For more than three decades, Link Bologna has been at the heart of Italy’s underground electronic music scene. From its beginnings as part of the city’s independent cultural movement to its position today as one of the country’s most established electronic music venues, sound has always been central to its identity.

Founded in 1994, Link emerged from the experience of Isola nel Kantiere, with its original home on Via Fioravanti bringing together music, experimental theatre, cinema and visual arts. Over the years, artists including Aphex Twin, Richie Hawtin, Jeff Mills and Amon Tobin have performed at the venue, helping establish its reputation as a meeting point between Bologna’s creative community and the international electronic music scene.

Following its move to Via Fantoni in 2004, Link became increasingly focused on concerts and club nights. Today, operated by the Link 2.0 cultural association, it attracts thousands of people every weekend, hosting international artists, local DJs and independent collectives. Beyond the dancefloor, its cultural activities include Link Academy, offering DJing and music production courses and workshops, and Cinema Urbaner, a project exploring urban culture through film and discussion.

Link’s relationship with Funktion-One stretches back to its earliest days. Co-founder Daniele Gasparinetti recalls how the original venue made a substantial investment in a Turbosound system designed by Funktion-One Founder Tony Andrews. More than 30 years later, that commitment to sound continues, with distributor Neuma supplying a Funktion-One system for the venue’s current home.

The installation comprises six Evo 7E loudspeakers, six F221 bass enclosures and two PSM318 DJ monitors, with the system design shaped by the unusual dimensions of Link’s main room.

“The main challenge was reaching the back of the room, which has a particularly deep, tunnel-like central section,” explains Neuma’s Pietro Garbasso. “We chose the Evo 7E for its projection and controlled dispersion. With three per side, we can achieve the horizontal coverage we need across the audience without having to introduce additional infills.”

The Evo 7E’s fully horn-loaded, three-way design combines high efficiency with a nominal 40° horizontal dispersion. With three cabinets per side, Neuma has been able to address the room’s depth and width without complicating the system with additional loudspeakers.

But reaching every corner of the room was only part of the challenge. Link’s programme moves between live performances and DJ-led club nights, each placing different demands on the system, particularly at low frequencies.

“The six F221s give us the flexibility to adapt the system to different events,” says Garbasso. “For club nights, we can bring them all together into a central mono cluster, while for live performances we can use ground-stacked configurations. We also had to consider sightlines, particularly because the DJ is already on a raised stage.”

For the artists behind the decks, Neuma specified a pair of Funktion-One PSM318 DJ monitors. Designed for high-output DJ applications, the PSM318 combines powerful near-field bass with detailed midrange and high-frequency reproduction, giving performers the clarity and immediacy they need in a demanding club environment.

For Garbasso, the benefits extend beyond the performance itself. At a venue with Link’s international reputation, providing a monitoring system that visiting artists know and trust can also help attract bookings.

“Having this level of DJ monitoring is important for a venue like Link, which regularly hosts international artists,” he says. “The PSM318s give DJs a system they can trust and enjoy playing on. That can also be valuable for the organisers when arranging bookings because artists know they are going to have an excellent monitoring system.”

From its underground beginnings to its position as one of Italy’s most important electronic music venues, Link has remained committed to the experience of music. Its latest Funktion-One installation continues a relationship with Tony Andrews’ loudspeaker designs that stretches back more than 30 years, bringing the power, precision and flexibility needed to keep that experience at the heart of the dancefloor.