MAMILANJI

Sound Division fits out new Chelsea members' club

The new Mamilanji members nightclub in Chelsea is a convolution of its owners names — Milan and Manji … but it is the third partner, the ebullient Geeta Dutt who gives the place its identity as the front-of-house host.

She is also a pretty good lighting operator as she proves when choreographing the palette of Abstract Gladiator and VRX scanners, and riot of AVR LED effects — part of an overall technology infrastructure designed and installed by London-based Sound Division Group.

Yet this project was in development for so long that the original enquiry to David Graham’s company can be traced back to the 2003 Bar Show when the operators embarked on their mission to convert the former Stocks, which was something of an institution on the King’s Road.

After canvassing the rest of the show, Geeta soon returned to the Sound Division stand, convinced she had made the right decision, and so began a working relationship which has so far developed over a two-year period.

“You have to get on with a person and David Graham and his team have been absolutely brilliant,” she said. “He got what this was about straight away and knew what I wanted intuitively. Sound Division have been right on the ball and have been utterly dependable.”

The original building was gutted and the DJ booth repositioned, enabling Sound Division to install an ‘industry reference’ set-up, based around a pair of Pioneer CDJ-1000’s, two Technics SL1210 Mk5 turntables and Allen & Heath Xone:62 mixer. In addition an HHB CD burner has been included to enable DJ sets to be recorded, while taking a leaf out of the 'theatre kitchen' concept, the main audio rack (containing all the amplification and processing devices) is on show to the public from the DJ booth.

But it is the inspired RGB mix of the LED lighting that is largely responsible for the club’s atmosphere, with the walls and bar forever changing colour.

This is under the command of the Abstract Sunlight software package which enables Geeta (who wanted colour-changing LED’s from the very beginning) to direct the lighting, using the psychology of colour carefully. Early on the lighting is a subdued violet, turning to pink and by midnight it’s deep red. “That’s when it starts to get sexy on the dancefloor,” she says. And for those who then feel the urge to change environments there is a recessed, heavily-lit ‘Champagne Bedroom’ off the main floor (complete with the appropriate levels of sound and lighting).

The interior design follows a traditional North Indian theme. All the furniture is bespoke, and Geeta flew to Udaipur in Rajistan four times and came back with three container loads, including the green marble and solid silver table tops in the restaurant. The beautifully ornate bar front is reclaimed timber from an old church.

The overall result is a two-floor dancing and fine dining restaurant/cocktail lounge area (serving modern Mediterranean/French cuisine), linked by a marble staircase, while the long glass entrance corridor is a maze of colour-changing LED floor panels.

However, being in a rsidential area, one of Sound Division’s biggest challenges was to control the sound system.

Using the tried and trusted Soundweb SW9088iiLL DSP engine (with local ‘Jellyfish’ and ‘Shrimp’ remote controls) to set sound thresholds and store gain settings, Sound Division specified four compact Turbosound TQ308’s mid high cabinets for the floor (and two on the periphery), reinforced by two TQ115 sub bass cabinets positioned underneath the DJ booth directly onto the dance floor — all powered by Crown Pulse XS series amplifiers. A further Turbosound TXD308 is provided for DJ referencing (all Turbo loudspeakers were custom painted white to match the interior).

Multiples of JBL Control 26C and 24C recessed ceiling speakers meanwhile, deliver the sound to the corridor, toilets, bedroom areas and upstairs to the restaurant (where they are interspersed with JBL Control 23’s).

Pioneer CD multiplays are used to deliver background music.

David Graham paid credit to the supplier support he had received. “Due to the importance and complexity of the lighting we asked Abstract’s Steve Watts to offer design advice; as for the sound we sought the experience of Turbosound’s Dom Harter, who also arranged an onsite demo.”

The electrical installation was carried out by JLC Electrical under the leadership of Jon Carey.