Behind the Build - Soultribe Music at Coastal Combat Festival 2026
This weekend I swapped the record label office for steelwork, speaker stacks and cabling, joining the crew from Sanktum Soundsystems to help build one of the most impressive sound systems to hit Weymouth Beach for the UK’s only music and combat sports festival, Coastal Combat Festival. (coastalcombatfestival.com) As Managing Director of Soultribe Music, I spend most of my time developing artists and releasing drum & bass and jungle music. But I’ve always believed that understanding live sound is just as important as understanding music production. Seeing what goes on behind the scenes gives you a whole new appreciation for the people who make live events happen. This year’s Coastal Combat Festival brought together MMA, boxing, Muay Thai, grappling and live music, all on Weymouth Beach. That presents some unique technical challenges. Unlike an indoor venue, a beach absorbs low frequencies, offers very little natural acoustic reflection and is constantly exposed to wind, meaning every part of the PA has to be carefully positioned, aligned and tuned to achieve even coverage across the arena. (coastalcombatfestival.com) The system itself was built around Void Acoustics Impulse loudspeakers, combined with the legendary Looney bass bins—a combination renowned in UK sound system culture for producing enormous low-end energy while maintaining exceptional clarity. (Facebook) Building a rig of this scale is far more than stacking speakers. Every enclosure has to be safely positioned, securely strapped and wired before signal can even be tested. High-current power distribution must be installed correctly, amplifier racks configured, DSP processing loaded, speaker management systems checked, and every amplifier channel verified before music is played.
. Once powered up, the system goes through line checks, polarity tests, gain structure calibration and crossover verification. Delays are adjusted so every cabinet works together as one coherent system, ensuring the audience experiences tight, punchy bass and crystal-clear vocals whether they’re standing ringside or at the back of the crowd. Sanktum Soundsystems have built an excellent reputation for supplying professional sound reinforcement across the UK, using premium equipment from manufacturers including Void Acoustics, Full Fat Audio, MC² Audio, Yamaha and Pioneer DJ. Their attention to detail was evident throughout the entire build, with every cable run, amplifier rack and loudspeaker deployment planned for maximum performance and reliability. (Facebook) One thing that often goes unnoticed is just how many hours of work happen before the public arrive. Long before the first fight starts or the first DJ steps behind the decks, crews are unloading tonnes of equipment, building structures, running hundreds of metres of cable, testing every component and preparing contingency plans should anything fail. It was a privilege to be part of that process. Working alongside the Sanktum crew was a reminder that world-class events aren’t created by luck—they’re built through experience, teamwork and countless hours of hard work behind the scenes. A huge thank you to everyone involved at Coastal Combat Festival and Sanktum Soundsystems for having me on the build. It’s always inspiring to work with people who share the same passion for delivering unforgettable experiences through great engineering and great music. Here’s to the next one.
https://www.sanktumsoundsystems.co.uk/
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Photos Below taken by samuel bleszynski of the event and build
