“Nightclubs that provide high-quality hospitality and entertainment are indispensable to meet Tokyo’s constant influx of tourists and their high expectations of the city’s exquisite nightlife. Above all, world-class sound quality is essential,” says Mr Baba, HARLEM’s General Manager. “The goal of the club’s main floor speaker renovation was to continue presenting a world-renowned hip-hop club with the highest level of sound quality,” continues Baba.
On a hidden backstreet of Tokyo’s trendy Shibuya ward, the HARLEM nightclub is a testament to hip-hop’s undeniable global popularity. Since opening in 1997, it has been dubbed the ‘holy land of hip-hop’ for Japanese music fans as it features weekly performances by local rappers, dancers, and international touring DJs. The three-storey club thumps with hip-hop beats four nights a week and attracts up to 160,000 visitors annually. Last year HARLEM upgraded its main floor to a concert audio system with L-Acoustics K3.
Japanese L-Acoustics Certified Provider Distributor Bestec Audio provided a listening demonstration of L-Acoustics K3 at HARLEM for Mr. Baba. “When we played hip-hop tracks in the main room on K3, the music sounded powerful and clear. I knew that it would satisfy our loyal customers and offer them a new way of experiencing their beloved genre of music,” Mr. Baba explains.
The team at Bestec Audio designed and installed two stacks of four L-Acoustics K3 on top of two KS28 subwoofers in front of the club’s DJ booth. At the back of the dance floor, two stacks of one X12 point source coaxial speaker and two SB18 subwoofers provide rear-fill coverage. Three LA12X and one LA4X amplified controller drive the main system and rear-fill system, respectively.
Since installing the brand-new K3 system, the club has received praise for the clarity and power the system offers for the dynamic range of live audio content, from bass-heavy hip-hop tracks spun by DJs to accompanying MCs and rappers.
“We can further evolve the culture while maintaining the high-quality sound,” says Mr. Baba. “I am truly proud that the L-Acoustics signature sound will become a reference for Japanese hip-hop in the future and that HARLEM continues to impact the music industry positively.”
