A full array of Martin by HARMAN lighting equipment, including new MAC Axiom™
Hybrid fixtures, recently helped EDM producer Bassnectar deliver exciting live
performances at the Bass Centre festival. The two-day event was held at Dick’s
Sporting Goods Park and featured two extended sets by Bassnectar as well as
performances by Flux Pavilion, Wu-Tang Clan, Flying Lotus, Porter Robinson, Lupe
Fiasco, Alunageorge, Minnesota, G Jones, Dabin and Thriftworks. Lighting directors
Michael Smalley and Gabe Fraboni of Twin Designs began designing the lighting rig
many months in advance, and selected Martin fixtures for their power, advanced
performance and versatility.
“I’ve used Martin since the very start of my touring career, and I always know
exactly what I’m going to get,’ said Michael Smalley, lighting director at Twin
Designs. “The firmware and the layout is generally how it should be on every
lighting fixture. Martin thinks about lighting in a way that’s much more in line with
how I think as a designer. They go out and talk to designers and ask us what we
need and what we’re interested in—to have that kind of immediate rapport is really
important. I know that when I see Martin lights, they’re going to be great.’
The sold-out festival took place July 29–30, with more than 25,000 in attendance
each night. Although Bassnectar is one of the world’s top EDM artists, his live
performances are presented more like traditional rock shows. For Smalley and
Fraboni, the goal was to design a cohesive and dynamic lighting rig that could
communicate a wide range of visuals to accompany the music.
“With everything Bassnectar, the main creative impetus is immersion—the audio
and video are very immersive, and the lights provide an extension of that to the
crowd,’ said Smalley. “His music is all about counterpoints, so he’ll be very
aggressive and then very chilled out. From a lighting perspective, we wanted to
design a rig that had a great deal of power and could create a wide range of visuals
—from big, bright and powerful to calm and beautiful.’
The Denver-based audio, lighting and video production company Brown Note
Productions supplied the massive rig that Twin Designs deployed for Bass Centre,
which included 48 Atomic 3000 DMX strobes, 52 MAC Quantum Wash LED fixtures,
60 Martin MAC 101 moving head wash fixtures, 11 MAC Viper AirFX luminaires, 42
MAC Viper Profile luminaires and 34 Martin Axiom Hybrid fixtures.
The new MAC Axiom Hybrid fixtures played a huge role in the rig for its ability to
deliver high-precision optics and exceptional contrast—both in mid-air and
projection—as well as a surprisingly flat field. The Axiom combines beam and spot
into one compact unit that also offers diffused wash functionality, with the best
feature versus size and weight ratio available in the market.