"Meeting" GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell at Audio Exotics Singapore
I heard his breath.
Last week, Mohan Veloo of Audio Exotics (AE) South East Asia invited me to his studio to listen to their audio configuration.
After catching up on each other’s lives since we had not met one another for a long time, for the next hour or so, we listened to music.
No. That’s not right.
We experienced music.
I’m not a technical audiophile but I love music.
He first let me listen to one configuration. I was astounded.
When he deemed that the time was ready, he showed me the real deal. The sound experience blew me away. You have to experience it. I heard layers in familiar tracks I had never experienced before. I turned my head left and right to follow the musicians in the room. It felt that real.
This is AE’s first studio in Singapore—they have three in Hong Kong (Sheung Wan, Central and Ap Lei Chau).
These guys are serious and unwaveringly committed to music.
Their starting point is “silence”. Yep, you heard me right (pun unintended).
In their words, since I can’t say it better:
“Our studios are designed and built for the euphoria of music to touch our souls in ways that nothing else can.”
“The precondition of achieving such a state is to understand the concept of silence. Silence is physically invisible, though tangible to our senses. Mother Teresa said, ‘We need to find God and God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature—trees and flowers and grass—grow in silence. See the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence’.”
“All our studios follow strict principles to mitigate different kinds of noise through customised solutions. Painters create on a physical, palpable canvas. Music composers, however, originate music scores in the silence of their mind first. We’ve opted that audio reproduction follows the same credo. So the journey begins with the fundamental challenge: how is the original state of silence to be restored?”
Coming back to my first line, whose breath did I hear?
I heard GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell’s breath when he was in between notes as he performed on his 1713 Huberman Stradivarius violin.
At the same instant he took his breath, my breath was taken away.
Joshua Bell was in the room. I kid you not.
Have a listen.
Link to full article on LinkedIn (with pictures): https://www.linkedin.com/posts/daneshdaryanani_i-heard-his-breath-last-week-mohan-veloo-activity-7127100082730004480-SlKm?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
Last week, Mohan Veloo of Audio Exotics (AE) South East Asia invited me to his studio to listen to their audio configuration.
After catching up on each other’s lives since we had not met one another for a long time, for the next hour or so, we listened to music.
No. That’s not right.
We experienced music.
I’m not a technical audiophile but I love music.
He first let me listen to one configuration. I was astounded.
When he deemed that the time was ready, he showed me the real deal. The sound experience blew me away. You have to experience it. I heard layers in familiar tracks I had never experienced before. I turned my head left and right to follow the musicians in the room. It felt that real.
This is AE’s first studio in Singapore—they have three in Hong Kong (Sheung Wan, Central and Ap Lei Chau).
These guys are serious and unwaveringly committed to music.
Their starting point is “silence”. Yep, you heard me right (pun unintended).
In their words, since I can’t say it better:
“Our studios are designed and built for the euphoria of music to touch our souls in ways that nothing else can.”
“The precondition of achieving such a state is to understand the concept of silence. Silence is physically invisible, though tangible to our senses. Mother Teresa said, ‘We need to find God and God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature—trees and flowers and grass—grow in silence. See the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence’.”
“All our studios follow strict principles to mitigate different kinds of noise through customised solutions. Painters create on a physical, palpable canvas. Music composers, however, originate music scores in the silence of their mind first. We’ve opted that audio reproduction follows the same credo. So the journey begins with the fundamental challenge: how is the original state of silence to be restored?”
Coming back to my first line, whose breath did I hear?
I heard GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell’s breath when he was in between notes as he performed on his 1713 Huberman Stradivarius violin.
At the same instant he took his breath, my breath was taken away.
Joshua Bell was in the room. I kid you not.
Have a listen.
Link to full article on LinkedIn (with pictures): https://www.linkedin.com/posts/daneshdaryanani_i-heard-his-breath-last-week-mohan-veloo-activity-7127100082730004480-SlKm?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
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Comments
Thanks for an excellent writeup on LinkedIn. Other than Joshua Bell, what other pieces of music moved you the most?
Chris
There were quite a few, but two immediately come to mind.
1. Blue Moon by Jacintha
2. Hawa Dolo by Ali Farka Touré
Not sure if your nick is related to this, but I'll highly recommend it. If you can read it in the original language, I'm sure it'll be better. I'm reading the English translation now. Can't wait to pick it up again tonight.
Danesh