Internationally renowned artist and DJ Darren Styles is enjoying hearing his latest dance creations in new audio fidelity, courtesy of a main stereo pair of PMC MB2S three-way monitors at his newly completed home studio.
Starting out with breakbeat outfit DJ Force & the Evolution, Styles found major success during the 1990s as one half of Force & Styles. He also produced trance records as Styles and Breeze and released two solo studio albums, including the gold-selling Skydivin’ (2008).
Darren had reached the conclusion he needed a system that would provide him with improved sonic clarity for his home setup. “I’d got to the point in my career where I needed an end-game studio,” he says.
This was driven by wanting to make music that continued resonating with the younger generation. “It’s not until I’ve played something out that I see a completely different reaction because, ultimately, the real taste-makers are the kids on the dancefloor,” he continues. “You can tell straight away if you’ve got something because, as soon as the hands go in the air, or the camera phones go up because they want to capture that moment, that’s when you know.”
A search for an acoustic design specialist found Pinna Acoustics, and Darren contacted them for advice. “I knew they were based in Holland so I didn’t even know if it was going to be possible, but I told Pinna Acoustics owner, Jelle Van Der Voet, about the space I had, he sent me over loads of different designs, and this is what we decided on,” he says, indicating the minimal control room with the PMC MB2S’s providing a striking focus above the sleek white studio desk.
Darren had initially been planning to reuse his original studio monitors, but Jelle had other ideas. “He told me that, if I was having a studio like this, I’d need some PMCs,” he relates. Discussions with some fellow DJs threw up more recommendations for PMC, further reinforcing Darren’s decision to go down that route.
“When we were setting up the studio, Pinna Acoustics only needed the dimensions, then they turned up with a truck full of equipment and had the studio built and everything installed in just a day and a half. Jella sat me down in front of the speakers and demo’d them to me, playing Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Skrillex’s Rumble, all these different styles of music, and I actually felt quite emotional,” remembers Darren. “It was a special moment for me, to be honest. In this room you can be so meticulous with these speakers. You don’t need to crank them up, you can have them at a lower volume, and just get in there and EQ exactly where you want to. You can hear everything.
“They’re the best speakers I’ve ever had, without a doubt. The room sounds phenomenal. I come in after the weekend and it’s like a breath of fresh air coming into this room. It’s my sanctuary, and I couldn’t be happier with it.”
