Audio Technica Collab "OTOJU"

The most unique sound system I have ever seen or heard!

This is a translation of an interview from the Japanese web site Audio Tecnica Always Listening

I was lucky to be involved in this interesting project and collaboration! A little background. From 1991 to 1998 I was a radio DJ at Sapporo’s largest FM Station. Air-G. For me, this was the equivalent of going to university. I learned both the Japanese language and music! Those skills have stayed with me for my entire life. I became passionate about collecting analog records and I spent a decent amount of time DJ’ing in the clubs in Sapporo during that time. I don’t think I can DJ in front of a large crowd anymore, but I still have my record collection and a great appreciation for music and the act of playing music for other people.

Now enjoy the article and photos and check out the Audio Technica site and products for further inspiration. Oh one more thing. my long time friend and sound designing genius Hikari is the man behind the design of this “Otoju” sound system. He is 50% artist and 50% sound system engineer and designer. Amazing guy and he has no social media presence. You can check his company’s website for a few details!

Whitelights.jp

Demand for camping has increased during the coronavirus pandemic, and many people are now enjoying the outdoors. However, when enjoying music outdoors, the mainstream is to use a simple Bluetooth speaker. Although this method is easy, many people find the sound unsatisfactory. However, bringing a full-fledged sound system into an outdoor environment by yourself in search of good sound quality is too time-consuming and difficult.

Therefore, Always Listening plans to develop OTOJU, an all-in-one outdoor sound system based on the concept of a “jubako”' that brings sound outdoors, allowing you to enjoy music in a better sound environment even outdoors. In this series, we will explore the possibilities of OTOJU, which uses the ancient Japanese culture of jubako as its design source.

A dream-like sound system that allows you to enjoy records powered by batteries even without a direct power source.

This is the second installment of this series, and we will be introducing OTOJU to Hokkaido, where magnificent nature is abundant, Neil Hartmann, who is the producer of the popular snowboarding movie "CAR DANCHI," as well as a videographer, photographer, and MC, is based in Hokkaido and is active in a wide range of areas. We explored the possibility’s of Otoju with Mr. (Neil Hartmann).

Neil has long been friends with Whitelight, an acoustic design and sound system development company involved in the development of OTOJU, and Always Listening has had Neil look at the models from the planning stage of OTOJU and collaborate with them on conceptual ideas. They even asked for help in putting it out. He looks back on what he thought when he first heard about OTOJU's project and how he felt when it was completed.

“When I learned about OTOJU’s development plan, I proposed the concept of a “camp kitchen.'' I thought it would be great if the box contained a speaker with a built-in amplifier. In that sense, when I first heard that it was completed, I thought it had finally taken shape! When I opened it, I was excited because I had so many ideas for how to use it. Also, the concept of jubako, which is unique to Japanese people, was something I had never thought of myself due to my cultural background, so when I saw this combination with music culture. I was very excited."

The completed OTOJU had an impact in terms of size and novelty in addition to its specifications, and Neil recalls that it was the most shocking and moving experience he'd felt since holding an iTouch music player for the first time.

“After I came to Japan, I started working as a radio DJ, and through that work, I became fascinated with turntables and records. OTOJU is a record sound that can be powered by batteries without a direct power source, so you can enjoy it anywhere. It's like a dream for me."

When Neil saw OTOJU, there was one idea in particular about how to use it that came to mind. One idea was inspired by “Big Fun”, an outdoor event in his hometown of Sapporo that he is familiar with.

“Big Fun”, hosted by Precious Hall, a popular club in Sapporo, has been held for about 5 years at a place about 10 minutes by car from his home, and he has been fascinated by the atmosphere and musicality ever since, and has visited every year.

This event was like a larger-scale version of the OTOJU situation. The DJ booth was in the center, and large speakers were placed around it. The participants could enjoy the music by surrounding the DJ booth. The atmosphere was truly wonderful. Of course, it's fun to go to clubs, but as you get older, around the age of 50, you're more likely to listen to music in nature at dusk or in the quiet hours of the morning than at a club. However, it is difficult financially to hold an outdoor event where you can have such an experience. However, I thought that with OTOJU, I could enjoy the same experience as an individual.''.

The second idea is to use OTOJU when camping with children and enjoy music in a good sound environment.

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a summer camp at my child's kindergarten, and I brought an amp, mixer, turntable, and played records. There were times when I had to stop and it was a very rough environment, but with OTOJU, I think I can do the same thing in a good sound environment and an artistic form. I also felt that it could be used in that way.''

This time, Mr. Neil used OTOJU in three locations: Ishiyama Green Park in Sapporo, a lake, and a campsite, and it was a special experience to be able to have a session with nature through OTOJU, with the sound reverberating differently depending on the location. What moved him most was what happened early morning at the campsite.

The weather was bad for both days this time, but luckily it didn't rain during the night, and we had a great moment when we woke up at the campsite in the morning. I think it was around 6 or 7 a.m. At that time, when I was playing music on OTOJU, the sunlight shined through a break in the clouds for about 15 minutes, and the music mixed with the chirping of birds. It was a moment when the beauty of light and sound came together at the same time, so it was really special.''

OTOJU realizes the joy of “sharing music”

With its four omnidirectional speakers, OTOJU can create a pseudo-surround environment outdoors, and its specifications provide a variety of rich sound experiences even outdoors. Neil says that the value of OTOJU's experience lies in the fact that the people in the room can feel that they are sharing the music.

"At the campsite at night, we placed four speakers around a bonfire and played records. There were about five people talking around the bonfire, and their voices were clear even with the records playing. Also, the person I was talking to reacted every time the song changed, so even though I didn't participate in the conversation myself, I was able to participate in the conversation by playing the records. Even though we were all doing different things, we were able to share music, so I think it was a really special time."

He also feels that OTOJU has the potential to improve the quality of music.

“In the last few decades, the size of things has gotten smaller, battery life has improved, and the specs of tech equipment have improved. I sometimes feel that the sound quality is being sacrificed in the pursuit of practicality. I think it's a waste even though the overall product quality has improved. However, OTOJU has made me realize the importance of acoustic settings and the pursuit of sound quality. I have a feeling that a movement is starting, and if that happens, I think the quality of the music itself will improve."

By the way, when I asked Mr. Neil if he would like to try OTOJU in any other environment other than the one he tried this time, he replied that he would like to try it in a place where there are a lot of people.

For example, I think it would be interesting to experiment by taking OTOJU to a place where many people gather, such as a shopping district or Odori Park in Sapporo, and playing music for 20 minutes in a guerrilla-style. If you tried to do that with a directional speaker. If you suddenly played music, the person who suddenly hears the sound would look on suspiciously, but OTOJU's omnidirectional speakers can create a spot where the sound is vaguely playing. I think there's a mysterious comfort in sound, so it might be a new experience when listening to sound in an unusual manner or situation."

He also says that he wants the younger generation to experience OTOJU.

``Nowadays, Bluetooth speakers are commonplace, so I would like the younger generation, especially Generation Z, to experience analog sounds at least once. I think they can make discoveries by listening to such sounds. Especially with a rotary mixer. I think the mixer is a fun element to using OTOJU. Nowadays, you can DJ with digital DJ software or iPhone, but in my case, I play music while touching the knobs of the rotary mixer. I feel like my feelings are being transferred to the music. This may be an invisible spiritual element, but I feel joy from that experience, so I feel like my feelings are being transferred to the music. I would like to share it through OTOJU.”

As Neil talked about this time from his own experience, OTOJU enables a session between the sounds unique to the natural environment and the music brought in by humans. In addition, by creating a new sound environment, it also shows the value of experiencing new music. Perhaps the essence of OTOJU lies in its ability to provide multiple layers to the relationship with sound.