The singer has become a deejay

Every Thursday I look back to the past

Anyone holding the album cover of ‘FROM DEEWEE‘ for the first time in 2017 saw a sleek, futuristic head shown from the side, reflecting the clear blue sky of Ghent. Many people thought it looked like an abstract sculpture or a piece of modern art. In reality, it was a chrome version of the AKG D99 C, a piece of audio history better known in recording studios as “Harry” (or “Harry the Head”).

The Paris design studio Ill-Studio created the artwork for Soulwax’s fifth album. They have shaped the visual style of DEEWEE for years.
The photo of the head was taken reflecting the open sky above the DEEWEE studio in Ghent.

Behind this simple cover image is a very rare piece of 1970s audio technology. In 1974, Austrian microphone maker AKG released the D99 C as a “dummy head” (or binaural Kunstkopf) microphone.

Nicknamed ‘Harry’, the microphone is designed to pick up sound exactly the way human ears hear it, called binaural recording. Inside the foam head are two matched microphones, placed in the exact spots where human eardrums would be.
The shape of the head and ears naturally filters and delays sound. When you listen with headphones, it creates a realistic 3D sound experience.

In the 1970s, the D99 C was an experimental tool used for radio plays and special audio cassettes. Over time, Harry became a rare collector’s item for sound lovers and recording pioneers.

The Dewaele brothers love collecting rare synthesizers and vintage gear (see their book ‘Incomplete Inventory), so Harry was much more to them than just a photo prop. On February 7, 2017, they recorded FROM DEEWEE live in one single, continuous take in their basement studio. The full touring band played together, including synthesizers, Stefaan Van Leuven on bass, Laima Leyton on keys and three drummers (Iggor Cavalera, Victoria Smith, and Blake Davies).

In a room with three drum sets playing at once and vintage synths filling the space, microphone setup was critical. Harry was placed in the room, right above the mixing desk, to capture the live energy, the sound bouncing off the walls, and the room’s 3D feel.

Harry was used as a stage prop on tour in 2017, the head stood on a mic stand and started rotating during ‘NY Excuse’, the finale of their show. Later that year, Harry got a big brother: Ed was an xxxxl version that would rise above the drummers. Ed has his own flightcase, and was used at some of the DEEWEE nights. Earlier this year, Ed the head welcomed the fans who were ready to party with Soulwax at Abbey Road Studios. But both Harry and Ed were no longer part of the live shows for the new album ‘All Systems Are Lying’.

If you don’t have the money to get an original ‘Harry’, you could try and track down the ‘Chrome Head Keyring’ that was sold on the Soulwax webstore ten years ago!