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A word from the Director
My musical background hails back to my younger days when I was 10 years old by undertaking voice-over tasks and writing music for the radio theatre programs, produced by my father. This is where I learnt a great deal about recording techniques, sound and studio microphone placement. All shows were recorded and overdubbed to ¼” tape at 30 IPS. I was overly impressed by the sound quality of the end result played through the studio monitors. My father was a great influence in the way I perceived the sound that was achieved with that magical equipment that only radio and TV station had in the 80’s. Editing by splicing the magnetic tape, cueing it at the right time and place was something that set a particular benchmark in achieving great results in sound recording also due to the usage of outstanding Neumann microphones. I was about 14 when I started my own band playing bass and then guitar. The band Black Olives still carries on now…
1992-1997 – I studied English Philology at the State University where I wrote my dissertation: “Phonetic English expressive means and stylistic devices of Rock Music Poetry in comparison with classical poetry ”.
In 1997 I was admitted to study at Sir Paul McCartney’s LIPA (Liverpool Institute For Performing Arts) where I enrolled on 1-year course in Popular Music & Sound Technology. The most important modules were Studio Sound Recording, Live Sound and Business Skills. My tutors were incredible professionals who taught me a great deal in all the aspects of Music Industry. I remember well Mr. Tim Pike, Mr. Tim Dalton (Chris Rea and Kula Shaker’s Live & Studio Producer, Beastie Boys’ and David Bowie’s Tour Manager), Mr. David Price (Alan Price’s brother) and many others… The Liverpool local music scene was very exciting and on many occasions I was privileged to have performed with my band during that time. To add, I undertook duties as a live sound engineer at The Cavern Club and other venues in Liverpool.
In October 2001, I started my next journey working in the music shops in Denmark Street (aka Tin Pan Alley), London – one of the most famous streets in the world for musical instruments. There I learnt a great deal about vintage and modern amplifiers, guitars and effects pedals. I met many famous musicians as well as industry people at a time when music venues in Central London were very much alive (like Astoria in Charing Cross Road). I worked in Denmark St for 16 years until June 2017. During that time I developed a deep affinity towards guitars and amplifiers. I had acquired extensive knowledge about all aspects of the music industry. I had learnt in great detail how to achieve the classic guitar sounds made by famous players such as: Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Brian May, David Gilmour, Peter Green, Pete Townsend and many others…
Along with my job in musical instrument retail, around September 2009 I started my own recording studio in Holloway Road, London. This is where I experimented a lot with recording techniques and tested how well many known amplifiers would translate onto tape and disc… At that point in time I realised I wanted to start my own amp company but it did not happen until late 2018…
In late 2018 I imagined a different direction in amp manufacturing, which would enhance the best of all designs ever made. This concept led me to Hylight as a name with historical value, which was available so I did not hesitate to register it with success. Shortly after I started Hylight Electronics as the next generation company, which had had a great history since 1966. It’s a serious undertaking, as it bounces off the original designs of Dave Reeves but not entirely…
The main objective of Hylight as a brand is to offer the guitar and bass players a reassessed and updated amplifier which would become an actual highlight of British amplification by encompassing the best features of all amps from the past rolled into one. In other words, Hylight would offer designs from the very early undertakings of Dave Reeves combined with other known modern amp features and bringing them into the present, and also taking them into the future by designing new models and adapting them to the modern player’s demands.
I can already say that a few modern players that I personally know are testing our new post-NAMM 2020 amps and are very impressed by their connectivity options and sound… To sum up, our main goal is to offer guitar players a high quality amplifier with added modern features manufactured today with an inspiration from the past. It’s just a hand-made amp and very authentic for the year 2020 and beyond. Made in London, UK.
I see the future of Hylight as a go-to amp for many as it will always offer world-class quality amplifiers of many designs for any tastes and needs. No cutting corners, no compromise, just the best of the best…
Andrei Nicula