Sennheiser 2009 Annual Report Download - page 15

28 A FRAGR ANT PERFORMANCE
Odors have the power to trigger memories
It’s three o’clock in the morning when DJ ODO7 enters the mixing console located in the
middle of the main dance floor of the exclusive Imperia Lounge. He refers to tonight’s
music mix as “beach minimal house,” but that’s not going to be his real challenge. “It’s
not all that hard to pick and choose the right music and find the right transitions,” he
explains. “That’s about as difficult as climbing into your own bed. But mixing the smell
is like riding up a steep mountain on a mountain bike.” The club is starting to fill up, but
despite the efforts of gyrating dancers on small platforms above the dance floor, the
mood is still subdued. People sitting at the bar look on with interest when DJ ODO7
turns on his two large electric fans. As the electronic bass booms out of the speakers,
he picks up the first of his numerous spray bottles and begins his performance. Depend-
ing on where you are in the room, it can take a moment
for the scent to reach you before the fans carry it on
to the furthest recesses of the room. The smell does
not immediately assault the senses as does a eucalyp-
tus bath oil; rather it creeps up slowly. And that’s
exactly what makes it so effective. “The odors are not
immediately obvious,” says Berghammer as he scans
the labels on his bottles. “As our brain’s limbic system
[the pleasure center of the brain] slowly processes the
smells, our subconscious begins to take them in, intensifying
their effect.” Viennese pharmacist and researcher Eva
Heuberger likes to compare fragrances to psychotropic drugs.
She’s found that smells can have a direct impact on the brain,
no matter whether they are inhaled through the nose or
absorbed through the skin. A smell can trigger the memory of
another person, a certain mood or a long-gone summer
vacation. The DJ’s aroma therapy is having its desired effect
on the Moscovian club. As more and more listeners and
“smellers” get out on the dance floor, the mood begins to
ramp up. Morten, a 35-year-old Norwegian, has attended
more than one of ODO7’s parties. As he explains his own
personal experience, “I start to get a feeling of happiness
before I even become aware of the smell,” says the freelance
photographer. “It has a tremendously positive impact on the
entire evening. As your mood improves, you become more
relaxed and more in touch with all your other senses.”
A low tone smells different than a high tone
Berghammer, who travels the world in search of new smells
for his fragrant symphonies, uses only the finest organic
aromatics procured from aroma specialists, imported directly
from Asia himself, or grown on his own balcony. The aroma
jockey categorizes smells into three basic groups: fragrant
compounds, such as chocolate, orange or rose; psychoactive
substances, such as clove, tobacco or cinnamon; and phero-
mones, such as musk or amber.
A master, the aroma jockey mixes his fragrant ingredients at lighting speed and
always in sync with the music. They rarely fail to cast their spell on his audience.
ODO7 tosses a few grams
of sandalwood over
the red-hot coals, which
produces an immediately
calming effect.
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A FRAGRANT PERFORMANCE