At the
start of their Midnite Mass Tour, trap music sensation Keys N Krates announced
on their website that their show was going to be a “ visual extension” of
their eponymous EP, which cracked the Billboard Top 20 the week it was
released in late February. The Toronto-based trio went on to promise that
“everything from the lighting and staging to the supporting acts” would reflect
the “vibes” of their new EP. How right they were! Like their unique
bumping beat blend of drums, keyboards, turntables and live sampling, the
lightshow for the group’s 33-city tour is turning conventional wisdom on its
head. In the process, it’s giving audiences the kind of exhilarating experience
that comes from discovering something truly different.
LD Tom
Nguyen is accomplishing this design feat with an overwhelming array of intense
beam and strobe effects coordinated with some unique design flourishes that
give his show extra depth and dimensionality. Chief among these expansive
elements is his placement of eight Nexus 4 x 4 panels from CHAUVET Professional
behind blow-through LED video panels.
Nguyen is
arranging the video panels in different vertically oriented configurations,
depending on the size and configuration of each venue’s stage on the tour,
which has stopped at mid-sized halls like Terminal 5 in New York City, The
Regency Ballroom in San Francisco and The Ogden Theater in Denver. In all
cases, the panels are arranged in varying heights city skyline style.
When the
intense output from the ultra-bright Nexus panels, which have 16 27-watt COB
LEDs that produce 484 lux illuminance at 5 meters, bursts through the slits of
the video panels and overwhelms their output; it creates a transformative sense
of fusion on stage. Nguyen also draws on the color rendering capabilities of
the RGB panels to flood the stage with different hues to reflect the varying
moods of the music being performed. At other times he calls upon the
Nexus units to serve as strobes and has them synced with the strobing action of
the other powerful fixtures to his rig.
“The
Nexus panels are an important part of our design,” said Nguyen. “Keys N Krates
pushes the envelope with high-energy music that doesn’t fit into any neat
little category. We reflect this attitude in our light design. We have a lot of
bright fixtures on the rig to immerse the crowd and the Nexus 4 x 4 has the
intense output needed to keep up. The brightness and the color of these
panels gives me a lot of freedom to create some cool looks.”
Nguyen also
appreciates the user-friendly features that make the Nexus 4 x4 panels easy to
set up and the rugged construction that makes them easy to transport. The
Keys N Krates Midnite Mass Tour is covering 33 shows throughout the US and
Canada in 42 days, which makes trouble-free load-ins and transport essential
for any fixture. The tour has been a transformative, bonding experience
in every way, says the LD. In many ways so too is his highly expressive
lightshow.
http://www.chauvetprofessional.com
