The newly opened Keys venue, which Los Angeles-based hospitality and lifestyle marketing company The h.wood Group debuted on the Sunset Strip in August, is yet another chapter in the iconic history of the Sunset Strip. Years before it became the latest dance club on the famed boulevard, the space was known as Gazzarri’s Hollywood a Go Go nightclub, where it hosted early performances by The Doors, Van Halen, and other bands. To maintain that renowned sound, the venue chose Clair Global’s Eighth Day Sound integration team to install an L-Acoustics A Series professional sound system.
A short stroll from the Whiskey, Roxy, and Viper Room, Keys—perhaps best known as The Key Club from 1998 to 2013— “Keys is a multi-level space, with very different room geometries, so it had some audio challenges,” explained system designer Demetrius Moore, who spoke of the L-Acoustics A15i loudspeakers and LA12X amplified controllers that power them on two of the venue’s three floors. “All of the levels are aimed at EDM and dance music, and two of them, which have the A15i, can also be used for live music and live events. It’s primarily a dance club, but one that can be as flexible as needed, thanks to its versatile professional sound system.”
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Spreading 12,420 square feet across three stories, each of Keys’ floors is equipped with its own bar and has access to the full-service kitchen. The main floor further features opera box-style balcony fixtures, while the top level welcomes guests to relish in the club energy, with their concert sound systems able to be fully connected or independent of each other—two very different environments or one big party, as the moment requires. “The space can do live-music shows, and musicians will recognize and appreciate that this is an L-Acoustics venue,” said Moore, who is perhaps best known among the live touring community as Drake’s [an Eighth Day Sound touring client] longtime front-of-house engineer. “Dance music or live music, the sound there is fantastic.”
The main floor’s system comprises three A15i per side, bolstered by eight ground-stacked SB18 IIi subs mounted into the face of the DJ stage, configured in four stacks, two high, assuring a world-class dance environment with plenty of thump. Coaxial X8 loudspeakers are also installed as delays while smaller 5XT are used as fills for what Moore says are the space’s various “nooks and crannies,” such as the balcony, and which together create a surround sensation. “It’s a true 360 effect,” he said. The second level uses a dozen X8 split into a left-right system, paired with both SB18 IIi and SB15m subs. “Each space is unique, and we designed the systems specifically for them,” said Moore. “At the same time, they can also work together as a single, multi-level setup."
The sense of Sunset Boulevard's history is important to the club and to The h.wood Group. “Patrons who have heard the new system at Keys are shocked to hear sound this good in this part of town, which has a huge legacy in the entertainment business,” said Steven Kanemoto, audiovisual manager for Keys and The h.wood Group. “There is nothing else like it in the West Hollywood area,” a place, he reminds, where musicians and industry celebrities traditionally have come to dance and have fun. “We wanted to build on that past and make it contemporary again, and that’s what the L-Acoustics system does.”
Kanemoto added that he’s able to sense the joy that the reinvigorated Keys has brought to the storied neighborhood and to a new generation of clubgoers. “The h.wood Group is keenly aware of the history and legacy of its venues on Sunset, so the choice of L-Acoustics was carefully considered and confidently made,” he said. “After all, this is a city where people dream big, and you can’t dream any bigger than this.”
