experience with Ministry of Sound? I was working on some large projects at Essex University and working with some of the touring DJs who came in to play like Paul Oakenfold. By setting up sound systems at these events and speaking with them, I became fascinated by the London club scene, which was exploding at the time. Through word of mouth, I found out about a vacancy at MoS. I’d never stepped foot inside MoS when it’s fully pumping until my fi rst day on the job believe it or not. From seeing it when it was empty to seeing it full on a Saturday night… Wow, what an incredible feeling. I was very lucky to be working in that environment every weekend. The fi rst year I became technical manager, I put forth a proposal to the owner to change the sound system in the world-famous main room and it became a reality. Four years on, it was awarded best sound system by International Music Dance Awards.


www.mondodr.com


How did the move to Pioneer come about? During my time with MoS, I got to a point where I was content with the system and my work there - I had changed and upgraded everything I could. I always like a challenge and felt it was time to move on. I had a meeting with Pioneer, they shared their plans for the new business with me and I thought it was a unique opportunity that doesn’t come around very often.


What was the main thing you wanted to achieve with the new range of Pioneer loudspeakers? As Pioneer has always being at the forefront of the DJ console, there’s always been a missing link between mixers and loudspeakers. The main thing I wanted to do is to change the perception of Pioneer loudspeakers from consumer to pro audio. We have an amazing R&D team in Japan in charge of TAD loudspeakers - there is a tremendous amount of engineering resources I wanted to harness and dedicate to developing club loudspeakers. I heard the TAD speakers at AIR studios and that was an absolutely incredible sound performance from a box. The engineering behind the TAD loudspeakers are really precision engineered components. Secondly, for the GS-Wave Series, I wanted to achieve the sound I created at MoS, but go even further now I had all the resources available to bring that idea into reality. I wanted to use the four years worth of feedback from my experience with DJs and clubs and channel all that data into the development of this system. We knew we needed to look for a respectable system designer to work alongside us


and we went through various candidates around the world and managed to locate someone - ironically enough someone I crossed paths with at MoS - the late Gary Stewart.


What has been a highlight of your career so far? Working alongside some of the world’s most famous DJs and having their respect is invaluable, particularly as a sound system designer.


How have you seen the clubbing industry change? For me, the biggest change I have seen is the sheer diversity of music genres available now. It changed so much even from when I fi rst started working - drum and bass, trance and house were the main commercial lines before. Going back to a sound perspective, there needs to be more versatile systems to accommodate the various genres of music.


What was the fi rst tape you bought for yourself? John Digweed when I was in Cornwall when I was 16-years-old. I even remember the packaging it came in an illuminous orange case.


What is one of your personal ambitions? To continue to bring Gary Stewart’s amazing sound to a wider audience and make his legacy live on.


What are your most prized possessions? My phone and passport.


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