Kolkata’s Park Street is known for a couple of things – great food and even better nightlife. Often referred to Shaheb-e-Para, or the “Neighborhood of Englishmen” in Bengali, this quaint street in the middle of what was the heart of the erstwhile colonial entertainment district still carries a charm of a bygone era. An era when the sahibs with their memsahibs descended on this neighborhood for their weekend soirees.
Even in the swinging 60s and 70s, Park Street was synonymous with live bands, great dining options and a favorite stop of many western Jazz and Rock & Roll artistes.
It’s only fair then to bring back some of the old-world charm, infused with a touch of modernity into the already bustling nightlife scene, stiff upper lip notwithstanding.
AMPM café does exactly that, with an all-day café concept that transforms into a vibrant Pub/Jazz club by sundown. The interior is lush and opulent, exuding a quiet unassuming vibe, embellished with period furniture, art, books, and knickknacks. The curated menu is both contemporary and avantgarde and incorporates world cuisine as well as local favorites. The attention to detail is visible just as the choice of single origin coffees including one from Nagaland!
Come evening and the bar opens with its wide selection of wines, beers and spirits to go with delectable snacks that keep you coming back for more. The ambience is bright and cheery during the daytime, perfect for catching up with co-workers or for that quick power lunch with a work colleague. The vibe slows down in the evening with lights turned down with a more laidback mood.
“Designing a sound system that matches the ambience and the daytime to evening concept was challenging” says Varun Dua of Bassline AV Technologies, Design Build sound consultant/integrator for the venue. “Collaborating early in the process with the owners, the architecture firm and interior designer, understanding their vision and overall vibe of the place was critical in selecting the components of the system”, he adds. “Also given the need for a seamless changeover from a daytime café sound that needed to be programmed and had to run at ambient levels during day and transition to club levels during evening. The brief was simple – keep the venue engaging without the sound being too much in the face, the system had to be simple enough to be operated by the café staff during daytime and transform into a full-fledged live sound system. Come evening, the system had to transition to the demands of a live venue which would accommodate a jazz quartet at the bare minimum and accommodate a DJ during weekday nights. All this while making the system visually unobtrusive while delivering the required punch. Understated yet energetic. Delicate yet powerful. Tough ask! All this without breaking a sweat… and the bank!” Varun says.
Bassline AV’s Varun with the team from Generation AV, manufacturer’s representatives for Martin Audio and NST Audio got down to the task at hand with designing an FOH system for the main stage, fills at the rear of the main dining area. This being the heart of the system, the team gravitated towards Martin Audio, a natural choice that could deliver a full range sound without distorting at high SPL levels. A pair of Martin Audio’s Blackline X12 is installed horizontally from the ceiling on custom brackets with a pair of Blackline X118s subwoofers on the ground, delivering the low-end punch. Four Blackline X8s provide fills for the main dining area and at the island bar, with an additional unit of Blackline X118s providing bass reinforcement at the bar. Other areas include a balcony, a smoking zone and common areas which are served by eight Martin Audio Adorn A55T speakers.
The overall feel of the place is one that of luxurious understatement which the Martin Audio’s sound signature amply conveys through its famed “British Tone” which is accentuated by NST Audio’s VMX88 digital crossover and processor.
“We chose Martin Audio loudspeakers for its legendary British sound and NST Audio’s processing just breathed new life into them! With an incredible dynamic range of 119dB (A weighted), we never seem to run out of headroom, be it a DJ set or a live band. This combination really elevates the sound experience to the next level” exclaims Varun with a wide grin. “Thanks to the 8×8 matrix in the NST Audio’s VMX88, the changeover from live band to DJ takes a few seconds, so the party never stops”.
As for the customers, they seem to be enjoying the natural tonality and the clarity without it being overpowering. Be it a quiet Jazz track by Diana Krall or a full throated rock ensemble from Steven Tyler aka Aerosmith, both are delivered with equal aplomb thanks to the DEQ settings in the VMX 88 processor.
Rajan Sethi, one of the co-owners of the café/club is delighted. A seasoned restauranter and gourmand, his taste for fine things is visible from the attention to detail that has gone into everything from the décor to the lighting to the menu. “A sound system needs to match the ambience of the venue and we’ve been lucky to work with Bassline from the beginning. Varun and his team engaged with us early, understood our requirements and wrote the specifications for what initially seemed to be less for a venue of this size. We were a bit concerned given that the speaker counts seemed less at the beginning. However, once the system was installed, commissioned, and tested with full capacity crowds, we are now fully satisfied with the sound quality. Bassline AV then helped us with the fine tuning of the sound and helped with the presets for daytime and evening, my team tells me that the system is very simple to operate, and all the complexity has been hidden, which is a very good thing! Kudos to Bassline AV for getting this spot on!”
A quick visit to the venue in the afternoon reveals the versatile nature of the sound system. Strains of Jazz and instrumental music set the mood for quick gourmet coffee paired with artisanal pizza. Office goers with laptops in totes stream in and out, engrossed in work while the odd table is occupied by a couple, holding hands, looking wistful, all while Norah Jones huskily croons away on the PA.
The venue transforms quickly as the tables are set for evening service and the ambient light drops a few shades to golden hues of ochre. Music also changes with jazz making way for light electronic ambient. A show by a local band is scheduled. It’s an only by invite event and the who’s who of Kolkata’s elite are on the invite list.
As patrons stream in, we quickly pop backstage to take a look at the technicals. A Pioneer DJ unit provides signal source into NST Audio’s VMX 88, amplification and stage monitors are from QSC and processing is NST Audio.
The band does a quick sound check with the trusty Beatles “Come Together” number. Lead guitar, Bass, Drums and keys and a couple of Vocal mics complete the setup. All good.
The band gets warmed up and is now belting out John Mayer, Dire Straits, Fleetwood Mac and a medley from Beatles’ Abbey Road as we saunter towards the bar. The mixologist advises me to try the house special, a Martini cocktail. Shaken, not stirred, I tell him in my best Bond impersonation. Nonplussed, he hands me my blood-red drink in a goblet – with an olive thrown in for good measure. After all, we are listening to British cover band out of British speakers, with British processing. Licensed to thrill indeed!
