While the karaoke equipment, including the 42" Samsung plasma screens, was supplied direct from KoD (Karaoke on Demand) in Hong Kong, The Sound Division Group were tasked with providing a custom-coloured LED solution in each room. They consulted with Ian Kirby's Lighting Effects Distribution to see how the company's X-Chip PCB-based RGB colour change LED could be rebated into the ceiling periphery of each room.
Each room has the ability to create individual mood settings using colour and music. For example for Hen parties a palate of reds is predominantly used, whilst for corporate evenings warm pastel colours are the order of the day. According to general manager Simon Tang, the takeover and conversion of the former Rococo Nightclub and Voodoo Lounge forms a natural extension to their Chinese restaurant Imperial China (which has eight private rooms). It was here that they staged the after show party for the premier of The House of Flying Daggers at the London Film Festival. The Sound Division Group were contracted to provide appropriate lighting to blend with the event's forest theme, as a result of which they were introduced to K-Box's installation project team, which included Gillian McArthur from McArthur Tring Architects.
"Because of karaoke's popularity we wanted to do something more specialised, offering three-course Cantonese meals for groups of up to 40 people," says Tang. "We didn't want to turn it into a nightclub, but present something bright and colourful which would attract corporate business. LED was the obvious solution."
Sound Division's recommendations included custom colours for each room, predominantly provided by the X-Chip - recessed into the cove and offering a variable-speed colour-changing glow from the AR12 controllers, programmed by Colin Walker. Supplementary lighting was provided by MR-16 RGB LED fixtures fitted into up/down lighters placed on the walls.
In some of the rooms SDG have also added colour change LED fitted to the rear of the seating to uplight the walls and elsewhere a low-level halo effect, while in Room 6 LED's are used to illuminate an etched glass effect.
In the VIP Room champagne buckets have been fitted with colour-change LEDs behind the bar. These units have a rechargeable power supply and can be carried with the champagne to each table. "We used literally miles of X-Chip and it was a challenging task to conceal the light source in each of the rooms, while dealing with safe mounting and the very tight timescales required to meet the client's opening deadlines," said The Sound Division Group MD David Graham. "But it has provided a highly cost-effective solution."
The X-Chip offers 16 million colour variations and has an average lamp life of 50,000-plus hours while the AR12 is a recessed wall architectural controller for up to 512 DMX Channels, including 99 Scenes and 12 Shows. It provides 12 editable programmes, with a maximum of 99 steps each, and features Calendar and Time Settings.
K-Box has spent a substantial amount of money in converting the infrastructure and preserving the Grade-II listing. But with a 3am full entertainment license Simon Tang believes that the investment will quickly be justified. "Karaoke is still a fledgling market but we are delighted with the way it has taken off," he said. And the decision to colour code each of the rooms has clearly been the correct one.
(Lee Baldock)
