French singer/songwriter Jekyll Wood really put his DPA d:facto vocal microphone to the test recently when he played a solo concert at Jargeau public swimming pool, near Orléans.

Despite the strange acoustics of the venue – and the hot, steamy atmosphere – the microphone ‘rose to the occasion and performed perfectly throughout’, the company says.

“The d:facto is really solid and I’ve never had any problem with it, indoors or outdoors,” Wood commented. “I actually own two of them, but for this concert the stage was so small that I only needed one. I use d:facto on stage and for my live recording sessions because my voice is always so precise in my ear monitors. It has been my ‘must-have’ vocal mic for nearly four years now. Its brightness and natural compression make it a great microphone in every circumstance, on acoustic and electric sets.”

Wood’s pool party attracted over 200 people, all of whom had to wear swimming costumes to attend. Many took to the water to enjoy the music, which was delivered from a stage at the side of the pool.

“I’ve never played beside an indoor swimming pool before and I was really curious about how it would sound,” he explains. “Surprisingly, the sound was not at all bad and I had a great time. The audience was very relaxed and we had a lot of fun. Obviously, I felt the need to do some beatboxed aquagym and at the end of the gig I joined the audience in the water, although I was careful to leave my electronic equipment behind!”

With the support of sound engineer Nicolas Miljeu (with whom he set up the Label Time Is Out label), Jekyll Wood has spent the last five years performing and recording as a solo artist. He can best be described as a one-man orchestra who combines the energy of rock and roll with pop melodies, soul, flamenco and electro beats. To date, he has released two discs – an EP called Only Son and a live CD/DVD Not That Only Son.

“When I’m recording, I often use DPA d:dicate 4011 cardioid and d:vote 4099 instrument microphones, especially for guitars,” he says. “All DPA microphones reproduce the sound really faithfully so that you keep the tone of the original source. That’s what I love about them – they are so versatile and the compression you get allows you to deal with so many different sound sources in the studio. My d:dicate 4011s and d:vote 4099s have great presence, warmth and brightness and they are perfect for everything, even beatboxing. However, I tend to keep them in the studio because they don’t really fit my live needs – I have my d:facto for that.”

The musician is currently putting together a new album, which will be released in 2017. He is also working on live covers for YouTube and a new live show where he plans to use a wireless adapter with his d:facto so that he can move freely around the stage.

Photo: Gaspart Elliot

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