For The Love of Music: Oliver Hooson, Photographer, Enthusiast, Runner

Oliver Hooson is many things: runner, cyclist, photographer, coffee aficionado and content producer just scratch the surface. But what Oliver really is, when you boil it down, is an enthusiast. If Oliver enjoys something, he throws himself into it. 

He’s also a big fan of rituals: “My main hobbies and interests are usually ritual-based things, he says. “Slow things at home, like making coffee, listening to music, playing chess.” 

Music lovers will completely understand how important ritual is to the vinyl experience. Selecting the record you want to play from your collection, taking the record out of the sleeve, placing it on the turntable (gently, with care), and then moving that tone arm across and placing the needle carefully on the vinyl before taking yourself back to the comfort of your sofa to enjoy that richly nuanced sound… and then doing it all again in reverse. Life in music is a ritual. 

Oliver’s interest in vinyl piqued recently, after, of all things, a cancelled concert. “I can't pretend to have been a super avid vinyl collector, however, I had a kind of epiphany when one of my favourite artists, Pinegrove, cancelled a tour before I got to see them, and then stopped touring and retired from playing altogether.” 

But Oliver’s love of music goes back much further, and was kick-started by video games. “My original interest in music all came from the Tony Hawk soundtracks and the music in skating videos, and that allowed for like a super varied palette of music; metal, techno, whatever really.”

That variety is only matched by how and where Oliver listens to the music he loves. “Music in my everyday life is completely intrinsic,” he says. “From the moment I wake up, whether I’m outdoors or indoors, music is literally everywhere for me. Whatever I’m doing, it’s pretty certain I’m doing it while listening to music.”

He has been a Bowers & Wilkins convert for a while, as the proud owner of a Zeppelin wireless speaker. “When I was younger a friend of my mum had one of the original ones, and I remember it being this incredible object of desire. So, to have the most recent iteration is just very cool.”

But now Oliver has taken the plunge into the world of a dedicated hi-fi system, which he describes as “an amazing, if a little scary, place to be.” 

This move has come from a desire to continue to enjoy great sound, while also bringing him closer to the music he loves.

“Great sound is important to me because I don't necessarily listen to my music loud, so I like to get the best out of what I've got within my flat. Also, a lot of the artists that I listen to are so small and so far away from me, and I'll never really be able to see their shows. So, for me, it's the closest I can be to that artist, to that song, and to be able to have it here at home is amazing,”

“For me, I think the other factor of investing in a record player, loudspeakers and vinyl is to enjoy that process, to slow down. I know it's a sort of cliche, but I love the ritual of it all and enjoy being present in the moment. 

Design is also a key consideration for Oliver. “It has to fit with my design philosophy”, he says. “And the Bowers Wilkins 600 Series does exactly that: it's not overbearing, it's minimal, it's clean, and it's obviously high quality. It's perfect balance of everything for me.”

You can start your own musical journey with the 600 Series here.