Blue Box Background
Blue Box has been installing and running club systems for over twenty years and our experience of Funktion One systems is second to none. We have installed systems in many major venues including Heaven in London, Pure in Manchester, Mezzanine in San Francisco, Space and Privilege in Ibiza and BCM in Majorca. Part of our ethos is to give full system training to the house engineers and to establish a rapport with them so they feel able to call us with any questions, comments and ideas. It is important to us (and Funktion One) that the systems are kept running to their optimum and involving new users in the development process helps to maintain Funktion One's leading edge in the market.
We always specifying a size of system that has plenty of headroom so it is always running well within it's capability. This means better sound quality, less maintenance problems and improved system longevity. Some of the first Funktion One systems we installed eight years ago are still running in the same clubs which is quite unusual in these days of "fashion statement" audio.
Rather than follow the fashion Funktion One have chosen to enhance their point source array technology which concentrates on projecting high quality sound where it's needed, on the dance floor. Their success has been such that they have pretty much become the only serious player in the club market. In more than one instance we have replaced another manufacturers system with Funktion One after one season because the system they had first chosen to install did not match up to the DJs, promoters or the public's expectation.
In our experience clubs that install Funktion One find their customers respond better to the music, stay in the club longer and, of most importance for the investors, spend more money at the bar.
About us
Originally formed in 1983 to build, fit and ship the then fledgling Turbosound products Blue Box progressed to rentals and installation, taking in the Touring Market in the 80s and the Dance Market in the 90s. Pioneers of the 4 stack Rave System (now de facto) and other innovative ideas (including a block of 8 x 24” cabinets at Pickets Lock that caused vision distortion such was it’s power). The culmination of this work was the Ambisonic Soundfield in the Glastonbury Dance Tent in 1995. This probably provoked more reaction than any other dance event we covered over nearly 8 years.
When the Rave scene moved back into the clubs in the late 90s so did Blue Box, setting about spreading the gospel of the new Funktion One systems, which were likened to Turbosound on steroids! Within two years they had installed 7 new systems in London clubs, including ‘Heaven’ and Laurence Malice’s new club ‘Egg’ (which won an award that year).
Blue Box went on to install systems in San Francisco, Miami and Ibiza; (the indisputable clubbing capital of the world) and now has systems in Space, generally considered to be the best club in the world, and Privilege, the biggest club in the world which this summer saw over 11,000 people (believed to be a new world record for a club) entertained by innovative new club night Supermarxe. This night is almost equalled by the Monday night Tiesto session. Privilege is powered by a Blue Box designed 24 stack Funktion One Res 5 system, Space by a custom built Res 9 system.
These years of innovation and experience have culminated in Blue Box having a team of people whose skill set is second to none, with more experience of Funktion One products than any other user and an all round acoustic expertise garnered from years of listening to systems in difficult spaces (from warehouses to concert halls).
Ever on the forefront of innovation the circle from the 1995 Soundfield system is soon to be completed by a new surround sound technology developed by Binary Cell in Liverpool. Their new venue will see Blue Box Funktion One surround sound systems on two floors catering for live bands and DJs and it is hoped will spawn a new genre of DJs who specialise in optimising the technology.
