Felix Lighting helped Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) celebrate its 20th anniversary with a large complement of MDG fog generators, Clay Paky lighting fixtures and grandMA2 lighting consoles at its flagship Las Vegas Motor Speedway venue. A.C.T Lighting, Inc. is the exclusive distributor of the three brands in North America.
EDC is one of the biggest electronic dance music festivals in the world. The June 2016 Las Vegas event drew more than 400,000 revelers to three days of the top EDM DJs, carnival rides, art and circus-style performances.
La Mirada, California-based Felix Lighting was the lighting vendor for EDC’s Kinetic Field, North America’s largest scenic stage, for the third consecutive year. Felix Lighting has participated in EDC almost since its inception.
New this year for Felix Lighting was a complement of MDG fog generators. “Lighting designer Leon Driessen asked for MDG fog generators to interact with lighting and lasers, so we decided to invest in five units comprised of Me2’s and Me4’s, which were shipped directly to the site,” says Brian Karol, project manger at Felix Lighting.
“We could see the differences between the MDG foggers and other systems right away,” he reports. “They produced a much greater volume of fog, and it hung evenly. We didn’t want blasts of fog that would dissipate fairly quickly. We wanted it to stay even and last as long as possible.”
Karol also notes that the fluid and gas consumption of the MDG fog generators was “minimal – I anticipated a lot more. During two days of programming and three days of the show we barely touched the CO2.”
The Kinetic Field stage was about 300 feet wide. Felix Lighting deployed the two MDG Me4 quad high-output fog generators upstage left and right, about 140 feet off center. It placed two Me2 dual high-output foggers center stage, flanking the DJ, and another Me2 FOH.
“They really shined, especially on their first time out,” says Karol. “The MDG foggers are solid products, and we’re happy to have them in our arsenal.”
Felix Lighting hung 96 Clay Paky Sharpys onstage. “There were eight wings on the set piece, four to each side, and Sharpys were on the edge of every wing in quantities from seven to eleven,” Karol says. “We also had some Sharpys on the floor. They’re a real workhorse fixture for us; we like them for their light weight and optics.”
Sixteen Clay Paky B-EYE K20s were also on hand to wash the interiors of some set pieces.
Felix Lighting furnished five full-size grandMA2 consoles as well. Two were used for previs and three were FOH to control lighting and water features. They were supplemented by three NPUs and ten NSPs for expansion. “I wouldn’t do a show of this size with anything but grandMAs,” Karol declares.
He emphasizes that all of the gear performed well under extremely hot conditions at the Speedway: Temperatures routinely topped 115 degrees F. during the day and it was 93 degrees at midnight during load out. “Everything sat all day in the heat and when we fired it up at night it all worked!” says Karol.
In addition to Leon Driessen, the creative team included production designer Maarten van den Berg and grandMA2 programmer/operator Robbert-Jan Vernooij.
About A.C.T Lighting
A leading importer and distributor of lighting products, A.C.T Lighting, Inc. strives to identify future trends and cutting-edge products, and stock, sell and support their inventory. The company provides superior customer service and value for money to all of its clients.
For more information, visit www.actlighting.com .
