Legendary Brussels live music venue – the Ancienne Belgique (AB) – has invested in 20 Robe ROBIN MMX Spot moving lights that have replaced the previous spot fixtures in a major upgrade to their lighting system.
The AB features a 2000 capacity Main Room with full over-stage grid system and a 16 metre wide stage, plus a smaller club performance space. It is one of the most prominent live music and performance venues in Europe, featuring many high profile artists, staging over 300 live events a year and featuring around 500 bands which are enjoyed by over 300,000 people!
Around 90% of the artists visiting the AB use the in-house lighting system, and approximately 75% of these will bring their own LDs, so it is vital that they stay at the forefront of a constantly evolving world, and are able to offer all the latest technologies.
The decision to invest in Robe moving lights was a collective one made by all four members of the AB’s in house lighting technical team led by Kris Noerens.
They reported their recommendations to the AB’s Technical Director Marc Vrebos, who co-ordinated the deal.
They considered all the options very carefully and engaged in several shoot-out comparisons before making their choice. They sought an ultimately flexible solution which would give LD’s the scope to light a huge range of different musical and performance genres – from rock to rap, reggae to jazz.
They all liked the speed and smooth colour mixing capabilities of the MMX Spots which also had to colour-match to their existing 575 series wash moving lights.
Other features making the MMX stand out were its dual animation wheel, “The unit is great for specials and for creating special FX,” comments Kris Noerens and Cedriek Stoffels (the AB’s incoming Head of Lighting), who also like the speed of the iris movement and the fact that it goes very tight.
The AB lighting crew went to Robe’s factory and training facility in Valasske Mezirici, Czech Republic to receive full product training before they took delivery of their new fixtures, which they found ‘A very impressive experience”.
The venue will receive on-going service and support from Robe’s Benelux distributor, Controllux.
They have also noticed that Robe is specified more and more frequently on band technical riders. “There’s been a noticeable increase in this in the last years”, adding that for those riders which now generically specify ‘X amount of Spotlights with CMY colour mixing’, Robe is also well accepted.
So far, the reaction from everyone using the new AB MMXs has been universally favourable – even from those using the units for the first time - who are blown away by the power and sheer amount of creative possibilities!
The new MMXs can be controlled either by a grandMA2 light with a wing or an Avolites Pearl as part of the house package.
Photos show artist Shantel and his band in action at the Ancienne Belgique, November 2012.