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CASE STUDY
Soul 4U Weekender - Birmingham
The audio expertise behind a multi-room, multi-day music experience
NAME:
EVENT:
GILLMAN AUDIO SERVICES:
Clifton Duhaney, Event Co-owner
Soul 4U Weekender
Sound system design and delivery
Event support
Live performance setup
“We trust Phil. He’s a partner, but he’s also part of our team. If the sound quality is poor, you’re going to have a poor event. Phil makes sure that doesn’t happen.”
Clifton Duhaney, Event Co-owner & Organiser
Overview
Sound, space and atmosphere all play a role in creating a successful music event.
The Soul 4U weekender, held annually at the Aloft Hotel in Birmingham, brings together leading DJs, live bands and vocalists across Soul, Soulful House and Reggae.
With artists such as Calvin Francis, Ronnie Herel, The Brit Funk Association, Omar and Tony Momrelle, it has become a key date in the calendar for music lovers.
Behind the scenes, delivering that experience is a complex logistical operation, with Gillman Audio playing a central role.
The Challenge
Delivering high-quality sound across a multi-day event, spanning multiple rooms and performance styles, presents significant challenges.
Each space within the venue has its own acoustic characteristics, requiring a tailored approach rather than a one-size-fits-all system.
The addition of live bands alongside DJs further increases the complexity, demanding careful planning, coordination and technical expertise.
The Approach
Gillman Audio works closely with the Soul 4U team months in advance of each event, taking a collaborative and strategic role in the planning process.
“Phil comes up for planning meetings before the event,” Clifton explains. “We also speak regularly on the phone, primarily around the sound quality, but also about other aspects related to logistics.”
This collaboration extends beyond the core team.
“Phil also works with the hotel. We trust him, so if he wants to go to the hotel and have a planning meeting, we don’t need to be there.”
DJs are also brought into the process to ensure their individual requirements are met.
“As you can imagine, all the DJs have their own different ways of doing things. If they have any particular requirements, we encourage them to work with Phil. Because if the DJs don’t have the right environment to work in, no matter how great they are, they aren’t going to sound good.”
On the Day
The weekender takes place across three different areas of the hotel, each requiring its own carefully designed sound setup.
“Phil is there in person with us and closely involved with the practicalities from the Thursday right through to the Monday,” Clifton says.
Delivering consistent quality across multiple spaces requires precision and adaptability.
“He has to work hard to deliver the right quality sound for all the rooms and it can’t be a one-size-fits-all approach. He does a fantastic job of making that happen.”
When additional complexity is introduced, such as live performances, Gillman Audio scales accordingly.
“When we had a live band at our 2024 event in addition to the DJs, Phil put together a small engineering team to manage all of that. He did a great job with that too.”
The Result
The result is a seamless, high-quality experience across every part of the event.
Even in challenging spaces, the system is carefully tuned to deliver consistent sound.
“Phil had a lot of odds working against him due to the size and height of the largest room last year and he did an amazing job.”
The outcome is an event where sound supports the atmosphere, enhances the performances and contributes directly to the overall experience.
Beyond the Event
Gillman Audio’s involvement continues after the event has finished.
“After the event, we have a debrief in which Phil works with us to look at ways to do things even better next time.”
With full visibility across the event, Phil is able to offer insight and recommendations that help refine and improve future weekenders.
“Because Phil is behind the scenes at the events, he sees everything. If he thinks something’s not going to work, he will tell us.”
The Impact
For the Soul 4U team, Gillman Audio is not simply a supplier, but a trusted partner.
“We trust Phil. He’s got a collaborative approach. He’s a partner, but he’s also part of our team.”
That trust allows the organisers to focus on delivering the wider event experience, knowing the sound is in expert hands.
“As owners and promoters of the event, the buck stops with us. But we know we can hand the sound side of it over to Phil and trust that he will do a fantastic job.”
“Making everything come together for an event like Soul 4U is not easy, but Phil makes it look easy.”
