potato head teams up with OMA and DJ harvey for bali's klymax discotheque

inside the klymax discotheque in bali

Bali‘s famed Potato Head has partnered from ground to sound with the legendary DJ Harvey and Dutch architects OMA to launch Klymax Discotheque, an immersive sonic experience in the heart of the Indonesian province. Dubbed dance music’s last rock n’ roll star and one of the world’s most respected and influential DJs, Harvey’s career has spanned movements from hip-hop to acid house, from garage to balearic. This latest collaboration channels his 40-year-long experience in the underground dance scene, distilling the most unique and significant elements of gamed parties and venues — past and present — including Paradise Garage, The Music Institute, and The Warehouse. The result is a purpose-built nightclub with state-of-the-art sound, design, and lighting, carefully crafted for the ultimate dancefloor experience.

all images © Tommaso Riva (unless stated otherwise)

teaming up with dj harvey for custom-built sound system

At Klymax Discotheque (see more here), the sound comes first, with the system custom-built to DJ Harvey’s specifications by audio engineer, George Stavro. Rich, finely poised and immaculately detailed, the system creates a vast sonic sweet spot, presenting the music exactly as it was intended to be heard with every nuance intact – perfectly pitched to optimize the audio experience. It features amp racks kept in their own air conditioned room, a sprung dance floor like that of London’s Ministry of Sound to reduce impact and keep revellers on the floor all night long, and subs and horns modelled after Larry Levan’s Paradise Garage.

Klymax Discotheque interiors

The four speaker stacks drawn on the best of the old and the new — using a traditional aesthetic complimented by state-of-the-art components. It’s a classic disco nightclub system based on a blueprint established in 1970s New York clubs. Stavro worked on the system with revered engineer Richard Long who was responsible for the sound at legendary venues Studio 54 and Paradise Garage. The speakers sit on 3mx3m of 11 cm thick concrete padding to absorb vibrations. This padding is also engineered to be separated from the sprung floor to avoid rattling.

distilling the most unique and significant elements of gamed parties and venues

The 208-square-meter sprung dance floor is designed to reduce fatigue and stress on the joints of dancers. Traditionally, ballrooms had sprung floors for this reason. In the modern age, this practice was somewhat lost. The technology is similar to that used in basketball courts; four layers of wooden lattice are built as a structure with 50mm thick foam in between each intersection. Hovering over the dance floor is a 1m diameter disco ball. Fully isolated, a floating DJ booth ensures that sound from the dance floor doesn’t bleed into the booth. The monitor speakers feature the same drivers as the main room speaker stacks.

OMA and Potato Head Design Studio have acoustically treated the interiors to tame errant frequencies

muted interiors by oma and potato head design studio

The club’s interior – designed with Potato Head Design Studio in collaboration with the team at OMA – is acoustically treated by Royal HaskoningDHV to tame errant frequencies. A total of 2,680,135 perforated holes in the wood panelling (walls and ceiling) are there to diffuse the sound as it hits the wall. Meanwhile, 20cm concrete walls function as the building exterior, fitted with 365mm of acoustic layers consisting of three sections: rockwool, perforated panels of 25mm plywood, and 3mm of teak veneer. The lighting is the fruit of collaboration with Tokyo’s RealRockDesign whose accolades include Japan’s Rainbow Disco Club. Completing the ambiance is a muted bar, wherein bespoke cocktails are served on tap to sidestep the surplus sound of mixology. A reflective pond on the roof of Klymax also prevents noise from leaking through the roof.

staircase leading down to the dance floor

Throughout May, the venue will play host to a month-long artist residency with Harvey himself. He will be living on site for the duration, and patrons can indulge in surfing, immersive mindfulness sessions, and movie screenings at Klymax from the likes of Kubrick and Ken Russell handpicked by Harvey, alongside a meticulously curated programme of international acts and residents including HAAi, Dave Clarke, Sophie McAlister, Jonathan Kusuma, Seabass, DITA, and Gero. Harvey himself will take the controls every Saturday night for four consecutive weekends from 11 May to 1 June, performing all night long for each show.