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Snapshot: Halloween in D.C. |
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Rave performance
maestro Rabbit In The Moon does his saw act for the revelers
at D.C. Friday night party Cubik’s Halloween bash.
Two thousand showed up at Nation to dance to resident
DJ Scott Henry, and compete for $1,000 in costume contest
cash.
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Exterior Wash Light
Make Your Outside In |
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First impressions
matter. If potential patrons are unimpressed or even turned
off by the exterior of your venue, it’s affecting
the bottom line. Dress up that drab facade with high-efficiency
SaVi LED architectural lighting from Orlando, Fla.-based
Super Vision International (svision.com). The SaVi Flood,
for example, is a low-voltage, free standing, full-spectrum
RGB LED instrument capable of producing 16 million different
colors. The fashionable fixture is fully DMX-controllable,
but it can also be run independently in Auto Color Rotation
mode. The SaVi Flood features its own self-contained,
auto-switching power supply, carries an IP65 Water Protection
rating, and is available in either black or white to fit
any exterior design scheme.
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Club-Ready Components The Right Fit |
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Want to upgrade
your speaker cabinet components? Pompton Plains, New Jersey-based
B&C Speakers NA (bcspeakersusa.com) has just introduced
a line of drivers specifically designed to withstand the
rigors of the nightclub world. The NW Series features
neodymium ring magnet assemblies, die cast baskets, double
silicon spiders, and copper shorting rings. Available
models range from 8- to 18-inches, and the speakers are
engineered for superb bass performance in small-box applications.
The drivers are also capable of handling long-term high
power; the 12-, 15-, and 18-inch models are all rated
for 1,000 Watts RMS, thanks in part to their 4-inch voice
coils.
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DMX-Less Controller
The Simple Light |
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lighting installation needs full DMX-512 control to
be effective. Simplicity is a virtue, especially in
the nightclub business. Martin Professional (martinpro.com)
has introduced the MC Switch, a straightforward control
box for mirror balls, PAR cans, fog machines, and other
essential lighting toys. Non-DMX effects (such as Martin
Professional’s Ego, Mania, T-Rex, and Raptor instruments)
are also suitable for use with this controller, making
it ideal for smaller club and lounge applications. Each
MC Switch is capable of controlling six separate circuits
of up to 250W each, with the option of daisy-chaining
up to 24 units through four power boxes, and data connections
are via standard RJ 45 cable.
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Powerful LCD Projector
See The Bright |
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Lake Success, N.Y.-based Canon USA (usa.canon.com) has
just unleashed its brightest LCD video projector ever.
The new LV-7565 puts out 5,100 ANSI lumens, and may be
fitted with different lenses for maximum versatility in
the club or lounge environment. A 1.3X lens comes standard
with the projector, with Ultra Wide Angle, Wide Angle
Zoom, Long Focus Zoom, and Ultra Long Focus Zoom lenses
available separately. The LV-7565 also features native
XGA resolution for improved crisp display of video and
text, and it even supports SXGA resolution through high-quality
compression. The 1000:1 contrast ratio provides deep,
rich tones, and the projector accepts DVI, DVD, HDTV,
VCR, and camcorder input. The resident VJ will be forever
in your debt.
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Portable Speaker System
Along For The Ride |
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Permanent
sound installations are fine, until you have a special
event or corporate function that requires additional audio
capabilities. If you’ve been looking for portable
speakers to get the party started on the patio, in the
VIP, or up on the roof, Northridge, California-based JBL
Professional (jblpro.com) has what you need. The components
of the new SRX700 system can be set up in seven different
ways. Patented JBL Differential Drive woofers with neodymium
magnets weigh much less than standard drivers, but hit
just as hard. The dual 12-inch SRX722, for example, weighs
only 76 pounds, but is capable of handling 1,200 Watts
of continuous power. Now your sound tech can quickly set
up a concert-quality system without herniating a disc.
Think of the advantages – and the money you’ll
save on workers’ comp.
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Night Grooves |
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The
top five releases of the month
(according to us)
1 • Nathan G, “Motion
Potion” (Kinky Vinyl)
We deliberated on our feelings about this track for some
time. After all, it involves filters (ugh), sampled hip-hop
phrases that recall Apollo 440 (lame), and that minimal
house, Lee Burridge-type sound (weak). Then we realized:
We love it anyway. Cheers.
2 • Various Artists, Sounds Vol.
1 (Ferrispark)
The first label compilation for three-year-old Detroit
house (yes, Detroit house) label Ferrispark makes us
wonder what we’ve been missing. Six artists contribute
12 tracks that run Brazilian rhythms (“Vudu Brasileno”),
Robert Owens-ish vocals (“Bleed To Be Free”),
and proggy atmospherics (“La Danza de las Fantasmas”)
through the same bass-heavy, minimalist, Maurizio-esque
filter. It’s all pitched-down, bulbous, and sexy;
a more muted version of the sound that first made Tenaglia
unique.
3 • Audiofunk, “Revisited”
(Audiofunk UK)
The “tribalatino” remix of this classic
remake is a playground full of samples wreaking havoc
on the jungle gym. There’s whistles, piano keys,
and massive drums, the kind that usually crop up on
dance radio stations’ Friday “five o’clock
rush” megamixes.
4 • Joey Beltram, The Rising Sun
(STX Belgium)
This triple LP features nine tracks of Beltram’s
straightforward, dirty, brain-rattling techno. What
else do you need to know?
5 • Max Linen, “Flashback”
(Phonetic)
General hypothesis: Any record that talks about shady
club bathroom activities will work, even if the track
itself sounds like one long boring loop. This track,
already a huge Ibiza hit and a fixture on the British
charts, is exhibit A.
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Couture Slipmats
Style And Comfort |
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If you don’t
spin vinyl, you can’t fully appreciate the new-and-improved
turntable slipmats from Ottawa, Ont.-based Phonomat (phonomat.ca).
The dance-oriented Hausmat, which started a commotion
at last year’s WMC, employs a unique approach to
design, materials, and construction. The mat’s plush,
velvet upside caresses records, while the understated
embroidery improves both style and function. The firm’s
latest offering, the Rhythmat, is designed specifically
for the demands of turntablism, and comes in four rich
color combinations. Either way, these slipmats are an
affordable way to pamper your resident vinyl pushers.
Phonomat – it’s what all of the best-dressed
decks are wearing this year.
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Mighty Moving Head
Visuals, Dynamic |
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High-powered
intelligent moving heads are becoming increasingly popular
in clubland for several reasons. For example, the new
DMX-controllable Pilot 575 from PR Lighting, distributed
by Kent, Wash.-based Omnisistem (omnisistem.com), is capable
of providing the raw illumination of multiple lesser lights,
plus its advanced capabilities offer LDs creative options
simply not available with most smaller fixtures. This
full-featured luminaire boasts two six-position color
wheels with different CYM filters for advanced color mixing,
two gobo/effect wheels with glass gobos, as well as rotating,
bi-directional, variable-speed three- and five-facet prisms.
The Pilot 575 is also equipped with a mechanical iris,
a dual-blade shutter system, and a high-speed strobe mechanism.
Of course, the unit’s 575W lamp makes deep, saturated
colors come alive, and gives operators an extended visual
dynamic range for working the crowd.
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Versatile Double Deck
Play Both |
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DJs don’t have to choose between CD or MP3 anymore,
thanks to the DN-D6000 from Itasca, Illinois-based Denon
Electronics (usa.denon.com). This rack mountable dual
deck plays either format, and is capable of hot starts,
scratching, and seamless looping with B point trim. DJs
will also like the 70mm Jog Discs, sophisticated disc
search functions, and three-way BPM counter. Onboard effects
include Reverse, Brake, Filter, Flanger, Echo, and Echo
Loop, and the 20-second Shock-Proof Memory will keep the
music going through Richter-scale events. The DN-6000
also has a clever Unattended Playback on Power-Up function
that makes it ideal for early or off-hour entertainment.
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Fatboy Slim
EAW's Rahn
Tiesto
 The
DMC Championship in London
The BEDA Awards, featuring Pulsar lighting
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Blips and Beeps
Hard facts, informed gossip, and useless information |
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On The Road: The Rahn family is moving
west, following Kent Rahn’s appointment
as senior communications manager for LOUD Technologies’
EAW brand. Previously, the 20-year industry vet
was the director of marketing for Telex,
based in Minnesota; EAW’s home base is Seattle.
But the trek will be worth it, according to LOUD senior
vice president of marketing Ken Berger:
“Kent was the perfect fit, bringing to LOUD the
specific product understanding we were looking for as
well as strategic communications experience.”
Pros Aglow: The Smirnoff BEDA
(Bar Entertainment and Dance Association) Awards, an
annual event honoring the best club venues in the U.K.,
was enhanced this year with a lighting design by Pulsar.
On September 26, the Hilton Metropole Hotel in Birmingham
hosted the show and the system, which included an array
of fixtures from Clay Paky, as well as 46 Pulsar
ChromaBanks lining six flown trusses above the dinner
tables.
A Veep Who’s President Too?:
Whoever heard of such a thing? Color Kinetics’
vice president of North American sales is also the new
president of trade association ESTA.
Bill Groener was elected after years
of service to the organization, including chairing numerous
committees and a stint as affiliate vice president.
If It’s Not Trance: …then
we don’t want it! That’s what the punters
of the world proclaimed through UK mag DJ’s annual
poll, which ranks the globe’s top 100 jocks. Tiesto
claimed the top spot for a record-breaking third year,
followed by his hard-beat compadres Paul van
Dyk, Armin Van Buuren, Sasha, and Ferry
Corsten. The first non-trance jock came in
at number 17 – Ibiza darling Roger Sanchez.
Time To Grow: In a bid to expand its
North American presence, Clay Paky
is changing its relationship with its American distributor
Group One. As of January 1, 2005, Group One
will become part of the expanding Clay Paky America
network of dealers, while Clay Paky expands its in-house
sales force with the hiring of a regional sales manager
for the Central and Eastern U.S.
Museum Mash: Count on Fatboy
Slim to do more than just tour. The don of
giddy dance music has scheduled a seven-city, one-month
trek across America that promises to “transform”
its host venues into uniquely Slim-ian sites, in support
of his new album Palookaville. In Chicago, The
Metro will become the Palookaville train station.
In Toronto, The Docks will be recreated
as the set of Slim’s unholy “Slash Dot Dash”
video. In New York he’s gunning for a straight-up
loft party at Drive-In Studios. And
in L.A., he’s playing at the Natural History
Museum.
Aspect Impact: Turbosound’s
new Aspect speaker series got a high-profile and demanding
workout at the DMC/Technics World DJ Championships,
held at the Carling Hammersmith Apollo in London on
September 4-5. Turbosound and rental company Britannia
Row Productions deployed a total of 19 Aspect
speakers, with nine in a central cluster, and five per
side in the main front-of-house system, all powered
by just three amp racks. According to Dominic Harter,
Turbosound European sales manager, “Quality, clarity,
and headroom were the order of the day.”
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Self-Powered Sub
Bass Is Heavy |
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Up until a few years ago, self-powered loudspeakers were
mostly meant for the mobile DJ market. Lightweight models
with modest power ratings were the norm. But, heavy-duty,
internally-amplified speakers for permanent installation
are becoming increasingly popular. The new 700-HP self-powered
subwoofer from Berkeley, Cali.-based Meyer Sound (meyersound.com)
is obviously not designed for typical wedding receptions.
The brawny cabinet is equipped with two 18-inch drivers,
as well as a 2,250W two-channel amplifier. The 700-HP
delivers serious bass all the way down to 28 Hz, and can
be either flown or ground-stacked. Installers will appreciate
the unit’s internal amplification, club owners will
like the price, and everyone will simply love the luscious
low end performance.
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Affordable Color Changer
A Light Touch |
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DMX color changers are versatile instruments for lounge
and nightclub lighting, but they frequently cost as much
as the intelligent scanners and moving heads over the
dancefloor. At only $219.95 MSRP, the Color 250D from
Los Angeles-based American DJ offers professional performance
at an affordable price. The three-channel unit offers
lighting designers seven colors (plus white) and full
dimming control. The 250D weighs only 7.5 pounds, so adding
a few to an existing lighting truss shouldn’t be
a problem. The instrument is equipped with standard XLR
jacks, and the bright, 250 Watt ELC lamp is powerful enough
for most applications.
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Lightweight Strobe
Flash Forward |
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Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you’ve gotta have
strobes, and the brighter, the better. Los Angeles, Cali.-based
American DJ (americandj.com) understands your needs: The
company recently unleashed the Mega Strobe DMX, an 800W
flash unit with a retail price of $149.95. Strobe speed
and intensity may be continually adjusted with any DMX
console, although the unit can also be operated without
an external controller, just in case. The Mega Strobe
DMX packs the punch of much larger units, but its compact
design and light weight allow it to be rigged almost anywhere.
Cameras ready, prepare to flash!
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The Club Where You Live |
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Our series devoted to the hard-working resident DJs of
the world
This month: Atlantic City’s DJ
Basara
Name: DJ Basara, aka Bryan Basara
Venue: Mixx, located in the brand new
Borgata Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. “It’s
an Asian Fusion restaurant by day and an explosive, exciting
nightclub by night. It has two floors and numerous V.I.P.
sections, bottle service, and a light show of wonderment,
so basically it’s as close to Vegas as you get
[on the East Coast].”
Parties: Double X Fridays and Mixx Saturdays.
“We feature live, world-renowned percussionists,
a violinist, and a saxophonist who play along with my
music.”
Average crowd: 750, the club’s
maximum capacity.
In your booth: “Two Technics turntables,
a Denon DN9000 dual CD player, a Pioneer DJM-600 mixer,
and two Pioneer CDJ-1000S CD players.”
Your regulars: “All kinds. Beautiful
people, house heads, hip-hop heads, native New Yorkers,
Jersey-ans and Philadephians, socialites, locals, high
rollers, tourists, and celebrities.”
Latest addition to your playlist: Superchumbo
feat. Celeda - “Dirty Filthy” (Twisted), Krypz
- “I Love The Bass” (Ensoul), Fuzzy Hair -
“Move On” (Houseworks)
Song that’s still popular after months:
Danzel - “Pump It Up” (Central Station), Narcotic
Thrust - “I Like It” (Yoshitoshi).
The overall crowd favorite: Sylver - “All This Time”
(Jonathan Peters mix) (White), Armand Van Helden - “My
My My” (Tommy Boy), Deep Dish - “Flashdance”
(Yoshitoshi)
The best part of my residency: “The
fact that I can still throw down some rocking house
music, considering the unfortunate massive takeover of
hip-hop. Mixx is one of the few clubs in the area that
still plays house music. The Saturday crowd loves it;
the Friday crowd appreciates it, but only in very small
doses. They just love their hip-hop on Fridays.”
The worst: “The fact that I have
to play hip-hop too. Don’t get me wrong, I will
rock the hip-hop, but it’s just sad to see dance
music slowly fading. All the younger 21-year-olds want
is what they hear on the radio and see on TV. They don’t
even know what house is or how it makes you feel. In fact,
they think anything above 90 BPM is ‘techno.’
Go figure.”
www.djbasara.com
HEY DJS! Ever wonder why other guys get featured
in this section and you don’t? The answer is,
you’re a lazy ass. Email csi@testa.com
and tell us why you’re worthy. Remember, this
is for resident DJs with weekly parties that are still
up and running. As Doctor Lecter said to Clarice, “Don’t
lie or I’ll know.” |
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Space-Saving Sub
Small and Low Down |
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Floor space is valuable, so why fill it up with oversized
speaker cabinets? The self-powered XMAX 212 subwoofer
from Clarkston, Mich.-based ISP Technologies (isptechnologies.com)
is a folded horn design that offers the bass power of
big reflex boxes in a more efficient cabinet. The XMAX
212 is capable of producing a maximum SPL of 136 dB at
one meter, thanks to its internal 1000W CATD amplifier
and two long-excursion 12-inch drivers. A pair of these
cabinets, when positioned side-by-side with floor-wall
loading, will “acoustically couple” and produce
low frequencies down to 40 Hz. A grouping of four will
extend that performance down to 30 Hz. Use only under
adult supervision.
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Portable Audio Analyzer
For Mere Mortals |
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The sound system has been installed and adjusted, but
something’s still not right. Unless you’ve
got bionic ears, you’re not going to identify the
problem by standing in the middle of the dancefloor and
listening to your favorite CDs. You need the TM400, an
audio analysis system from Rio Rancho, New Mexico-based
Lectrosonics (lectrosonics.com). The TM400 consists of
a 100mW plug-in transmitter (for use with any standard
calibration microphone), a receiver, and a waterproof
carrying case. With this system, no additional specialized
cables or phantom power supplies are required. Due to
its analog UHF transmission scheme and high RF power,
the TM400 allows users to analyze even the largest superclub
without worrying about audio dropouts. The robust wireless
system speeds up the trouble-shooting process, which saves
everybody money and stress.
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All-Weather Speakers
I’m Coming Out |
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Your patrons love the patio, but your loudspeakers don’t.
The painted cabinets are falling apart, and the grills
are completely rusted. It’s time to invest in some
real all-weather speakers, like the new Element Series
from Whitinsville, Maine-based Eastern Acoustic Works
(eaw.com). These speakers are designed to endure; all
of the Element models meet rigorous IEC 60529 and MilSpec
810 ratings. In other words, neither snow, nor rain, nor
heat shall keep these EAW speakers from looking good and
sounding great. The cabinets are constructed of high-impact
polystyrene with 40-percent calcium carbonate, and the
perforated steel grills are backed with open-cell foam.
An optional 10,000 pores per square inch stainless steel
water barrier is also available for extreme conditions.
Rock me like a hurricane.
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