Poland - As the year draws to a close, clubbers eagerly awaited the conclusion of the Polish DJ Championships, organised for the fifth consecutive year by Clubsound Management. This hotly anticipated showdown brought together the most talented club players, all vying for the coveted title of the ‘Best in the Art’. Past champions Mave, SPLT, PLK, and Wilga have paved the way, and on 9 December, the next champion emerged at Warsaw's Explosion Club. The semi-final auditions kicked off at 11am, featuring 20 semi-finalists. In a format introduced in 2019, participants selected one of 10 flash drives with music and had 20 minutes to prepare their 10-minute competition set. The jury, consisting of renowned DJs, club residents, event organisers, and the editor-in-chief of DJ title, Shining Beats, carefully evaluated each performance. The top three DJs -Korn, DJ PLK, and D
UK - Free Your Mind: The Matrix is the immersive, dance-based reimagining of the ‘90s movie franchise, created specifically as the opening event for Manchester’s impressive new cultural space within Factory International. The brainchild of director Danny Boyle - who teamed up with choreographer Kenrick ‘H20’ Sandy, composer Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante of Boy Blue, designer Es Devlin and writer Sabrina Mahfouz - the epic vision behind the production inevitably pulled the UK’s most creative talent into its orbit. Sound design is by Gareth Fry, who specified TiMax SoundHub to handle the complex spatial audio requirements of The Warehouse where the event’s main action takes place. The production moves from the smaller theatre space in Aviva Studios after the interval and significantly scales up into the vast 21m-high Warehouse, with its aircraft hangar proport
France - On 12 November in Paris, 163 Robert Juliat Dalis 862 footlights took part in the Chiroptera show, a collaborative project by JR, Damien Jalet and Thomas Bangalter. The public gathered at the Place de l'Opéra watched an impressive 20-minute ballet in front of the façade of the Palais Garnier, which was dressed in a huge trompe-l'œil fresco revealing the entrance to a cave, that masked the scaffolding currently covering the façade of the building as it is being restored. "We worked closely with the three artists behind the project, and came up with a very specific lighting concept," says Antoine D'Halluin, associate director of Concept K, a French company specialising in artistic creation. "We had to use lighting to serve the show while ensuring all the technology required for such a creation remained invisible to the audience. We therefore deliberately deci
Portugal - World Youth Day was first celebrated in 1985 at the invitation of Pope John Paul II, who organised a gathering in Rome on Palm Sunday to celebrate the Youth Jubilee of the Holy Year of Redemption. Sixty thousand young Catholics were expected, but 250,000 people from different countries came. Today, the event is celebrated every three to four years in a different country. In 2023, World Youth Day took place over six days in Lisbon, attracting over 1.5m attendees. The largest event ever to be hosted in the city of Lisbon, the expansive, 100-hectare riverside Parque Tejo served as the primary location, with a massive stage and a series of screens and audio systems set up along a 3.5km-long open-air space to accommodate the international audience. Supporting the event with concert audio capable of serving the massive crowds was an L-Acoustics K Series sound sy
New Zealand - The recent integration of an Allen & Heath dLive system into Kaylee Bell's Boots 'N All tour brought about a transformation, enhancing the performance experience for both the renowned New Zealand singer-songwriter and her band. As someone who wears multiple hats during the live show, Kaylee Bell's front-of-house engineer and production manager Joshua Anderson described the arrival of the dLive system supplied by Jansen Pro Audio as a game changer for both him and the performers. "Eliminating the task of maintaining show files for multiple consoles has saved me endless amounts of time and has brought a whole new level of consistency to everything,” said Anderson. One of the stand-out features of the dLive system is its DEEP processing capabilities, which have left the production team astounded. The ability to use onboard processing like DYN8, a pow
South Africa - The Globe is a 2,200sq.m multipurpose event venue at the heart of Durban’s Suncoast entertainment and leisure complex. It’s one of KZN’s and the country’s most popular event spaces and recently took delivery of new Robe Painte and LEDWash 600+ moving lights. The new fixtures are part of an ongoing upgrade programme that ensures the venue systems stay abreast of the latest and most appropriate production technologies to offer their clients and guests, and were delivered by Robe’s South African distributor, DWR. At the centre of the drive to get the new kit was Thabo Ntsala, audio visual specialist / manager for Suncoast Casino, Hotels & Entertainment. As head of the technical department in Durban, Thabo is responsible for the technical teams looking after all the audio and visual infrastructure in the complex, its ongoing technical r
USA - Four hours and twenty-two minutes is a long time; about an hour longer than it takes to fly from New York to Miami, almost twice as long as the average NBA game, and even longer than Bruce Springsteen’s longest show, a four-hour-and-six-minute performance that took place in Helsinki in 2012. Yet this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony ran that long without a dull moment. There was plenty to captivate the live audience at Barclays Centre, as well as those who watched the livestream on Disney+, from the touching (Adam Levine singing Faith to honour the late inductee George Michael), to the electrifying, when no one remained seated as Missy Elliot, decked out in a glittering gold suit and backed up by an abundance of dancers, rattled the arena with a fiery medley of her hits. Supporting the diverse marathon (there were 14 inductees, p
Slovenia - Joker Out have enjoyed a busy year with touring shows, representing Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest in the UK, and recently playing a sold-out performance at Ljubljana’s biggest arena venue, Stožice - which was lit by Klemen Krajnc, part of the Blackout design studio. This was an all-Robe moving light rig – with 100 Robe luminaires breaking down as 32 x MegaPointes, 64 x Spiiders, 19 x LEDBeam 150s and 13 x Fortes plus a quantity of strobes and LED floods. Klemen has worked with the band since 2021 when he was asked to light the launch of their first album, Umazane misli. Robe is his go-to moving light brand, and it’s a popular choice for his Blackout LD colleagues including Crt Birsa. Robe’s success in this region is also in part due to the proactive approach by Slovenian distributor, MK Light Sound in getting Robe out there in so ma
Saudi Arabia - ETC dealer, Oasis Enterprises has supplied ETC control, networking and fixtures for Al Hadath’s new broadcast studios in Riyadh. The Al Hadath news channel – which specialises in both regional and global current affairs – has launched its new studio as part of an ongoing expansion of the channel’s operations in the region. Oasis Enterprises worked with Al Hadath to achieve its requirements of a creating a modern, dynamic space that is equipped with the latest advancements in LED technology. Their fixtures of choice were ETC’s versatile ColorSource Spot jr’s – these were controlled by Eos Apex; selected for its powerful colour tools and award-winning software. They also chose Response Mk2 DMX Gateways for networking and powerful data distribution in the studios. These were installed following a year of planning for the modern space.
South Korea - At the end of October, US shoe manufacturer VANS went underground in the South Korean capital of Seoul. The skate brand organised a two-day pop-up event with a shopping market, skate shows and DJ concerts in an unused underground station. The Korean audio specialists from Sonic Value relied on an extensive LD Systems setup consisting of MAILA, CURV 500, MAUI P900 and more to provide optimum sound reinforcement for all programme items in the challenging acoustic environment. "The location was a real challenge," confirms Ethan Yoon, head of the technical team at Sonic Value. "Stone surfaces almost everywhere, lots of pillars, a tubular shape and low ceilings. Due to the almost unhindered reflections from the hard surfaces, it was clear from the start that we couldn't play the room at high levels, but had to rely on a clever multi-zone system to avoid blind
Australia - Earlier this year, Melbourne welcomed the inaugural Now or Never festival – a 16-day celebration of digital art and future thinking. The festival used the Australian city as its stage to host a busy programme spanning art, film, music, panel discussions and food. Brompton Technology’s Tessera LED processors powered customised video content at the Royal Exhibition Building, where performances explored the adventurous and diverse nature of digital creativity. The historic 19th century Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage listed venue and was built as part of the international exhibition movement of the late 1800s. It was the stage for several events as part of Now or Never 2023, with Gig Control, a technical management company with expertise across Australia’s live events, responsible for the entire design of the lighting, audio and visual ele
Europe - Peter Gabriel recently completed his first live tour in six years, covering Europe and North America. This tour supported his latest album, i/o, which is his first release of original studio material since 2002. Both legs of i/o – The Tour carried three Solid State Logic Live mixing consoles, including an L550 Plus at front-of-house, another L550 Plus for band monitors and an L650 for Gabriel’s monitors, plus a compact SSL SiX to mix Gabriel’s keyboards. Peter Gabriel, an artist and studio owner, has a longstanding association with SSL. Within his personal production spaces, and at Real World Studios in Bath, he has installed several of the company's large-format studio consoles. Since their introduction, Gabriel has exclusively relied on SSL Live consoles throughout his tours. “Interestingly, I was the first person to use the SSL Live desk on h
UK - The Norfolk village of Thursford, known for its steam engines, musical organs and fairground rides, as well as its spectacular theatrical shows, will be delivering a new, immersive sound experience with its Thursford Christmas Spectacular this year, thanks to a d&b Soundscape from audio technology and solutions company, d&b audiotechnik. Designed and installed by Southby Productions, the system features 143 loudspeakers covering the 40m wide performance stage and is – to date – the highest-resolution d&b Soundscape system installed anywhere in the world. Having been impressing audiences with its shows for 45 years, Thursford takes great pride in its high production standards – and for 2023, it was time for a sound system upgrade. Sound designer Mark Rogers explains, “Because our room is very wide and not very high, we’ve never been able to us
USA - The ability to think outside the box is often the lifeblood of a successful production design, even when that “box” is the actual stage itself. Such was the case recently for the team at Events United when they had to come up with a way to light the artists performing at the Hope Fellowship Church’s Hillfest in News Ipswich, NH. Organisers of this Christian music festival added a thrust to their main stage. This configuration brought their star-studded lineup of artists closer to the audience, but it also necessitated some modifications in front lighting. “With the stage having a thrust, we needed to position fixtures to light performers farther out, away from the stage than our downstage truss would allow,” explained project manager, Martin Lyons. “We used the Maverick Storm 1 Washes placed up on the hill by FOH to wash the thrust. Their zoom range a
France - Each July, the southern town of Aix-les-Bains opens its arms to throngs of rock music fans as it hosts the storied pop-rock festival Musilac between the shores of Lac du Bourget and the Alps. This year for its 21st edition, Musilac broke its own attendance record, welcoming a crowd of 110,000 people over the four-day event, which saw internationally recognised acts like Arctic Monkeys, Gojira, Indochine, Phoenix and Franz Ferdinand take to its stages. The layout of the open air Musilac Festival is designed to take full advantage of its lakeside location, with two main stages situated side by side - one near the water’s edge and the other abutting the mountain. While perfect for the stunning backdrop, this setup requires a sound system that can cover a wide audience with impeccable concert-grade sound for all. L-Acoustics-certified provider Dushow has provid
UK - Two of the theatre world’s leading creative lighting designers, Paule Constable and Tim Lutkin, have both become early adopters of GLP’s new impression X5 platform. Both have been supplied by Sparks Theatrical Hire, while a third designer, Paul Pyant, has also requisitioned the X5 for Noises Off at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, which is currently in production. Paule Constable had been keen to work with the impression X5 again after debuting it on The Devil Wears Prada and Guys and Dolls at The Bridge Theatre gave her the perfect opportunity. “I first looked to the impression X4 and then the X5 to replace the big soft keylight that I’ve always used 5kW units to give me. I think it’s amazing that an LED unit can provide that same diffuse, soft directional push - but I also love the beam control and quality when it is spotted down.
UK - Hayden Borgars says that he’s always tended to view the lighting fixtures in his rig as musical instruments, not merely illuminating with them, but also “playing” them in ways that flow with the sound of his clients. On the just-completed Sacred Blasphemy UK tour by Creeper, Borgars demonstrated his virtuosity on the Chauvet Professional Color Strike M by using the motorised fixture to follow the hauntingly evocative notes played by the band’s keyboardist Hannah Greenwood, and powerful beats by drummer Jack Fogarty. “Aside from the silhouette looks I got from the Color Strikes, I also used a lot of the fixture’s pixel effects to go along with the key notes from Hannah,” he said. “I also used the clap out effect on both the beam and plate pixels to accent some of the drum hits and whip effects. It’s part of how I treat light as an instrumen
USA - Pittsburgh Penguins fans are enjoying an even more dynamic game experience this season with the installation of Ayrton Zonda 9 FX LED moving head washes beneath the new scoreboard at the PPG Paints Arena. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting in North America. Kevin Hogan, the lighting designer and programmer for the NHL team since 2005 and the owner of Pittsburgh-based Process of Illumination LLC, chose eight Zonda 9 FX fixtures for the new scoreboard, which is part of an arena upgrade by the Fenway Sports Group (owners of the team since late 2021). Designed and built by Mitsubishi Electric, the much larger, four-sided scoreboard features 50ft LED panels around a hollow central core with two Zonda 9 FX positioned on the lower mounting rail of each panel. It was Ayrton’s promotional video for the fixtures that sparked Hogan’s inter
UK - Every year in the latter part of July, York Racecourse stages the Live After Racing concert series. This event results from a collaborative effort between EnTEEtainment and Music Plus Sport, offering attendees a blend of daytime horse racing and evening live music. Since 2021, Adlib has orchestrated the audio environment for this event. Adlib's account manager, Richy Nicholson, notes that this is the third year that Adlib has supported York Racecourse and Music Plus Sport: “Dick Tee from EnTEEtainment brought us onboard, and I think York Racecourse may have been one of the first shows we looked after in 2021 post-COVID," he says. “The primary objective for York Racecourse in hosting these gigs was to provide a concert-grade experience to audience members across the 300 metres, and the lawn within the track, as well as to additional VIP areas,” Billy Bryson,
UK - The Christmas season traditionally brings with it magical and immersive eco-trails, with lighting and imaginative soundtracks replacing the more natural effects. Among these is Eden Project’s Music & Lights after dark experience, which runs during the month of December. Based nearby in Cornwall, technology specialists (and Martin Audio partners) TruCru were brought in to provide a seamless audio experience. According to project manager, Toby Bodman, after much deliberation this was achieved by deploying Martin Audio’s weatherised CDD6-WR in a flown configuration to create seamless transitions and ensure maximum intelligibility of both the narrative and a soundtrack that varied from orchestral to ambient music. This year, the sales and rental company turned its attention to the Rainforest Biome after having also helped stage events previously in different a
USA - Drawing on a deep repertoire of chart-topping songs, John Mayer is one of the rare artists able to fill ‘A level’ arenas as a true solo act. The success of his recently concluded Solo Acoustic Tour relied on an intimate connection with his audience, accomplished aurally via a reinforcement system of Meyer Sound Panther large-format linear line array loudspeakers provided by UltraSound. The spring leg of the tour kicked off on March 11 at New Jersey’s Prudential Centre and wrapped at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum before Mayer embarked on a summer tour with Dead & Company - also supported by a Panther-based system from UltraSound. The fall leg was another east-to-west marathon, launching at Madison Square Garden with the November finale again at the Kia Forum. The FOH engineer for both the solo legs and the triumphant final tour by Dead & Company was Dere
USA - Blowing away crowds with his blasts of dubstep beats and trashing techno shreds at one turn, then picking up a guitar the next to venture forth into dreamy dance tunes, Gryffin is a one-person ensemble of diverse sounds. This was evident during the artist’s recent performance at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. Taking the stage in his trademark baseball jersey, Gryffin treated fans to a dynamic, EDM-infused set, as he performed on the stage and an exposed-scaffold riser. Keeping pace with him and reflecting his energy with colours and motion was a compelling stage production by lighting designer Julie Reux, content creator/VJ Eddie Perez, and TM Jonny Stiegler. Like the artist’s performance on stage, the looks supporting him were multi-faceted, while still being perfectly harmonious. “Everything about any show I do begins with balanc
South Africa - Atlantic Studios, Cape Town is a multi-stage film and television production facility and hub of creative activity serving the Western Cape and far beyond. One of its current productions (produced by HBC Broadcasting Solutions) is the South African edition of Deal or No Deal (DoND), the popular risk-taking gameshow where contestants make seat-edge decisions on whether to accept a cash offer from 'the banker' in exchange for what might - or might not - be contained in a series of unassuming boxes. Lighting designer Daniel Louw is using some new Robe Esprites which were purchased by HBC for this show and delivered by Robe’s South African distributor, DWR at the start of the recording period in February. Dan is a freelance lighting designer / director and has worked on several projects at the studios which also has other Robe moving li
Germany - Wacken fans don't let the weather stop them. It's not for nothing that ‘rain or shine’ is the rallying cry of party-loving metal fans who travel to northern Germany from all corners of the world for Wacken Open Air (WOA). This year, metalheads had to be particularly strong. Days of constant rain had so softened the ‘Holy Ground’ of the festival site that a travel stop had to be imposed for the first time in the festival’s history. Anyone who made it onto the grounds though still got the full Wacken experience, including knee-deep mud. Lighting designer Jerry Appelt, who has been associated with the massive metal festival for 20 years, has also experienced a lot in Wacken. “I am emotionally attached to the festival,” he said. “It was remarkable how the organisers dealt with the very difficult situation this year.” More than ever, Elati
