Sennheiser 2010 Annual Report Download - page 16

31
A FRAGRANT PERFORMANCE
The
nose
knows
Every scent has a different impact. The right smell can cast away
negative thoughts, soothe or sexually arouse. In clubs and at all kinds of
other events, artist ODO7 finely tunes his aromatic blends to the
music, creating an exhilarating experience. As he’s discovered, the synergetic
effect between scent and sound can heighten the senses.
Guggul is one of the most highly prized incenses in Nepal and Tibet.
Its slightly sweet aroma relaxes and soothes.
ODO7 uses different techniques to disperse his scents across
the dance floor. Once his fans have gotten the crowd going,
he pulls something else out of his bag of tricks. In just a few
motions, he has coals glowing in two metal bowls, then
sprinkles them with sandalwood. Slowly, the fragrant wood
begins to smolder. “Calming … reassuring,” he mutters in a
trance. Like a shaman, Berghammer stoops and goes up a
small ramp next to his DJ console, swinging his bowls to
spread the incense. “It’s not about propelling just any
fragrance into the air,” he says. “Each smell has its own
essence, meaning and desired effect.” Citrus, for example,
complements high notes and upbeat music. In comparison, resins such
as storax and copal harmonize particularly well with low tones or organ
music. Berghammer isn’t always responsible for mixing both music and
fragrance at a given event. When another disc jockey is on board, he
has to adapt his aromatic performance accordingly. Of course, he
prefers being the conductor of his own multisensory concert. “When I
put on my Sennheiser HD 280 Pro, I can focus fully on the music. Every
other sound is blocked out,” raves Berghammer about his DJ equip-
ment. “I’ve never experienced a better sound quality. And that’s
saying a lot because I’m just as much a perfectionist about
my sound equipment as I am about my aromatics.” His
only real concern? That someone will steal his headphones
“just because they look so cool.”
Changing the setting
The atmosphere has reached its peak at the Imperia
Lounge. The crowd is dancing wildly, and couples are cozy-
ing up at the bar. Berghammer calls himself an “aroma
illustrator,” influencing people’s emotions through the
very air they breathe. He loves his job. Christine, a 34-year-
old psychologist and long-time ODO7 fan, can testify to
the aromatic spell Berghammer casts. “Many smells make
us more accessible and outgoing. Others calm us down and
make us more relaxed. Each creates its own emotion,” she
says. “I can well imagine that someone who needed drugs
to enjoy music would get the same effect from aromas.”
For the big finale, the aroma jockey turns off his electric
fans and reaches for his much more theatrical atomizer –
a Chinese hand-held fan, which he uses to intoxicate the
crowd with the final scents of his performance. The
revelers don’t want him to stop, but after almost three
hours, Berghammer has run out of steam. The sun is just
starting to come up as Berghammer returns to the peace
and quiet of his hotel room and draws the curtains to get
a few hours sleep. The hotel corridor begins to blossom
with the first scent of a new day. But this time, it isn’t
something DJ ODO7 has conjured up. It’s the smell of
freshly brewed coffee.
While the typical DJ carts in boxes
of records, ODO7’s flight case is
filled with dozens of fragrances.
LIME
distinct, fresh,
vibrant
ROSE
elegant, gentle,
sensual
COPAL
sensual, warm,
mysterious
MUSK
woody, animalistic,
fruity
VANILLA
sweet, exotic,
soft
HIGH NOTE
STIMULATING CALMING
LOW NOTE