The story of Decibelist and its Singaporean brand of art speakers

Top image: Brian Ho, founder of Decibelist
Text by Janice Seow

Speakers have always been a personal passion for Brian Ho, but his work as a wedding photographer specialising in old-school analogue film (he runs thegaleria) kept him busy. When COVID hit and business came to a standstill, he made the decision to turn his interest in speakers into a business, and Decibelist was born.

Brian creates ‘art speakers’ in his home studio. Each one is handcrafted and done in collaboration with other local artisans from different disciplines, making them one of a kind. We speak with Brian to find out more about his made-in-Singapore creations.

How did the idea for Decibelist come about?

For the longest time, I’ve wondered why speakers look the way they are. Why can’t speakers look like everyday objects – like a photo frame for example, or perhaps even a lamp or a wall art? The quest to make speakers that were totally unconventional was how I started to experiment with the concept of reimagining music in a different way.

The idea I had was to combine Art and Music, and it’s for this reason that I call the speakers Art Speakers. The idea is to create speakers not merely as inconsequential and practical objects but something that has a heart and soul.  It can either be speakers that blend in seamlessly into living spaces (as if they aren’t speakers at all) or something that stands out boldly as a statement piece.

The designs are certainly distinctive, but how do they stack up when it comes to technical offering?

Essentially, the Art Speakers are designed around the concept of minimalism and simplicity but at the same time feel technologically up-to-date. The features in the Art Speakers aren’t revolutionary – AirPlay, Bluetooth, Spotify Connect, Multi-speaker synchronisation, I have them all and that’s to be expected in any modern speaker. Most important of all, it has to be a speaker that is musically pleasing, something you can listen to for hours on end. It has to become part of your living space, both aesthetically and sonically.

Decibelist collaborates heavily with local brands and designers. How do you decide who to partner with? 

When I started Decibelist, one thing was clear – I didn’t want just another speaker brand. I wanted a Singapore brand. As a craftsman myself, I recognise that there are many artisans out there who are distinctly different and at the same time complementary. I wanted to bring artisans together and build a collective Singapore name. This is why Decibelist collaborates with local artisans of varying disciplines. To date, I have worked with architects, designers, fabric shops, fashion labels, illustrators, moss wall artists and many more, and each brings a different flavour to the collaboration. The possibilities are endless. The Singapore brand doesn’t necessarily have to be a singular brand name but a collective one.

Which are some of your most popular collections to date?

The Art Frame and Art Mini Speakers are the most popular. The Art Mini Speakers are cute little portable speakers that are handy to carry around while the Art Frame Speakers are wall-mountable ones with covers that are interchangeable. These are speakers that are highly versatile in terms of how they blend into living spaces. We have seen them in homes, cafes, offices, restaurants and basically any living space that can do with a bit of artistry and a good dose of music.

Which has been your most memorable collaboration?

It’s really hard to pinpoint one because all the collaborations are meaningful in so many ways. I have the Art Frame Speaker “MusicCloth” that is made with upcycled cassette tapes weaved into a truly unique tapestry. Then, I have the Art Frame Speaker “Botanique” that is made with preserved moss, arguably the first botanic-inspired speaker of its kind.  We also have speakers that look more like architectural pieces than speakers. Those are in collaborations with architects and interior designers.

Decibelist speakers are sustainability made as well. How important was it to you, that the products be produced in an eco-conscious way?

In all honesty, Decibelist didn’t start off with a sustainable goal, but somehow or other, what I did was sustainable. For starters, all the speakers are made to order. I do not mass produce and there’s almost no excess stock. That way, I only make what I need. No products go unwanted or go to waste. Secondly, a lot of our speakers are 3D printed in eco-friendly filaments. 3D printing in itself is an Additive Manufacturing process – you use only what you need and it’s a zero wastage manufacturing process. Then, there are collaborations with sustainable champions who make use of discarded items and upcycle them into something useful. The upcycled cassette tapes by Rehypen and the frames made of discarded chopsticks by Chopvalue are two such examples.

Is there anything exciting in the works that we should look out for?

I have upcoming collaborations with local whisky and gin brands to upcycle whisky and gin boxes into music speakers equipped with all the advanced features one would expect from a modern speaker. I’m a strong advocate of building a collective Singapore brand. This should be available at the end of the year.

Decibelist
www.decibelist.com

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