Runway success
Published: MEA
Studio F provides Dubai’s fashonistas with a front row seat to today’s high-end designs, and needed the sound to complete the look. Alice Gustafson reports.
You only have to enter one of Dubai’s mega malls to get a sense of the importance placed on aesthetics and luxury in the UAE, aptly demonstrated by Dubai’s fascination with fashion. The Boulevard at Jumeirah Emirates Towers alone is a fashionista’s dream; for every Starbucks there’s a Gucci, a Jimmy Choo or a Giorgio Armani, enticing shoppers to strive for higher levels of beauty, glamour and style.
Not missing a beat, international fashion and lifestyle broadcasting television channel, Fashion TV decided that it was about time it took the world of haute couture in a new direction, joining up with former investment banker Ali Bokhari to create Studio F, the first in a line of new fashion lounges.
Nestled within Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Studio F is a fashion studio by day and bar by night, offering luxurious VIP booths, LED walls, TV screens, a DJ space, dining areas, not forgetting the focal point, a huge LCD catwalk ramp furnished with front row seats.
‘I started putting this project together about a year and a half ago with Fashion TV,’ explains Mr Bokhari – Studio F’s owner – whilst welcoming Pro Audio Middle East to a plush VIP booth. ‘Any kind of fashion designer, fashion house or lifestyle brand can use the venue to record an event for Fashion TV, or even for other media channels. In the evening it becomes a venue open to customers, and they will be able to watch the professional shows filmed earlier on in the day.’
Once the lounge was looking as it should, Mr Bokhari turned his attention to the all-important sound reinforcement system. ‘I looked at a lot of different options and brands, and I found that Funktion One was the best. I have listened to it in other venues and the sound quality just wasn’t comparable to anything else.’
Enter, Em-Tec, Funktion One’s Dubai-based distributor and installer, which was more than happy to oblige. ‘They came to us and said they wanted Funktion One, and one of their main considerations was to get the sound right,’ concurs Em-Tec’s general manager Andrew Williams, who oversaw the entire project. ‘They also wanted lighting and video, so it escalated from doing the sound to doing the whole A/V system.’
In fact, this was the largest amount of LED the company had incorporated into a venue, comprising 17 TV screens, two large LED walls and an LED catwalk. Keen not take all the credit, he adds that Derwent MEP, the company Em-Tec works with, dealt with most of that side of the project.
Unusually, the owners wanted Em-Tec to play a part in the entire A/V design, and were prepared to listen, rather than dictate. ‘Usually, the owners just worry about the show, they don’t worry about the sound and light,’ adds Em-Tec CEO, Alex Bracken after a demonstration of the system. ‘So it broke that mould, and that's good for us. They were on board with the whole thing, and that’s quite rare.’ Pro Audio Middle East notes, interestingly, that the lounge’s interior sports a subtle hint of purple.
‘The LED content is a key feature – in particular the runway,’ he continues. ‘Everything is facing towards it, so it needs to be good. The audio obviously plays a major part too, and it’s important that people realise that Funktion One isn’t just some dance stack rave system, and that’s what we try and do.’
Indeed, the aptly named Studio F boasts Funktion One’s Res 3s, Res 1s, the brand’s new F1201s, a number of F101s and F81s, with F221s, F218s and MB210lps providing the essential low end. Providing the power are the brand’s E90, E45, E100Q, E25, E30Q, F60Q and F40Q amplifiers.
Tuning the system
Taking a leaf out of the book of Funktion One founder Tony Andrews, Mr Williams has a rather unique approach to system tuning, as he explains. ‘Tony is on a different path, and it’s the right path compared to the rest of them! He is all about natural products, and he uses his ears, which essentially are his tools.’
Upon first visiting the Funktion One workshop, Mr Williams was pleasantly surprised to find the company founder working closely with his wood-worker, rather than being confronted with a room full of bleeping computers. ‘I think 40 years experience is better than any program, and that’s what makes all the difference,’ he discloses.
A kindred audio spirit, Mr Williams doesn’t use software to achieve smooth crossovers, coverage and balance; ‘It’s about using your ears,’ he grins.
Sit-on sound
Fashion-loving patrons frequenting the VIP booth can’t fail to notice the extra bass – they’re sitting on it. In a city where guests want to be seated rather than stand, maximising the seating was essential for the high-end lounge.
‘There are bass bins under the sofa, which we don’t normally do,’ admits Mr Williams. ‘Dubai is all about tables; you book a table and you have a minimum spend, and getting a seat is a privilege. Guests want a nice seat and a great view of the fashion show; it’s not about big dance floors and how many can fill a venue, it’s all about premium customers and premium seating.’
‘The market is like that here,’ nods Mr Bracken, ‘everybody wants to be seated and be seen.’
Elsewhere in the lounge, Em-Tec applied its expertise and common sense to address the all too common issue of keeping sound off the bar. Those that dream of the luxury of communicating with the bar staff – and visa versa – will find it easier than they perhaps thought, thanks to four strategically positioned Res 1 speakers.
‘They have a narrow 45-degree dispersion, keeping most of the sound off the bar,’ says Mr Williams, who later goes on to tweak the positioning further during a demo – by ear. ‘They have carefully considered the key areas of the venue; it’s where it makes its money whilst ensuring that there’s nice, even coverage across the whole venue with no dead spots.’
The AC challenge
Ever the perfectionist, there is still one small part of the lounge that irks Mr Williams. Right at the last minute, plans were put in place demanding additional air conditioning units. Unfortunately for the already perfectly aligned speakers, these were necessary to keep the venue at a more tolerable temperature and to get rid of cigarette smoke, meaning that one of the ceiling-mounted Res 3 speakers had to be moved.
‘The sound is a vital part of any venue, but unfortunately there are other things that need considering, and keeping the place cool is of vital importance,’ concedes Mr Williams. ‘If it’s 45-degrees outside and you don’t come into a nice, cool venue you’re not going to stick around. No matter how good the sound is, if it’s too hot you wont want to sit there for six hours.
‘Ideally, I like to have everything symmetrically square, but these are the things you have to deal with. Even when it’s a new build things can get thrown in at the last minute, but thankfully it’s not too bad. Besides, it’s on the way to the toilets – not exactly the centre of the venue! If it was another area I would be more concerned.’
Agreeing, Mr Bracken offers: ‘We still have to be accommodating to the customer, and usually it’s not their fault. When you conclude that that’s all you can do, you have to find the solution.’ He likes that word, solution; ‘we don’t have problems, we find solutions!’ he smiles.
Impossible to ignore is the team’s passion for the job, and willingness to seamlessly bring the worlds of fashion and sound together to produce the best possible result.
‘I could just shove some speakers up and leave them, but I don’t. I care genuinely about all the venues we do, and I want to make them as near to perfect as possible,’ enthuses Mr Williams. ‘I care passionately about sound. If we’re doing our job right, people won’t even notice it, but they’ll definitely notice if the sound is bad. Thankfully we have a good reputation in the market and we always get good feedback. We’re obviously doing something right!’
Not that he didn’t look forward to finishing the job. ‘Apart from a few days here and there I’ve been working all of the time, six days a week since I can remember; because I want to, not because I have to. I really, really enjoy it!’
Em-Tec’s passion and skill has indeed earned the team a glowing reputation. At the time of interviewing, Mr Williams is handling four projects simultaneously, and all without a scrap of promotional material. ‘We haven’t had time to do it!’ he laughs. ‘It’s a great sign though, don’t get me wrong!’
All signs so far point to a promising start for an entire chain of Fashion TV lounges, with plans already in the works to take the glossy franchise to Lebanon, Istanbul, Singapore, London, Rio and Paris.
‘If this goes well, we plan to take this worldwide,’ confirms a knowing Mr Bokhar. ‘Funktion One will be synonymous with this brand.’