Sono Center: A club must be a phenomenon

A very interesting building is growing before our eyes on Veveří (street). Once completed, it will be known as Sono Center, a club with superb acoustic properties. The concert hall will be located in a sphere placed between two semicircular concrete blocks. The two blocks will house facilities for musicians, as well as a hotel and a restaurant. We sat down with the dramaturge of Sono Centre Dan Giač and the investor of this project Jiří Štopl to discuss the upcoming programme, the ideal line-up or the very reason why Štopl decided to build the center, as he is also the co-owner of the Sono Records studio. The two gentlemen did not have time to do this interview together but they were okay with my postproduction mixing.

Any recent extraordinary musical experience worth mentioning?
Dan Giač: I liked Dan Bárta in Semilasso. I haven’t been to his concert for a few years and I was pleasantly surprised.

Would you want him to perform in Sono Center?
DG: It is being arranged.

Sono Center will offer excellent acoustic properties. How big an issue is it for a dramaturge?
DG: I try to discuss the acoustic possibilities with various people. For example, I invited the director of the Brno Philharmonic Marie Kučerová, or the people behind the JazzFestBrno festival. However, these issues are handled mainly by the people from the Sono Records studio in Nouzov. Acoustics is the alpha and omega of the space and I want to believe the conditions will be as universal as possible. From the point of view of the owner, it is the main parameter of the project. We pride ourselves on being able to ensure good sound in a sphere.

So it is an acoustic showroom of sorts?
DG: You could say that.
Jiří Štopl: The design of the space has been conceived with the acoustic qualities in mind. Rock music requires a certain level of stifling to sound good. Mr. Karlík from the Sono Records studio has helped us with that. Folk and jazz are okay. Classical music may present some challenges but they can be resolved with additional acoustic elements and ambient sounding. The space is primarily intended for electric music with minimum sounding and everything else will be based on that. We can offer live recording to all bands, there will be room for production trucks and cable ducts to facilitate live TV broadcast.

The seating capacity and stage dimensions are key attributes of the venue. What does Sono Center have to offer in this regard?
DG: I think large ensembles can – and must – perform there. The stage is relatively large – it is 13 metres wide and 9 metres deep. Extension platforms will be built as necessary. The center should seat 600 to 700 people or accommodate 1,200 to 1,400 standing visitors.

Were you given any task in terms of dramaturgy and the preferred genres or do you have absolute freedom?
DG: Jiří Štopl is a rocker by nature, a big fan of Led Zeppelin, so this is the way the center should – and will – be going. That being said, I told him at the very beginning that the center must be a multi-genre venue. A Brno-based project this big cannot focus on one particular genre or a specific style of music. We have to cover a variety of genres, with the main focus on quality. In terms of genres, it is an open book. Right now it looks like we will welcome Kronos Quartet next fall.
JŠ: I am a rock music aficionado. My most favourite bands are Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. I have accepted the fact that I won’t bring Frank Zappa back to life. So this is my preferred genre. I have not tried to influence Dan much because our respective music tastes are similar. The year has 365 days and there won’t be an event every evening. However, there will be enough time to offer various events apart from Czech (and hopefully foreign) rock music.

Will there be any touching points between the dramaturgy of the club with the musicians who record their albums in Sono Records?
DG: Yes, that is yet another benefit of the studio, apart from the fact that its sound masters will occasionally work there. We cooperate with the manager of the studio Karolína Kalandrová who has already offered several things to us. Thanks to their twenty years of experience they have established contacts with Czech and foreign musicians, so that we will be able to get them here for less money or we can arrange barter deals.
JŠ: Thanks to the studio, we are in contact with the bands, to say the least. It is no longer an anonymous inquiry addressed to the respective performer’s managers. If a singer is happy about the conditions in the studio, he or she will be more willing to cooperate further. This will allow us to arrange special conditions of a concert and even barter arrangements. Should the date of a concert collide with the date of a recording session, it can be arranged. Sono has a decent reputation abroad so that a band can waive a portion of their fee in exchange for the lease of the recording studio. Sono Center and Sono Records will then mutually settle the amount. We have been offering this scenario for a while with positive feedback, which means you can hear some exceptional bands in Sono Center which otherwise would never have come.

There were some rumours about the Rolling Stones…
JŠ: These are just rumours, indeed. It will take a while. The availability of the club is excellent, as is its equipment. This goes without saying. Its acoustic properties, on the other hand, are not that usual abroad. It will have to work on its reputation and word must spread that the club is managed properly and the promoters pay on time and abide to contractual conditions. Once we have achieved that, we can talk about the Rolling Stones because their contact persons have worked in Sono Records before. We will need some experience first, to avoid disgracing ourselves.

Can you name any performers Sono Records has good relations with?
DG: For example Living Colour or Joss Stone, the latter of whom recorded an album there. Even David Bowie was there, so we are talking real celebrities here. As for Czech bands, one-half of the Czech beat scene.

Mainstream beat, I assume…
DG: Yes – Lucie, Wanastowi vjecy, Divokej Bill et cetera.

The future line-up will include Helena Vondráčková, Michal Horáček or the Eben brothers. That doesn’t sound like beat at all…
JŠ: These concerts are organised by other promoters who will lease Sono Center from us. The demand is high because there are not that many suitable concert halls in Brno. Maybe Boby, Semilasso, Fléda…

What can you offer apart from excellent sound? What will you have that other venues do not?
JŠ: Parking, for example. And a better aesthetic experience – although I admit it is a matter of individual taste. We will have the typical theatre seating offering clear audience views. We are working with several arrangements, from “standing only” to conventional rows of seats or tables around a dance floor, plus two galleries. So the space will be very flexible. The venue will have its own restaurant and a hotel offering accommodation to performers and visitors who are not from Brno.

Your vision is to attract middle-aged rock fans who grew up listening to this music. Now they have money and they want to enjoy it…
JŠ: Yes, I think this particular target group does exist and they will find the way to our club. I am not saying, of course, that there should not be events for younger audiences. Some dance parties are planned as well. The promoters of these events have expressed their interest and schedules are being prepared. The hall will have free Wi-Fi for 400 devices; it can host fashion shows, congresses or theatre performances.

I assume the sound equipment will be installed permanently. What kind of equipment will it be and who is going to work it?
DG: It will be the L-Acoustics PA system and a Neve audio mixer. We are especially proud to have the latter because it is normally used in studios. Nobody uses it for public events in the Czech Republic. Marek Eben is also excited about it and he has agreed to emcee the opening concert. We are currently putting together a team of sound engineers. Everyone has their own opinion on who should be on the team and I am trying to hire the best sound engineers I have ever worked with. Sound engineers from Sono Records will be in charge of exceptional concerts (especially those recorded for albums). The club will have its own sound control room and excellent conditions for live recordings. It will also have a Steinway piano, so basically the top-quality basic amenities.

Will Sono Center offer “unplugged” concerts? Are the acoustic conditions suitable for, let’s say, string quartets or chamber orchestras?
DG: Most of my efforts now are focused on the events of the philharmonic. I would like to bring the Exposition of New Music to the center. However, I am afraid that it won’t be possible without some additional sounding because the sphere offers very specific conditions. We will have the entire month of January to resolve these tricky details. All walls of the hall will be lined with removable velvet panels. It means they can occasionally be removed to allow the natural orchestra sound. In fact, even upholstered seats are not particularly suitable for the philharmonic sound. So to sum up, our main focus will be on events with the support of sound equipment.

You have founded or operated a few clubs in Brno – Bumerang, Harlem, Fléda or most recently Muzejka. In the 1990’s you were a radio DJ, during the first and largely independent years of Radio Hády. What can you say about your own musical preferences?
DG: I like funk the most, I even play this style as a DJ. I like Latin music crossovers. I particularly enjoy Brazilian music, even the modern style like Nu Brazil. I also like jazz; I have been trying to cooperate with the people behind the JazzFestBrno festival – sometimes more, sometimes less, but I always want to be there.

Is it hard to combine your personal preferences with the need to fill up a luxurious venue with luxurious events?
DG: My musical ambitions are consistent with the expected line-up. But I do have to put my personal musical preferences aside and see the big picture. The space and the programme must be universal enough to allow everybody to find their event on the programme. I am aware of the fact that the variety of the programme is the key to success, but my favourite performers will come sooner or later. There will be everything and everyone from Helena Vondráčková to Kronos Quartet. The venue must be approached and operated like a music club, not like a concert hall where the patrons leave immediately after the concert. We will need to keep them inside and entertain them. We need them to spend money in bars, to eat at the restaurant and spend the night in the hotel…

Are you sure it is not going to be a venue for hi-fi aficionados who like spending time polishing their fancy stereos with gold-plated cables and connectors?
DG: No, it will be a venue for normal music aficionados. The concert hall is very impressive; it has two large balconies, four bars. The velvet lining may appear overly luxurious, but why the hell not. Why not have a decent venue where people feel good even in a bathroom where everything works the way it should. People will no longer feel like they have come to a smoke-filled hellhole because it will be a “strictly no smoking” venue with excellent air conditioning. Our main goal is to make people comfortable in a cosy environment.

I have met a few of these so-called “hi-fi fans” and they seemed to have enjoyed the technical parameters more than music itself…
JŠ: I wouldn’t say so. I am a keen music listener; I even have a soundproof room at home with some top notch equipment. I have JBL K2 speakers, four power amplifiers and two sources (DVD or CD). I know exactly what kind of music I want to listen to and I want to listen to it in the appropriate quality. Plus I have to have some manoeuvring space if I decide it needs to be loud. I cannot say I don’t care about the genre as long as the reproduction is good. That being said, thanks to this equipment I can tell whenever the recording of a certain album was not a job well done. You would be surprised how low the quality is of some of the recordings by some of the most famous of performers.

If I remember it correctly, the layout of the hall is supposed to be partly opened and variable, correct?
JŠ: We have several layout versions on the table. With rows of chairs there won’t be as much space because we will strive for the maximum seating capacity. We can also sit people at tables or bars, or we can have a standing crowd only – depending on the nature of the event. The space is very generous and the stage and the auditorium are largely variable.

This unusual project will be located on a vacant lot between the Platinium office building and another building. What have the tenants of the latter been saying about your project?
JŠ: It is an office building as well and we have above-average relations with the tenants because we have agreed that they need to drive through our building. During evening events in Sono Center they will allow us to use their garages. Generally we were behind schedule because of soundproofing requirements. Legal standards are one thing and noise nuisance is another. We designed a special layer as a combination of basalt wool, air, wood and concrete which would muffle noise of up to 90 dB. Our AC may be a problem because normally one filter is installed, and we have four. We will schedule a special sound experiment in March with a live band playing really loud, so that we can fine-tune these issues in order to ensure compliance with the noise regulation.

Why are you building Sono Center in Brno?
JŠ: The reason is simple – I live here. I have some activities elsewhere but at the same time I realize that there aren’t that many places to go. I have been going to concerts ever since I was a kid, I once saw Freddie Mercury live in Budapest. I also went to a U2 concert in Cardiff where I realized one thing: although there may have been close to 80,000 people, only ten to fifteen percent of them had the proper musical experience. I don’t believe large arenas can offer and convey the energy because you need to have a properly sized club. Sure, you can have a concert hall – but concert hall must be built by municipalities. I saw a few shows given by bands in our studio and I decided to create something that would ensure this type of experience. The hotel and other amenities were just the cherry on top. I wanted to create a venue where everyone can enjoy top-quality cultural events.

What are the new and unusual things Sono Center will offer its patrons? Helena Vondráčková has been here before, Kronos Quartet have not, but other excellent quartets have. So what’s new?
DG: It is going to be an exceptional venue that will improve the clubbing scene in Brno. Before we opened Fléda our goal was to turn it into a phenomenon and a venue suitable for many target group categories, including for example wealthier companies and their office parties. However, the investment into Fléda was one hundred times smaller than the investment into Sono Center. There has never been a better opportunity like this one to create a club of this magnitude. As for its dramaturgy, we are going to be braver because it will work as a magnet. The first year or two people are going to be anxious to see what it looks and sounds like inside. We will have to take advantage of the fact that they want to come. We want to win them over and make sure they’ll come back. If Sono Center is to become a phenomenon, they must play their part.