Devon Turnbull / OJAS : HiFi Listening Room Dream No.1
From smooth jazz on lazy Sunday mornings to the workout mix when I’m in the gym, music is a big part of my life. There’s always something playing, except these days it’s mostly as a background soundtrack. A way to keep my toes tapping while my main focus is on something else. When did this become the default? In my youth, music was the main event.
I can still fondly recall that fresh cassette smell after taking the shrink-wrap off the latest tape. The excitement in finding extended lyrics and liner notes. That anticipation between pressing play and hearing the first notes emerge from the speakers. I was so enthralled with those experiences that I spent my holiday high school breaks working in a record store, an experience I’d continue throughout college. Music was once my life, but I can’t recall the last time I sat to properly listen to an entire album. Oh wait, yes I can. It was a few days ago at Lisson Gallery in the HiFi Listening Room Dream No. 1 — a free experience running until the end of August. Just drop in, kick off your shoes (optional) and shuffle across the fluffy fuzzy carpet to one of the comfortable backjack meditation chairs while OJAS or his guest DJs treats you to a high fidelity experience.
Devon Turnbull, aka OJAS, studied Audio Engineering after which he co-founded an influential subterranean clothing brand that frequently brought him to Japan. It was there he gained exposure to the craft of audio-building. Today he’s known for creating handmade, high-fidelity home-audio equipment and has a counter-cultural following. The listening room at Lisson is a showcase for what he does. Purpose built by Turnbull, three giant brutalist speakers command your attention, making you almost miss the tabletop DJ display that looks like it came straight off the back of Doc Brown’s DeLorean. Stacked everywhere are records on loan from the archives at Blue Note, Spiritmuse and Turnbull’s private collection.
While I couldn’t help but think how amazing it would be to put on some Zeppelin and crank it up to 11, or feel the bass from classic Public Enemy, Turnbull’s intention is to provide a more contemplative experience. My visit was rife with yoga pants, man buns and baseball caps. I worried I might drift off to sleep but after a wide-awake hour I emerged into a sunny Saturday afternoon feeling super chilled-out and fondly reminiscing about my youth spent listening to music.
If you can carve at least half an hour out of your busy London lifestyle I highly recommend you head over to Bell Street. Put your phone in airplane mode, grab yourself one of the meditation chairs and lean back into the pleasure of having someone mellow you out with music.
Plan your visit
‘HiFi Listening Room Dream No.1’ runs until 26 Aug.
Free — but some events / sessions require booking in advance
Visit lissongallery.com and follow @lisson_gallery on Instagram for more info about the venue.
Visit https://ojas.nyc and follow @devonojas on Instagram for more info about the artist.
🖼️ Want more art? Visit the What’s On page to see a list of recommended shows, sorted by closing date. Don’t miss ‘em!