Jägermeister approached Studiomaster to supply a PA tough enough to perform in Arctic conditions following Carlsbro / Studiomaster's sponsorship of this year's Bloodstock festival, during which the company supplied emergency kit to The Jägermeister Stage.
"It was a brief we could confidently commit to, given the robust build quality of Studiomaster product," says assistant general manager Patrick Almond. "In fact it presented a perfect opportunity to prove the near-military grade construction of the new Horizon powered mixer. The very look of the all-British design says how tough it is - and then there's 1000 watts a side of class-D power amplification; more than enough to provide sound coverage on an iceberg."
The Studiomaster 2012 powered mixer was partnered with a pair of XPX 12 moulded cabinets on stands, providing the best possible power to weight ratio; weight being a critical consideration in not tipping the band and all their equipment into the freezing sea. Studiomaster KM92 dynamic mics were also used, being tough enough for The Defiled's full on vocal style as well as the icy conditions. The entire rig performed flawlessly.
Commenting on the value of the promotion for the company Almond says, "This was a great opportunity to create some amazing brand exposure and we are going to be following that through with related promotional campaigns at retail level, to provide some of that benefit to our dealers. Watch out for our forthcoming Iceberg Horizon bundles and some in-store Jägermeister co-sponsorship promotions."
Jägermeister music manager Tom Carson said, "As far as stage backdrops go, I don't think you'll find anything more impressive than this. We're used to staging events at music venues and summer festivals, so it made for an interesting change to be checking 'berg suitability' as part of the pre event checks as opposed to the typical band riders and sound systems. The Studiomaster gear more than met the environmental challenges of this unique 'venue'."
The Defiled have been involved with the Jägermusic programme for a number of years and readily accepted the challenge to be the first band ever to play a gig on an iceberg, braving the elements to perform a 30 minute set to an audience of local people from the nearby settlement of Kulusuk, who sailed out to the berg in their fishing boats and pleasure craft.
Production manager and operations director for the event was Tom McShane, whose company, Secret Compass, was formed by ex-Parachute Regiment officers to conduct exploratory expeditions to remote post-conflict areas and endangered ecosystems in places like Afghanistan, South Sudan, Madagascar and Panama. "The trip went fantastically and the Studiomaster gear performed superbly," he says. "I was massively impressed with the set-up and it sounded great. The little generator we had actually put out enough power to run all of the gear, so thanks so much for your advice and selection of the equipment. It was also a really light set-up too.
"I had to set-up all the backline and the PA and soundcheck it. But I managed to get it all up and running within five minutes; it was really simple."
(Jim Evans)
