Queen’s Brian May and Genelec wow fans in London with new ‘Queen II’ 2026 Mix

29.4.2026

To the delight of Queen fans everywhere, iconic guitarist, Sir Brian May, has unveiled the band’s new, meticulously crafted remix and remaster of their seminal 1974 album Queen II with an exclusive event at The Soho Hotel in London's West End. To ensure every sonic detail reached Sir Brian’s captivated audience, our powerful and adaptive 8381A SAM™ Main Monitors were called to action.

Treating fans to rare insight and behind-the-scenes stories, Sir Brian lit up the room with the same presence his band are known for worldwide, as he unboxed the new collector’s edition of Queen II and showcased a few highlights. The record, which recently marked its 50th anniversary, is widely considered a masterpiece – well deserving of its new edition, which is carefully rebuilt from the original tapes tracked at London’s famous Trident Studios. 

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Of course, presenting such legendary work – now polished to its full potential – warrants a worthy audio system, so Queen's team turned to Genelec.  

"Our new mix of the Queen II album was made on Genelec speakers – in fact we haven’t even considered using anything else for decades! So, we were delighted when Andy and Perry from Genelec and JJ from HHB agreed to assemble a state-of-the-art flagship system for the launch event." enthuses Senior Engineer & Producer at Queen Productions Ltd, Justin Shirley-Smith. 

Justin, a highly respected sound engineer and key figure in Queen’s inner circle for over 40 years, was joined at the event by his fellow Queen engineer/producers, Joshua J. Macrae and Kris Fredriksson. The trio, whose renowned expertise led to the incredible clarity and nuance of the 2026 edition of Queen II, were delighted with how our 8381A SAM Main Monitors performed at the event. Justin remarks, "Brian, Josh, Kris and I felt it could not have sounded better!" 

Perry Swain, Genelec Regional Sales Manager, recalls the beginnings of this Queen collaboration, saying "We were approached by the band’s team and HHB during the planning phase. The challenge was to provide a system with high-fidelity, studio-quality reproduction, which could deliver detailed playback at high SPL, ensuring impeccable sound across the whole 100-seat theatre. The 8381A ticked every box – offering a natural choice for showcasing this iconic record!" 

Fans at the event not only heard the album in all its reworked glory but also enjoyed a fascinating series of alternate takes and outtakes – as well as recorded interactions between the band members in the studio. Swain says, "Due to the clarity and headroom of the system, it really did feel like being in the room with them and part of the original recording sessions."  

HHB Communications CTO John Johnson adds, "We were honoured to be asked to ensure the playback system for the Queen II 2026 Mix event would work flawlessly. To do this, we specified and provided the technical infrastructure, redundant playback system, and on-site support for the event. The setup utilised Avid Pro Tools and Dante Audio-over-IP devices, including a DAD AX Center, which all worked in harmony to ensure a perfect listening experience on the incredible Genelec 8381 System."

The team at Queen Productions maintains a long-standing relationship with Genelec, having used our audio monitoring solutions across multiple studios, going all the way back to the 1031A model of the 90s. The consistency between their studios, offered by Genelec monitors, allows them a frictionless workflow across all production environments. Nowadays, our GLM calibration software is central in facilitating this consistent, reliable translation. 

Andy Bensley, Genelec Regional Sales Manager, comments, "GLM played a key role in quickly calibrating the system, greatly simplifying the creation of an exceptional listening experience for the entire audience." He adds that, "Being familiar with the record, we had a clear reference to aim for. We needed to ensure we faithfully reproduced the album’s incredible dynamics and emotion, and we were thrilled with how the 8381A performed. The imaging of the system was particularly impressive – given the size of the room. When asked to push the level of the system, the 8381 duly obliged." 