www.psneurope.com


July 2013 l 47


installationreport


New home for Sound Services


Sound Services was the audio supplier for We Are FSTVL in May


UNITED KINGDOM


South London rental house/installer reflects after move to better specified headquarters and expanding inventory, writes Dave Robinson


LONDON-BASED AUDIO specialist Sound Services has relocated to a new facility, as the company consolidates on the back of an extremely busy 12 months. The move, which comes at the hands of overground rail developments, sees Sound Services relocate to a new unit within the Gemini Business Estate in the capital’s south east. It has given the company the opportunity to re-focus after a relentless year and pause, albeit very briefly, before a packed summer schedule. The new premises offers


organisational advantages over its predecessor, which Sound Services had occupied since 2011. Split over two levels, the space provides warehousing on the ground floor and an office/meeting environment on the mezzanine.


Since the company was


formed in 2003, it has enjoyed a colourful progression from CEO Curt Gilmore’s solo project to becoming a prominent force in


Curt Gilmore at Notting Hill Carnival


installation and rental markets, particularly in east London. It’s an area that has enjoyed a creative and cultural rebirth over the past decade. Gilmore was joined by Rich


Cufley in 2007 and together with a third employee, Mike Oram and some important manufacturer partnerships, the management have melded their strengths to grow the rental and installation arms of the business. In the last 12 months, the company has installed Funktion-One sound systems at


venues including Dalston Superstore Dance Tunnel, Basing House in Shoreditch, Queen of Hoxton, Birthdays in Dalston, Vice Magazine’s The Old Blue Last, Beagle in Hoxton, Star of Hackney Downs and Resident Advisor’s London office. “Everybody knows what Funktion-One is famous for – sonic quality, big dynamic speakers – but we’ve also benefitted from having the entire range at our disposal,” explains technical director Rich Cufley. Sound Services has purchased around F1 cabinets in recent months, principally for installation work. “The smaller speakers, like the F55s, F101s and F1201s, are very effective. They’ve helped us to deliver some fantastic solutions to bars, restaurants and clubs too.” It’s a level of vitality that is


mirrored by the company’s rental operation. Sound Services has become the de facto audio supplier for a host of legal warehouse parties in the UK’s


Rich Cufley with Funktion-One’s Ann Andrews


capital. “They’re challenging but a lot of fun,” says Cufley. Norman Jay’s Good Times Sound System at Notting Hill Carnival, Land of Kings Festival, Vice Magazine’s 10th Birthday and May’s We Are FSTVL are some of the other recent highlights. “We’ve got a carefully considered range of stock, which means we can handle a wide variety of events on the rental side. As well as the Funktion-One stuff, we stock lots of brands, including Midas, XTA, Pioneer, Formula sound and FFA.” Such is the level of stock that


warehousing at the new facility is near capacity but Cufley isn’t concerned. The growth Sound Services has targeted is qualitative rather than quantitative, he says.


“We’re not trying to become


one of the huge rental houses, it’s much more personal for us. We feel that if we grow the scale of the business, we’ll dilute the ability to give the levels of service that our customers have become accustomed to. In fact, our aim is to improve the service we offer and, from an organisational point of view, the new premises will support that. “We’ve worked very closely with Funktion-One. Everybody knows how important Funktion-One is in terms of audio, but it’s personal for them too. Whenever we’ve needed support, advice or anything else for that matter, they’re always there when we need them.”n www.sound-services.co.uk


Photo: Paul Underhill www.paulunderhill.com


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