fabric is upgrading its legendary Room 1 soundsystem for the first time

fabric has announced that it is upgrading its legendary Room 1 soundsystem for the first time in the club's 25 year history.

Since its installation at the turn of the century, the state-of-the-art Martin Audio system (listed in our top 10 soundsystems to visit) has heard some of the world’s most revered and talented DJs play out of it.

The decision to renovate the system (as opposed to replace it) was made due to its rich history and “distinctive” sound. “There was a nervousness that the new installation could change the character of what the room was about,” explains tech manager Matt Smith, who was tasked with overseeing the refresh.

This opinion was reinforced when he consulted the club’s community of DJs, promoters and sound engineers, who agreed that the upgraded system should “retain [the] signature (Room1) Martin Audio (Legacy) sound and preserve what is quite a historic installation.”

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Smith asked Martin Audio if the company could overhaul the existing 20-year-old W8C system and add new subwoofers and is delighted with the results. “The new system delivers a lot more power, and with the power availability of the new amps, we are never going to get near peaking. It’s very clean, tight and punchy… but it’s not about volume for us, we want to keep it sounding good rather than loud,” Smith assures.

With Martin Audio’s latest speaker range installed, fabric has found a new home for the old, custom F12 (DJ monitors), also imbued with sentimental and emotional value. “The number of DJs they’ve seen in Room 1, those F12s … you just can’t get rid of them,” says Smith. “Fortunately, we’ve found a really good use for them, and they are doing a great job in their new place.” Where this home is was not revealed.

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The soundsystem upgrade comes just in time for the club’s 25th birthday, which will be marked with a colossal 30-hour, non-stop party taking place across October 12 to October 14. Having celebrated its anniversary around the world over the past year, fabric is gearing up for the main event back home in London, with the first wave of artists revealed.

Amongst the exciting list of names are Ben UFO, Ricardo Villalobos, FJAAK, Peach, Marcel Dettmann, as well as fabric residents Craig Richards, Josh Caffé and Anna Wall, with more to be announced.

There will also be plenty of surprises taking place across the weekend, some of which will be kept a secret until the event.

"n true fabric birthday style, expect the unexpected with plenty of surprises throughout the celebration that you can only experience by being there," said the club in a statement. Find out more here and check out some images of the upgraded Room 1 soundsystem below.

Meena Sears is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Instagram