A myriad of artists have stepped onto the Razzmatazz stage over the years, including big names like Coldplay and Kanye West. Razzmatazz uses its 3700m2 of space and five distinct spaces in a variety of ways however. On weekends for example it transforms into a nightclub and its various rooms can be used to host parties, fashion shows, galas or virtually any event. The five separate spaces - Razz Club, the Loft, Pop Bar, Lolita and the Rex Room - can also function as one with the advantage of creating different ambiences at the same event.
The 4,000-capacity venue has a house lighting rig but for some bands and DJs additional lighting equipment is hired in. "Usually we receive guidelines from an artist's management team regarding the aesthetic look that the band wants to achieve for their show," explains Magdalena Kozlowska, lighting manager at Razzmatazz. "We have always liked warm-white incandescent matrix blinders and have hired them repeatedly for many concerts. Once we were shown the Elation Cuepix Panel it became instantly obvious to us that they would become a hit at our venue."
The Cuepix Panels are LED matrix blinders with 25 RGBW LEDs per panel and are often split between the Loft, where they are used as an LED wall behind the DJ booth, and the venue's main concert space, Razz Club, although the fixtures may be used in any of the venue's five spaces.
"When we have live concerts we often position them standing on the stage floor, or hung individually from truss sections," Magdalena states. "When we use them with video content and Art-Net, mostly for our nightclub events with international DJs, we usually assemble them in 10 x 1, 5 x 2 or 3 x 3 configurations, and other times over tripods."
For club nights the Cuepix Panels are usually used with video content as it gives greater versatility and is faster when it comes to programming, Magdalena says. "When it comes to concerts though, I personally like them better with each unit as an independent light source, as this option produces very beautiful colour washes on stage, kind of like an immersive colur drape," she comments. "I also like them as backlight behind the artists on stage, pointing at the band and the audience."
The Cuepix Panels are certain to be busy this fall as Razzmatazz celebrates its 15-year anniversary with a special line-up of gigs, not to mention the popular club nights and other special events.
(Jim Evans)
