Distinctive Musical Nightspot Rises on the Sunset Strip
Los Angeles-based hospitality and lifestyle marketing company The h.wood Group opened Keys, a new luxury destination for music revelers, in August. Joining other storied Sunset Strip venues in West Hollywood including The Roxy Theatre, the Viper Room and Whisky a Go Go, the location for Keys, at 9039 Sunset Boulevard, is pretty iconic itself.
An Iconic Location
From the 1960s through the 1990s, the location was the site of Gazzarri’s, founded by Bill Gazzarri, a.k.a. The Godfather of Rock. The Doors, Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses along with countless other acts and bands performed at the site over the years.
Milestones included Gazzarri’s closure in 1993 (after Bill Gazzarri’s passing in 1991), structural damage from the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the opening of a new building housing Billboard Live in 1996 and the opening of The Key Club in the new building’s distinctively tall, multi-level performance space in 1998.
The venue’s run as The Key Club lasted until March 2013, and the space reopened six months later, operating under the 1Oak banner until 2022. With the new brand, Keys, paying homage to the The Key Club’s legacy, the 12,420-square-foot club still stands apart with its multi-level layout.
A Tall Order
Prior to the club’s opening in August, the h.wood Group turned to Clair Global’s Eighth Day Sound integration team to install an L-Acoustics A Series professional sound system. Eighth Day Sound worked with a sound design from Demetrius Moore, Drake’s longtime FOH engineer.
“Keys is a multi-level space, with very different room geometries, so it had some audio challenges,” says Moore, who served as system designer for the project. He detailed how the L-Acoustics A15i loudspeakers and LA12X amplified controllers that power them were chosen for 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,” Moore notes. “It’s primarily a dance club, but one that can be as flexible as needed, thanks to its versatile professional sound system.”
Each of Keys’ three floors have their own bar along with 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. There, the concert sound systems can be fully connected or independent of each other, operating either as 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,” says Moore. “Dance music or live music, the sound there is fantastic.”
The Multi-floor Audio Setup
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 says.
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,” says Moore. “At the same time, they can also work together as a single, multi-level setup.”
Keys is ready to make history all over again, with sound for the ages. “It’s all about impact and flexibility in the dance market,” says Moore, “and the L-Acoustics professional sound system gives Keys plenty of that.”
Reactions So Far
Steven Kanemoto, audio visual manager for Keys and The h.wood Group, cites a positive reaction from the new club’s visitors, a high percentage of whom work in the entertainment industry.
“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,” Kanemoto says, adding that “there is nothing else like it in the West Hollywood area…we wanted to build on that past and make it contemporary again, and that’s what the L-Acoustics system does.”
Kanemoto adds 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 noted. “After all, this is a city where people dream big, and you can’t dream any bigger than this.”
