Sean Howard and Lenin Paunovic had travelled their own paths through Australia's entertainment landscape when universal forces pulled them towards each other in 2023. Not long after that, Inside Out Audio was born, giving the duo a vehicle for exploring their love of music, audio and Funktion-One. We spoke to Sean to find out more about the company and what drives them.

How did you come together to start Inside Out Audio?

I'm a venue owner and operator in Adelaide, working in the industry and events since 2011. Prior to joining the hospitality game, I gigged for a living and had a fascination for virtually every instrument and genre of music. Len and I came together when we worked to bring sound to a club I was reopening back in 2023. I discovered that the whole process of audio installation to be significantly more enjoyable than anything I had done in years. The chats started virtually straight away about scaling up the concept to be a self-sufficient business, working together.

Len is a long serving Adelaide DJ who fell in love with electronic music from a young age and found a passion for vinyl mixing early on, carrying the craft into an era where we were seeing it less and less. DJing turned into running his own parties, which turned into acquiring his own Funktion-One sound system for those parties, to then hiring it out and eventually working with me on the audio build for the nightclub, which sparked the birth of Inside Out Audio.

What is the driving force behind the company?

Sound first. Zero compromising on that fact. Len and I lay our hands on every single job. There are audio companies in South Australia doing incredible things at the moment, but their results have garnered significant growth and that has led to the owners, who initially built the reputation, no longer able to have the small business touch. We want to emphasise that whilst scaling up a little bigger would be nice, we do not want to grow to a point where we don't have the liberty of being directly involved in every single job. The hands that were passionate enough to start the company lay work on every single job. The personal touch is critical. The sound is critical. The feedback in terms of what you desire and how that works will be honest and we will work with you to make sure the sound is the most impressive element of your event or venue.

What kind of projects do you do?

We are primarily focused on events but not exclusive to them. Our scope of work so far has been events, venue installs and more recently residential. The venues have ranged from clubs to small scale wine bars and barbers, boasting Funktion-One sound in all circumstances. The events follow a similar spectrum with electronic dance music festivals sub 3,000 per stage (which is something we hope to grow on over the next three to five years) to street parties and pop-up market installs. 

Tell us about Closer Record Store...

Glenn (owner of Closer Record Store) is a pioneer of music in Adelaide and, if he keeps up what he is doing with the level of consideration and desire to constantly improve we are seeing from him, that scope will extend far beyond Adelaide in the coming years. Closer Records is a community/cultural hotspot for Adelaide. Operating initially as a barber shop, growing into both a café space and record store, Glenn made the leap to move towards a Funktion-One system in store. Sitting down for a haircut and coffee, flicking through arguably the best fresh electronic music collection in the state and listening to it all through some F101s and a BR121 is an outrageous scenario and the electronic music community in Adelaide is crazy for it.

There isn't a single head here that doesn't recognise and respect what this store does for the Adelaide music scene. Glenn has made constant efforts to evolve and reimagine the store brand and vision. The most recent makeover, inspired by a trip to Korea saw a complete 'start over' of the venue's aesthetics, further reminding the Adelaide community that the arts scene is about perpetual change and evolution. There is no such thing as a final product. There is always room to improve. There is always reason for change.

What’s your history with Funktion-One?

Len started running parties in Adelaide somewhere around a decade ago under the name Inside Out Dance Club. The philosophy behind it was to bring inside club culture out into places like parklands, hence the name. Over time, he developed an appreciation for Funktion-One sound having worked and attended a number of events in Australia such as Strawberry Fields and, at that point in time, there was really no access to it in Adelaide.

This sparked the beginning of acquiring one speaker at a time until he had a full setup that could cater to his parties. Initially, this was some F88s from a closed cult club in Adelaide, some MB212s, an RM12 and a mix of amps. Over time, he was able to stash away some coin and eventually acquire a couple of Res 2s and a single F218. What to us now seems like an incredibly small amount of gear had a profound amount of time and dedication applied to acquiring and, in retrospect, was arguably the most crucial point in Inside Out Audio eventually coming to life. At that point in time I didn't have a personal relationship with Lenin; he was my favourite DJ in Adelaide and also threw my favourite parties.

It was around the time that he acquired the Res 2 and F218 system that I started hunting for his events and championing them among my friendship circles. Over time, we developed a first name basis friendship that eventually led to me asking him to help me set up the audio for a club. It was incredibly humble beginnings for Inside Out and I'm not sure if Lenin knew the doors it would open, just wanting to control the audio at his own parties, but it was a critical move in us being able to supply Funktion-One to Adelaide.

What do you like about the Funktion-One sound?

Clarity, balance, brilliance and presence. There is a romance to Funktion-One utilisation, particularly on the modular front. As is anything that is incredibly fine-tuned, from a vehicle to a recipe, to audio installation. The most impressive outcomes generally require the largest labour of love. Funktion-One is no exception to that. The nights leading up to an event discussing which speakers to use, where to place them, what the environment means for the sound and so on. Then getting to the install, where a third of the time is spent setting up and the other two thirds are spent tinkering. This is quietly our favourite part about the job. Experimenting with the sonic variance of the empty dance floor to find the perfect sound - according to us.

When it's right, you know. Brilliance is a term I've always associated closely with the Funktion-One sound. The distinct clarity between frequencies that allows every sound to shine is second to none. The amount of life and colour this brings to a set is something we simply have not been able to experience with other brands of gear and personally feel this is one of Funktion-One's biggest strengths. 

Presence is a term I use a little more loosely. This time referring to the full dance floor. The sound's presence among a full dance floor is incredible. The ability to hear a set at high volume, without feeling the strain on your ears, at the same time as being able to hold a conversation with a friend next to you without yelling, whilst also not hearing anyone talk around you seems like an impossible feat, but Funktion-One have evidently pulled this off.

What are your hopes for the future of Inside Out Audio?

We are both still working other jobs at the moment to float our expenses. Year one (and most likely year two and three) have seen every cent and some of our revenue spent on acquiring more gear. This was a commitment we made, accepting that there wouldn't be a paycheck for us until we could run our dream systems. If all goes well, the two of us can say goodbye to our gigs that have been keeping us afloat until now, move into larger scale audio hire (most likely always modular - we love the finicky romance of the install), become Adelaide's number one venue audio installation company and lock in a handful of interstate events with other Funktion-One suppliers, merging our systems purely for the sake of creativity and experimentation.

In April, we are installing a new Funktion-One sound system in micro bar Nightshade in time for the launch of its first catered event - Ruby of Lush Dance Party hosting Janeret for a Good Friday party kicking off at 4pm. The momentum is building, the brand is being seen and we are excited as hell to be Funktion-One's springboard in the state of South Australia.