Urbanears Slussen is being rather optimistically touted as “the most powerful after-party weapon known to man”. More prosaically, it’s a US$15 DJ headphone splitter adapter for iOS devices, letting you plug speakers and headphones in for an instant, tiny DJ set-up. Being a consumer fashion item, naturally it has a couple of twists: One, it fits on your keyring thanks to a special holder that comes with it, and two, you can download a complementary free DJ program from the App Store in order to, in their words, “take the party with you, wherever you go”.
The Urbanears Slussen comes four colours, looking kind of like a U-bend from your kitchen plumbing, in miniature. From the screengrabs we’ve seen the software seems pretty basic, but nonetheless offers sync (of course), EQ, cue points, crossfader, and decks you can scratch on (read: make a scratch-like noise with your fingers).
Of course, none of this is going to be much fun on an iOS device unless the software is excellent, but if not, it’s our guess the Slussen will work just as well with any iOS software that allows for split cue output, such as Algoriddim’s djay, too. Also, unless that splitter adaptor actually screws into the keyring rather than clipping into it, personally I wouldn’t hold out much hope of going long without losing it, judging by my track record with keyring USB drives – but maybe that’s just me.
We’ve asked for a review sample so we’ll let you know how safe it is in its holder, how well made it is, and whether the software is up to much, if and when we get a first-hand look at it.
Nice idea? The ultimate after-party weapon? A bit of a gimmick? Or both? Let us know your thoughts on the Urbanears Slussen in the comments.
Phil Morse
