Both clubs are radically different in vibe and demographic. Amika attracts a trend setting and sometimes celebrity crowd who like to hang out on one of central London's most opulent and fashionable streets; while the charismatic raw industrial chic of Egg attracts a young crowd who love the music, mixology and magic created by of some the best DJs and performers on the EDM scene.
Both venues approached EMTO's Wes Matthews because they wanted high quality LED technology installed with some flourish, design and purpose rather than just for the sake of it!
When the installation at Amika received the green light, they wanted it in immediately, so Matthews and his team at EMTO pulled out all the stops to make it happen.
The result is a 6.3m wide 6 mm outdoor screen which is installed along one wall of the main room's dancefloor. Already a cosy and intimate space, the addition of the screen enlarges the room and tops up the kinetic energy levels.
Matthews specified an outdoor product because in required something really robust due of the small size of the environment and the high likelihood of drink spillage, people bumping into it potential ingress by other materials including smoke and haze particles.
EMTO also spec'd the ArKaos Grandvj media server that stores and feeds the content which is supplied by a combination of club, various artists and EMTO who are constantly updating the library footage with new clips.
For Egg, Matthews was asked to come up with an installation scheme - which is on long term rental from EMTO - after a show he did for Trade. Egg's owners were so impressed with the impact of the LED design that they asked him to propose something more permanent for the club itself.
In the main room downstairs - complete with stripped back steel structural pillars and battered brick and concrete finish - behind the DJ booth is a 2.5m wide by 844 mm deep strip of 4mm pitch LED. This is complimented along the front of the booth by 18 mm pitch LED panels measuring 3.5 metres wide by 1.1 metres high. For control, EMTO is supplying another ArKaos grandvj system.
Upstairs in the smaller room, nine panels of 18 mm pitch are installed above the dancefloor which are angled at 45 degrees to add depth and quirkiness to the space, and also help give the impression of the ceiling being much higher than it is in reality!
Wes Matthews works closely with Egg's technical manager Kyle Evans on honing the visual aesthetics. "Kyle is always coming up with new ideas and we aim to keep the space changing in appearance on a regular basis. LED screens have proved to be ideal for helping keep the space fresh and looking new and interesting."
(Jim Evans)
