Email to Sam Barlow @ Ministry of Sound

Hi Sam, 

I'll just re-iterate the details for you.

As you may remember, I'm studying for my MA in Applied Imagination at London Arts Central Saint Martins, and my project is specifically targeting hearing protection in nightclubs as this is a heavily identified problem for clubbers, and how a new approach could actually improve the experience of using hearing protection products and give protection a completely new "image". 

I have been liaising with Action on Hearing Loss (previously RNID) and had involvement and feedback from other companies. 

I have also been getting feedback from the clubbing community worldwide, and from professional DJs in the industry including Jono and Tony from Above and Beyond, Dennis Shepherd and Tobias Schuh (Cold Blue) who has also circulated my idea across the german trance forums.

My idea for a product has had wide range of very interested feedback, and has also been identified by HSL (Health and Safety Laboratory) as a breakthrough idea that has not been done before and I am in the process of getting the patent and legal protection in place.

For the purposes of my graduate exhibition display which is during the first week of December (5th - 8th), I need some recordings of the peak sound levels in a nightclub.

Specifically the different frequencies of communication between a high capacity of people at the same time as the background noise of anything from 100 - 130 dB of music. Basically an audio sample of all the sounds of people and music in the peak time of clubbing. Therefore could you please point me me in the right direction for who I could speak to at ministry in regards to a possible special arrangement for popping in to the club when it's a very busy night, and I will bring some professional recording equipment (loaned from one of my backers). 

I understand the importance of the clubbing atmosphere of course, and the equipment wouldn't be at all intrusive. A very small microphone wire, a little box in my hand and things like that. I would probably be in and out in less than half an hour as it won't take too long to get noise levels from the dancefloor, the bar area etc. But for the best results in what I need the recording for, it would need to be as busy as possible. 

My project has backing from Liz Brueck (senior noise scientist at HSL) aswell as a few other named individuals in the industry, and I'm more than happy to talk further to someone at Ministry of Sound about my requirements and my project if you'd like me to pop in first or to sign an agreement to the purposes of the recording etc.

If possible I would need to arrange this visit to Ministry in the next two or three weeks at the absolute most. I have a producer and studio in London already lined up for processing the audio file before finalising for my graduate exhibition of which the first night is december 5th (examination) before public view (7th - 8th). 

Many thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.

Rach.