In Discothèque

Open since 1996, IN Discothèque has become one of the most popular clubs in Copenhagen, especially for deep-dyed night owls — on Wednesdays and Fridays it is open until 5am and, as Saturday night turns into Sunday morning, you can dance nonstop from 11pm to 10am. The menu of activities goes far beyond dancing, however, to such entertainments as acrobats, fire dancers, fashion shows, and theme parties, including the notorious Foam Party, where guests dance while immersed to the neck in soapy water. Other theme events include a lonely hearts party, and Godskitchen, the club concept pioneered in the UK.

In 2001, with IN Discothèque having turned five years old, manager Dennis Friis and his partners opted to implement a major renovation of the club, to the tune of 1 million Euros. Upgrades included a huge expansion of the club's lighting rig, increasing the number of units to nearly 60. The entire package was provided by Clay Paky, and installed by Highlight, Clay Paky's Danish distributor.

According to Friis, “When this new entertainment spot was founded, I wanted to make it distinctive. I decided to install Clay Paky projectors that I believe are among the best in the world in terms of quality of projection and creativity of effects.” As a result, “The light shows have always been really appreciated. The Clay Paky projectors have also proved reliable over time, and have never given me any problems; this is crucial, working intensively four nights a week.”

Gear includes eight Stage Zoom 1200 effects units; eight Stage Color 1200 wash units, eight Stage Light 300 compact effects units; eight Stage Colors with chrome housings, six Astroscan moving-head units, six MiniScan HPE projectors, four Astroraggi Power and four Atlas effects units, five Dislay Line VIP Versatile Image Projectors, and two CP Color 150-E architectural color changers.

The majority of the projectors were placed on three Prolyte octagonal trusses over the club's main dance floor. The Stage Color 300s were placed at the front of the stage, with the chromed models used to blend into the room's overall design. The Astroscans were fitted on lift systems in the stage to enhance the multi-directionality of the unit's beams (a moving head attachment produces 10 spinning beams). The MiniScan HPEs are used to light another, smaller dance floor, which serves as a balcony over the main dance area.

At the recommendation of Jakob Hansen, Highlight's director, the VIPs, which are typically used in retail situations to project a store's logo, were included in the club's equipment package to project a starry sky effect on the club's ceiling. The CP Color 150-Es provide a color wash on the building's exterior.

Friis says, “In Denmark, as in other countries, nightclubs over the years have been very similar, proposing the same kind of music and environment.” IN, he adds, was conceived to avoid that trap. Apparently, his strategy is working; as a kind of spinoff of the club, he has started the IN Festival, which has been held at the Hyper State of Copenhagen, which is billed as the largest disco party in Northern Europe (attendance is 12-15,000). Working with LD Christian Norgaard, the club owner has also chosen Clay Paky units for this extremely large-scale event. Thanks to them, Clay Paky is now traveling with the IN crowd.

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