BUSINESS
Who: Tim Chapman, head of marketing, Lab.gruppen
Where: Kungsbacka, Sweden (just south of Gothenburg).
When founded: Lab.gruppen was founded in 1979; since 2002, it has been part of the TC Group.
What: Creating sound reinforcement products for the professional audio industry — designs and manufacturers power applications and powered loudspeaker management systems.
How many: 130 personnel.
Number of products in catalog: 25 plus.
Current big clients using products include: Schubert Systems, DB Sound, PRG, Scorpio Sound (U.S.); Sound Explosion (Canada); Brantley, ML Executives, Concert Sounds (U.K.); and others in Demark, Japan, Brazil, Australia, Greece and Quatar, among others.
Recent projects of note: MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, Detroit; Centro Cultural Miguel Delibes, Spain; Galea, Greece.
Recent company highlight: “The new PLM Series of Powered Loudspeaker Management systems were introduced late last year. This is the first fruit of the collaboration between Dolby Lake and Lab.gruppen. The product integrates two channels of Dolby Lake processing technology with the power amplification derived from Lab.gruppen’s FP+ Series.”
Pride of Sweden: “We are extremely proud to design and manufacture in our home country, which goes against current trends.”
People might be surprised to know: “Swedes are known for their innovations. Swedish inventions include: the perfected design of the zipper (Gideon Sundbäck); the refrigerator (Carl Munters and Baltzar von Platen); the computer mouse (Håkan Lans); and the pacemaker (Rune Elmqvist).”
Previous lives: Before working for Lab.gruppen, Chapman worked with Meyer Sound, Crest Audio and First Audio distribution, among others. Before that, he was a music promoter, recording engineer, hotel and restaurant owner, travel agent and even a used car salesman.
Best part about my job is… “The people I get to meet and know and occasionally befriend in this industry.”
That’s a rhetorical question, right? “I moved from Northern California to Turkey to the U.K. and ended up working for a company in Sweden owned by Danes. I went from a near-perfect climate to a hotter one to an often cold and gray place and work for a company based in an often much colder and grayer place. What am I, mad?”
PERSONAL
Family life: Gediz (spouse), Merlin (son) and Begum (daughter).
Animal rights and wrongs: “I’ve had at least 500 pets — or at least it seems that way. I’ve had ducks in a flat in Brighton with parrots and a mynah bird…chows that loved ravaging skunks, and suicidal guinea pigs. I mustn’t forget the cat that gave birth on my leg under the bed covers…today it’s simply an affectionate moggy [a cat of unspecified origin] called Posh Paws that walked into my life recently off the hillside.”
If and when I get on vacation, you’ll find me… “Right where I am now — in my house in Turkey. Or in the U.S., visiting my son and daughter in New York City and with other friends in the States.”
The best concert I probably ever saw was… “Lou Reed, Montreux Jazz Festival. It was unbelievably fab all around.”
If I could have lunch with any person living or dead, it would be… “Alice Waters. Okay, so I’m a terrible foodie. But for years and years, I wanted to eat at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., and, courtesy of Meyer, I got to be in that area.”
If I could tell my younger self one thing it would be… “Don’t think for one minute that things will get any less weird, whacky, adventurous, odd, exciting or uncontrollable as you get older.”
