The DJ industry is going through a lot of changes. Some are weathering the storm very nicely, but others are sadly becoming casualties of the effects of the digital age, as well as being caught up in the aftershock of the global recession. And it’s our sad duty to report that Ecler has declared itself bankrupt in a Barcelona court.
Ecler is best known in the DJ industry for its mixers — not just the MAC installation units, but also for making the amazing HAK scratch mixers, the more club oriented NUO range, and of course the high-end EVO mixers. The latter in particular earned some real fans, who were quite vocally disappointed when support seemed to dry up. Modders requested that the firmware be made open source so that they could build upon the solid foundation, but the requests fell on deaf ears.
Ecler did dabble with the idea of getting into controllers. I had discussions with them about the market, but I think that it was already too established for them to make any kind of dent, and considering that mixer sales were starting to slide, the future wasn’t looking too great, especially as key Ecler people went to pastures new.
It’s a huge shame to see them or any company close down, but seeing a European one that made some very important pieces go is especially sad. Let’s hope that something can be salvaged from the bankruptcy as assets are being auctioned off. RIP Ecler.
Google translated report here.
UPDATE: Word has just reached me from a trusted source that this isn’t the very end of Ecler. We will have exclusive information when it’s is available, but clearly there are moves to save the brand from extinction.