Life’s a beach

Bali’s newest resort, Atlas Beach Fest, is the latest venture of lifestyle and entertainment brand the Holywings Group, headed by flamboyant lawyer and TV personality, Hotman Paris Hutapea. This will come as no surprise to those who’ve dined, drank, danced and partied at one of Holywings’ 40-plus venues across Indonesia. The design concept of each Holywings venue is guided by the latest trends, taking inspiration from major cities around the world. “We bring ideas that we’ve picked up from other countries that are new to Indonesia,” explains Holywings’ Marvin Saputra. “Then we tailor them for our audiences and add a unique energy that can compete with other countries.”

Holywings already had history with UK club and live music brand Funktion-One before plotting its new venture, having installed its speaker systems at more than 10 of its W Superclub, H Club, Golden Tiger Club and Golden Dragon Bar properties and other venues across Indonesia. The systems have all been supplied by distributor and solutions provider DMP Musik and installed by Jakarta-based PT Electro Audio Engineering. So, when it came to the group’s most ambitious project to date – to create Bali’s largest beach resort which would also feature a superclub, host beachfront festivals and promote Indonesian arts and culture – it turned again to DMP Musik, which has provided and installed around 200 speakers across the venue, including some Yamaha models for a communal outdoor area.

Located on the Berawa waterfront, the Atlas Beach Fest features bars, swimming pools and relaxation areas with expansive views over the ocean as food and drink are served from various outlets to the accompaniment of live and DJ music. As well as entertaining guests staying in the luxurious accommodation options, a free-to-enter communal area hosts a market with street food stalls, traditional Balinese dance and music classes, workshops on Balinese art and cuisine and a range of installations and exhibitions by local artists, photographers and designers.

Encapsulating the hedonism of Bali’s party scene is W Superclub Atlas Bali, part of the Atlas Beach Fest complex, forming a huge entertainment destination that attracts thousands of visitors every week. The three-level nightclub, designed with an industrial theme, features Funktion-One systems in tandem with a state-of-the-art lighting and laser rig and fog machines.

“The concept was to create what would possibly be the largest beach club in the world,” explains DMP Musik CEO, Kenny Soewondo. “At the centre is a DJ stage, surrounded by many different culinary experiences, clothing stores and food stalls, plus the nightclub. Resorts in Bali usually only have a limited choice of activities, so this was designed to be something different, offering a wide choice of leisure activities.”

DMP was brought onboard in mid-2021, right at the start of the project, with less than a year before it was due to open. “The owners wanted to have a very even distribution of Funktion-One speakers and subwoofers, with an emphasis on the DJ stage in the middle of the beach club,” continues Soewondo. “They are fans of Funktion-One, which they have used at many of their other outlets.”

At the heart of the main beach club area is a main stage and DJ booth surrounded by a dancefloor. This area has the resort’s highest volume of guests, who can order food and drinks throughout the day and stay to enjoy sunset from the west-facing beach. Visitors can gather to watch live and DJ performances from the comfort of daybeds which have been arranged with views of the stage, as well as from private pools. The main system consists of four Funktion-One Evo 6EH mid-high speakers, four F215 MkII mid-bass units and four F124 bass enclosures powered by two Linea Research 44C10 and two 44C20 installation amplifiers with onboard DSP. The wider area is covered by 27 Funktion-One F1201 compact enclosures mounted on palm trees, 18 F101 speakers on wooden poles and 19 BR118 compact subwoofers encased in wooden boxes, made in conjunction with the club’s interior designer to fit aesthetically with the décor. A Yamaha QL5 digital console with Tio1608-D stagebox is used at FOH for the main stage, while DJ equipment includes Pioneer CDJ-3000 players and a DJM-900 DJ mixer.

The beach club area is controlled from the main AV room, one of four located around the premises connected via Ethernet which can be accessed using the local Wi-Fi network, allowing staff to make adjustments in separate areas. Each AV room is installed with a networked Yamaha MRX7-D matrix controller to manage the audio zones and provide control.

A covered corner area, Solitaire, has been provided for VIP guests to relax with a drink and enjoy a more premium experience. Four Funktion-One F1201 and two F81 speakers when the weather is too hot. This is installed with Funktion­plus one BR115 and two BR118 subwoofers have been One F81 compact enclosures and BR115 bass reflex units. installed, powered by Full Fat Audio FFA-8004 HD and FFA-6004 Solitaire, together with its private pool area and a children’s amps with NST VMX88 processing. There is also a general bar pool at the southern part of the club, is controlled from AV area for people to refill their drinks and sit in a shaded area room B.

The Culinary Ground is a large communal area outside the private beach club, which is free for the general public to enter. On offer are a bar, a coffee shop, a bakery, an ice-cream stall and restaurants offering ramen, sushi and local Balinese food among other choices. Here, DMP opted for a system using more budget-friendly, slimline Yamaha VXL column speakers to provide background music. A total of 14 VXL1-16 and 12 VXL1-24 column speakers have been installed throughout this area, together with 12 Yamaha VXC3F ceiling speakers and 19 Yamaha VXS5 surface mount speakers, powered by Yamaha amplifiers with DSP provided by a Yamaha MRX7-D. AV room C also handles background music at the front of the beach club.

The jewel in the crown of the Atlas Beach Club is the W Superclub Atlas Bali, which can host up to 2,000 revellers, featuring a main five-per-side system of Funktion-One Vero VX90i speakers supplemented with eight F124 subwoofers. The delay systems consist of F1201s installed at the rear of the dancefloor and the rear balcony, with Evo 6E speakers and F121 subs to cover the balcony and F121 subs and MB212 minibass subs suspended above sofas surrounding the dancefloor. A pair of PSM318s are being used for DJ monitoring. The entire system is powered by Full Fat Audio FFA-8004 HD, FFA-10000, FFA 6004 and Funktion-One D120 amplifiers with NST Audio VMX88 and NST VMO16 processing. DJ equipment includes Pioneer CDJ-3000 players and a DJM­900 DJ mixer.

“The project was very challenging for both PT Electro Audio Engineering and DMP Musik, as we were working in a limited time window during a time when supply chain issues were very significant,” comments PT Electro Audio Engineering’s lead sound engineer, Willie Satya. “Working together, as well as with Funktion-One, we managed to achieve the timely delivery and installation of the Atlas Beach Fest.”