Martin Audio announced that it has teamed up with Belair Technology and The Bug Club to deliver an eco-friendly Volkswagen Pop-Up DJ booth, specifically, a fiberglass-built vehicle that’s 30 percent larger than a standard VW camper and designed to be festival friendly in incorporating a custom-built Martin Audio system running on a Belair rack-mounted Power Tower rechargeable battery system. The Martin Audio components traveling with
Since 2013, The Bug Club has delivered hundreds of events ranging from private parties, festivals, brand activations to product launches, carnivals, exhibitions and street parties. The latest creation, the Unplugged Bug, is a designed as an intersection of sonic experience and environmental responsibility.
Belair Technology was founded in 2019 with the goal of electrifying events previously powered by diesel generators. Its founder John Baillie grew up with a love of music and a passion for science, having for a time worked at CERN, the world’s largest particle accelerator:
“As an avid festival-goer, I noted how off-grid events are desperate for sustainable solutions, yet often have little option but to use polluting diesel generators,” says Belair Technology founder John Baillie. “Working with Martin Audio and the Bug Club to deliver the Unplugged Bug is a great step forward and I’m excited about what we can learn from its operation over the summer.”
The Martin Audio system, stated to be capable of serving crowds of up to 500, comprises two 15-inch 3-way loudspeakers that are each pole-mounted to a double 15-inch direct radiating subwoofer and working with a DX4.0 loudspeaker controller.
Martin Audio managing director Dom Harter states, “My personal love for both VW campervans and DJ culture led inevitably to the door of the great people at The Bug Club. At the same time I had been introduced to John and his work on renewables, and it just all fitted into place. At Martin Audio, environmental sustainability is an important initiative, and this latest development will help explore new possibilities for us in the future.”
The Unplugged Bug is designed as a trailer, and as a policy, its carbon footprint is offset by planting trees. The trailer can be supplied with DJs and equipment, lighting, disco balls, sound technicians and branding options, while the Bug Club fleet offers bar services, with experienced mixologists.
The Unplugged Bug will be on show at Martin Audio’s upcoming Open Days taking place April 18 and 19 at company headquarters in High Wycombe.
Justin Rushmore, managing director of The Bug Club, concludes, “We were delighted to team up with Martin Audio and Belair on this initiative. It was clear from the outset there was a meeting of minds on the sustainability aspect of live events, and we believe we can gather key data and insight that can help to not only further improve these types of events but also scale up to bigger initiatives.”
