Florence’s Nextech festival chalked up a sold-out twelfth edition in December at the city’s Fortezza da Basso under the Techno banner, with 3,000 fans flocking to see and hear the man many of them call the Techno King, Chris Liebing, ably preceded by a blistering set by up and coming local DJ Marco Effe.
Frankfurt-based but constantly globetrotting on the international club and festival circuit, Liebing is a Techno pioneer, DJ, producer, podcast and radio host, as well as being the driving force behind his CLR label.
Being an 80s kid who grew up with synth pop bands such as Depeche Mode (he recently remixed the band’s track “Going backwards”) and electronic dance acts like Nitzer Ebb and many more, his musical background also contains vocal and melodic touches from this era, which he blends into his current dynamic sets with increasing frequency.
One of the first DJs to use the new possibilities offered by the digitalization of music in an original creative manner, Liebing is constantly on the search for new methods of creative expression. These include real-time manipulation of individual tracks and sounds in his DJ sets, so the sonic quality of the sound systems he uses plays a fundamental role in the success of his performances.
A veteran of the Florence music scene, Fernando Fanutti is the man who had the idea for the Nextech project, a festival that has brought top international EDM artists to the Tuscan “capital” for ten years, with its combination of digital AV art, music and design. When he moved from Rome to Florence in the seventies, Fanutti continued his work, programming the bands in the some of the city’s venues and as a music journalist and critic, with a particular focus on electronic music.
Since the first (2006) edition, with Ellen Allien and Apparat (two of the top names in club-oriented electronic music), Fanutti’s expert ears have therefore “judged” countless artistes (including some of the top names on the electronic and EDM scenario) and the sound systems used.
Regarding the Outline GTO, he says, “Since my aim has always been to achieve quality sound even in difficult situations, I must say that I noticed the difference between the Outline PA and those used previously right from the first time it was fielded. Very briefly, although ensuring coverage at a greater distance from the stage, the sound maintained its clarity and was less tiring on the ears. Through the years, I followed the Outline systems’ evolution and my initial impressions were confirmed and improved. Then, in December 2016, we carried out a real “listening test” also on the monitors with Chris Liebing, who had requested another brand. The Outline Vegas 15CX systems’ sound had more dynamics, better definition and at the same time was smoother, so was more effective and less tiring, to the point that Chris was convinced and agreed to use the monitors too.”
Tuscan audio contractor Emporio On Stage was the country’s first rental firm to purchase Outline’s GTO system and owner Angelo Catoni explains the set-up used at the event: “The main rig comprised two stacked arrays of six Outline GTO on either side of the stage, plus two more arrays, each with three GTO per side, used for in-fill chores. A beefy bottom end was ensured by sixteen Outline DBS 18-2 sub-bass units and 4+4 Outline LAB 21 HS infra-subs at the stage.”
