“We’ve got the best audio gear and a great team here,” says Joaquin Baeza, Púrpura Producciones’ founder, Funktion-One's distributor for Chile. “We have set up festivals, events and parties in different kinds of locations; deserts, mountains, beaches, by rivers, by the sea, all these beautiful places. It’s thanks to Funktion-One’s amazing gear; it’s never let us down.”

Joaquin has been immersed in the world of sound engineering for the best part of the last 20 years. Initially launching the business in a rehearsal space, then a home studio at his mother’s house, Púrpura has deployed Funktion-One equipment in a diverse range of settings; from clubs with Nina Kraviz and Berghain’s Marcel Dettmann to live gigs from US singer Dionne Warwick, the late, great Chris Cornell and iconic Chilean legends, Electrodomésticos, at the Municipal Theatre of Santiago. 

Joaquin is inspired by his love for technology and an ambition to transform the Chilean and Latin music scenes and enhance their reputation among music lovers around the world. 

“We want to upgrade the sonic experience in supporting the musical movement of the region, to help people connect through music,” he says. “That’s why we try to give them the best sound at arenas, concerts and on dance floors.” 

From first studying sound engineering at university in Santiago, Joaquin began exploring recording and production at home. He would work with friends, bands and anyone he could find who would be interested in collaborating. 

Funktion-One came into Joaquin’s life through the Chilean house and techno scene of the 2000s, via his friend Nicholas Hill, a promoter of some of Santiago’s first psytrance parties. 

“Nicholas told me about Funktion-One sound systems, the company and that he had friends working with their systems at Glastonbury and he was directly connected with them,” recalls Joaquin. “After that, I started to learn about Funktion-One and their excellent reputation for sound and quality.” 

With a name inspired by the psychedelic spirit of Jimi Hendrix and the classic rock music of Deep Purple, Joaquin’s business has built up its stock of Funktion-One gear over the years. This now includes the Resolution 4T, F218 MK II and F121 with PSM12 monitors. For Joaquin, it’s the versatility and reliability that is part of Funktion-One’s appeal. 

“We have been able to host events in environments ranging from heavy rain to scorching sun,” he says. “They have been how we have harvested amazing moments, lots of profound beauty and connections. Thanks to the clarity and detail of Funktion-One systems, we are able to recognise the different personalities and identities of musical styles and genres. Each scene has its own meaning and that’s something we can convey and understand through our sound systems.”

The Total Sun Eclipse Rave

The Total Sun Eclipse Rave held back in July 2019 has been one of Púrpura Producciones’ most treasured highlights to date. The event led to Joaquin and his team journeying into the Andes mountains to find a suitable location for a week-long festival. 

“We settled a camp in a really small community named Condoriaco,” says Joaquin. “This was near an abandoned gold mine; a really strong energetic point. No electricity, little water, no internet or phone signal. We were able to participate and raise an event for free in association with other partners to create something really beautiful.” 

The party lasted over the course of a week, with participants staying in tents and enjoying live music and DJs every afternoon and evening. 

“We made a great stage and added a Funktion-One ground stack,” Joaquin states. “The last day of the event was the eclipse, which was the most amazing moment. At 4pm in the afternoon, the sky went black, we were able to see the stars, a really shocking moment. We all came down that mountain as new human beings.”

[Photo: Buriana, Santiago]

The Restaurant Game: Buriana and Nkiru

The latest ventures in Santiago for Joaquin have been in sharply contrasting environments to the eclipse festival. The first being Buriana, a restaurant designed in collaboration with Funktion-One’s Mike Igglesden, then Nkiru, a bar inspired by New York’s loft scene. 

Buriana’s Italian owner Francesco Vanucci is a gastronomic expert with plenty of international experience, who views music and great sound as an essential combination for an inspiring customer experience. 

“At the centre of the restaurant you can find a German baby grand piano and a jazz pop band or out on the terrace, depending on the night, you might hear a house DJ ,” says Joaquin. “The design of the restaurant is minimal. That is the main reason why, inside, we’ve installed black F5 and SB8 instead of any other speakers.” 

Indoors, the set up features 15 F5 and three SB8, while the terrace has six F81 and one MB212, driven by MC2 amps and controlled with an NST ID48 and VR1 panel. Both areas are calibrated to have the same volume with two presets to differentiate between day and night. 

Joaquin adds: “The night preset has louder volume than the day preset and those operating it can control it manually alongside the sound for the terrace or VIP space.” 

[Photo: Nikiru Bar, Santiago]

At Nkiru, the bar has been beautifully designed with F81 speakers, and MB112 and MB212 bass. “The coolest part of this is that you can listen to stereo images anywhere with the speakers very close to you,” explains Joaquin. “They have the longest bar in Santiago and we used four F81 speakers to cover this area.”

Joaquin’s latest projects have seen his company installing a sound system in a Motion gym for professional athletes while they also have plans to develop a club on the first floor of a prestigious building in the business district of Santiago. He is proud to be leading the way in Chile with his work and business. 

“The biggest electronic music club in Chile has Funktion-One, so people know of us, and DJs always love having these beautiful speakers. They know the night is going to be great when powered by Purpura and Funktion-One,” he states. 

“The appeal is the quality of the equipment and the sound represented by the company. When you have the founders and designers like Tony Andrews always representing, it really demonstrates the values behind the business and that’s what makes Funktion-One so special.”