Hallmark features in the main room include a huge LED display that towers over the dancefloor from behind the DJ booth and screens for viewing visuals, whilst a series of well-placed mirrors and a wall of steel bars surround the area designed for dancing.
Aiming to offer DJs and clubbers the best sound possible, Digital was one of the first clubs in the world to install a complete Pioneer Pro DJ digital rig. Comprising two DVJ-X1 DVD decks, two CDJ-1000MK2 CD players and an EFX-1000 digital effects processor, all linked together by the DJM-1000 six channel digital mixer, this set-up features in both of its rooms. The EFX-1000 uses 24-bit technology and combined with the EFX's single digital link to the DJM-1000 this ensures there is no distortion to the club's system. The mixer also boasts 24-bit digital technology and can even remotely control the club's video switcher through a MIDI link. The pristine clarity of the Pro DJ digital chain is meanwhile maximised by outstanding Funktion One loudspeaker systems. The main room for example houses four imposing dance stacks, a treasured rarity among clubs.
Various events are held at Digital, including the long-running Shindig and the flourishing breaks night Wax:On. A DJ since the late 1980s, Newcastle-based Scott Bradford founded Shindig with partner DJ Scooby in 1992. A respected resident ever since and one third of the prized production outfit Lexicon Avenue with Chris Scott and Mark Armstrong, amazingly Bradford still finds time to run their label, Forensic Records, which has also gone digital.
"You've got to move with the times," insists Bradford. "If somebody had told me years ago that I would only be playing CDs I would have thought they were joking. So who knows what will happen in the future, but I still see many benefits of using hands-on hardware. With the new digital technologies available it has really opened up DJ'ing again. Young artists and clubbers coming into the scene are definitely in tune. It's what people want to see and it's certainly interesting to watch in terms of performance. These days, it's all about adding something unique: visuals, EFX, and live remixing.
"When James Zabiela first played, he brought one of the first EFX-1000s with him before we had it at the club. Watching him work on the kit was pure performance. The crowd loved it . . . digital progression is definitely adding a new dynamism to DJs' work."
(Lee Baldock)
