Following the huge success of the original Sugar Hut in Fulham, London, owners Chris George, Gary Smith and Frazer Donaldson have taken on a 15th century coaching inn in the heart of Brentwood village. With its unique galleried courtyard playing an important role at the heart of the venue, the old hotel is now home to six different themed clubrooms, bars and restaurants. As a whole, the Sugar Hut Village holds nearly 900 people, dispersed through the Karma Bar, the Krug Suite, the Gallery Bar, the main restaurant, and other areas.
Having worked on the Sugar Hut in London and its sister venue, the KBar in Chelsea, local audio installation company Cosmic Electronics was called in to provide the all-important sound systems. "Volume just wasn't the issue at the Sugar Hut," explains Mark Damon. "This is not a disco, it's a very upmarket club, so the brief called for precise, high-quality audio. Nor did they want to see the actual speakers, so all the cabinets have been hidden behind drapes or concealed in decorative cabinets." Cosmic's choice of equipment was the EViD 'designer' speaker from ElectroVoice, supplied by Shuttlesound. The EViD range of compact, full-range loudspeakers was easily able to provide the power needed on the dancefloor, as well as low-key background music for the seating and eating zones around the club.
Cosmic has installed 12x EViD 6.2s, with two 18" Eliminator subs, in the main clubroom where the dancefloor is surrounded by seating. In the Gallery Bar, which is used for club members and VIPs, the formula changed slightly, calling for six of the smaller EViD 3.2 cabinets.
On the lighting front, Cosmic Electronics' Mark Damon commented: "The Solar fixtures are bright and small, which was critical in such a tiny space. We've used Alkalite before, so as far as we are concerned it's a tried and tested effect. But in both instances these effects offer great value for money." The Solar LED's can be found in the Sugar Hut Restaurant, Karma Bar, Krug Room Bar and Gallery Bar, where they are mounted behind large frosted perspex screens, to allow the bar areas to change colour. Additional Solar FX can be found ceiling mounted (again behind perspex) in the upstairs corridor, colour-changing the Buddha in the club room and lighting the bed area in the Karma Bar (the latter offering a striking view from the outside). All Solar FX are run off the inbuilt colour-change programme, with the packs then operated by touch screen dimmer control, located in the manager's office. "From here the whole look of the building can be changed from the touch of a button, or simply the mood in any of the individual areas," reports Mark.
(Lee Baldock)
