Right from its first edition, in 1997, Fuji Rock was a truly star-studded event: artists included Weezer, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Massive Attack, Prodigy, Rage Against the Machine and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Nowadays, Fuji Rock is a phenomenon able to attract over 100,000 fans. Born from an idea by Hidaka Masa, the festival aimed at changing the way Japanese fans "listened to music", offering them the possibility of hearing sounds for the very first time, in an atmosphere of "freedom", while camping surrounded by nature.
The event's 2013 edition featured performances by top names on the Japanese and international alternative rock and electronic scenes: Bjork, The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Vampire Weekend, XX, Skrillex and Tame Impala, to mention the best-known names.
The White Stage was equipped with an Outline large-format line-source rig: 24 GTO elements, two GTO-DF (down-fill) and 18 ground-installed DBS 18-2 subwoofers.
Masaaki Azuma - pro audio veteran and sound engineer at the event - is the owner of well-known Japanese rental company Try Audio, which was responsible for the Fuji Rock project. The company's equipment stock already includes forty-eight Butterfly systems, eighteen Mantas and 36 Subtech 218, with relative Outline T Series power amplifiers.
Azuma states, "Before purchasing Outline's large-format system, I had the opportunity of testing it personally at several large concerts in Asian stadia with famous bands from both east and west. Thanks to the enormous dynamic range, I realized that - as well as Rock - the system can easily handle the nuances of any genre, including orchestral music,"
He concludes, "Its intelligibility is unrivalled at astonishing distances: what I heard at Fuji Rock during the mix confirms the objectivity of Outline's claims regarding the long-throw performance of this 'contraption'. I'm really impressed."
"The presence of GTO in Japan, the super-technological Far East nation, is an important strategic 'tessera' in our expansion plans," commented Giorgio Biffi, CEO Outline.
"As is already the case in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, and elsewhere soon, from now on it will be easier to meet the numerous requests for our products - regularly included on riders - in that part of the world, which has such a dynamic live sound reinforcement sector. Welcome to the Outline family, Try Audio!"
(Jim Evans)
