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South Africa - HK Audio loudspeaker systems provided the sound for a special March concert in Harare, Zimbabwe, as the top three stars from South Africa's Pop Idols 2003 competition rocked the Harare Celebration Centre performing arts theatre. As a bonus the crowd also got to see local Zimbabwean musicians the Kwe Kwe Band.

Pop Idols winner, Anke Pietrangeli, together with runners-up Poseletso Sejosingoe and Jacques Terre Blanche, played to an enthusiastic crowd of over 3,500. The show was staged by digital broadcaster DStv and entertainment channel M-Net, which broadcast the Idols series.

Sound was provided by the PA hire division of HK Audio distributor Devan Audio Engineering, Devan Pro-Audio, which has been operating from Harare since 1984. Devan chose to use four HK Audio s

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UK - Sting will join forces with Northern Sinfonia in June 2005 to perform the traditional classic 'Waters of Tyne' - specially arranged by composer David Lang - when high wire artist Philippe Petit crosses the Tyne gorge to the upper façade of The Sage Gateshead in June 2005. Tony Award-winners Fisher Dachs Associates will design lighting for this event, which forms part of The Sage Gateshead's opening year of celebrations.

Sting comments: "It's really exciting for me to know that this spectacular building The Sage Gateshead will enable visiting musicians to experience this vibrant area. I know how important music is to young people and I am delighted that many more of them will have the opportunity to develop their knowledge, skills and interest in all kinds of music. It will be really extraordinary to perform at this event celebrating the opening of The Sage Gateshead.&

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UK - IBM showcased its latest developments in the IT sector recently, with the help of an 84" NeoDigm plasma screen supplied by PlasmaScreen Co. The IBM stand at the Linux User and Development Expo 2004 held in Olympia 2, was managed by IBM's worldwide event marketing agency The George P Johnson Company, which employed the latest in AV technology to reflect IBM's leading market position. To achieve this, it contacted PlasmaScreen Co and incorporated the world's largest plasma screen into the structure of the stand.

PlasmaScreen Co liaised with George P Johnson's project team and installed the screen on site at Olympia, along with a PA system and radio mics to create a small theatre area within the stand. IBM's exhibition team then ran demonstration videos and gave Powerpoint presentations, which reflected the branding used in IBM's current marketing campaign to the seated a

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Indochine X PixMob Fan Immersion

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's - 40 thousand LED pixels on a ceiling!!! Indochine's whirlwind tour transports fans to another level of the live experience - immersing them from floor to ceiling with PixMob's X4 wristbands, and an LED ceiling made entirely of its NOVA Minis! With the vision of Indochine's creative team, PixMob used its LED fan-technology to turn attendees and venues into an ocean of effects, and a starry sky of LED magic. Très très cool!

Read more about the Indochine tour in the latest issue of LSi

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UK - An unusual lighting scheme has recently been completed for Stevenage Borough Council by Future Group Lighting Design, using the new KlipLED system from Light Projects Group. The KlipLED, part of the new AuraLED collection, is an interior flexible colour strip system using 1W Luxeon LEDs in red, white, royal blue, green, cyan and amber.

For the Stevenage project, the ceiling incorporates a series of concentric arcs: since the section was too small to accommodate conventional light sources, a new system was designed by Peter Phillipson, in which 2,500 Light Projects KlipLEDs concealed in the arcs by a specially detailed system. A mix of white and blue has been used so that the ceiling colour changes over the course of the day to simulate a changing sky effect.

The Customer Service Centre space is purposefully influenced by the lighting to create a very pleasant working env

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USA - Color Kinetics Inc (CKI) and Main Light Industries Inc, an entertainment lighting specialist, have announced an agreement whereby Main Light will leverage Color Kinetics' intelligent solid-state lighting technology to develop Soft-LED - an LED-based drapery for entertainment applications.

Through the agreement, Main Light will apply Color Kinetics' patented LED control technology to offer Soft-LED - a drapery which allows precise control of individual LED sources, offering designers a flexible medium with which to create shapes, patterns and complex light shows that span thousands of individually controllable tri-color LED nodes. Soft-LED will be available in various sizes and form factors to accommodate diverse applications and installations.

"Our agreement with Main Light opens another exciting channel for Color Kinetics' intelligent LED technology," said Bil

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Serbia - Talk of the town in the heart of Belgrade at the Terazije "Palace Albania" is a new public information and advertising screen installed by the LEA Group, which is being hailed as a pioneering project in communications for Serbia and Montenegro. The screen carries public information and advertising for companies as diverse as finance and investment, food and drink suppliers, apparel and sports equipment providers together with cultural affairs information and government announcements.

The LVP1650 LED screen is a product of Lighthouse Technologies Limited, providing 16mm pixel pitch with 5,000 Nits brightness and is ideal for advertising and display applications because of its superior image quality and superb color rendition. The LVP1650 employs 13-bit processing and Lighthouse Technologies' M4 uniformity control. The product has recently been prominent install

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UK - Neutrik UK Ltd has announced the opening of its new, purpose-built, 1,800sq.m manufacturing and sales facility at Westridge, Ryde on the Isle of Wight. The new factory has been built and designed to Neutrik's bespoke requirements to meet the ever-increasing demands of its expanding sales operation. The company says its decision to remain on the Island demonstrates a firm commitment to their skilled and dedicated workforce, without whom such an expansion would not have been possible.

Neutrik UK Ltd started on the Island in August 1986 in an array of small manufacturing and office units at Cowes, followed by an expansion move to Binstead in 1991. Further extensions to the product range soon followed, together with Neutrik's global flagship product range of professional audio connectors. Continued success and product range growth meant that the company soon out-grew both its C

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Switzerland - In Switzerland, Pulsar's ChromaRange has recently played a major role in the renovation of a gentleman's club, The Brummel Cabaret, which is set beneath the five-star Palace Hotel in Lausanne. The club has been experiencing a complete refurbishment throughout the winter period by Yves Donati of Hybrid Concept in Geneva.

Giving the club a 'Roman-like' theme, Donati has employed an extensive use of Pulsar's LED ChromaRange products to enhance features and create ambience within the venue. Chromastrips are utilized to magnificently wash the stone walls, hall and entrance stairway, whilst ChromaScapes light the entrance from outside. An imaginative creation displayed in the lounges is of two bronze statuettes of beautiful goddesses holding ChromaSpheres on outstretched arms; one is holding a normal size 300mm sphere and the other is holding a smaller substitute.

All

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UK / Germany - FeONIC plc has received its first order from new German distribution partner, Adam Hall GmbH. The order, worth in excess of £150,000, is for Whispering Windows systems - a point-of-sale promotional technology used by retailers to turn glass in shop windows into loudspeakers'. The systems have been successfully installed in the UK by respected retailers such as John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, and Lunn Poly.

Adam Hall is to co-promote and install Whispering Windows in Germany, particularly within the retail sector. The company is renowned for supplying high-quality fixtures and fittings to the professional audio industry in European countries including Germany, France and Spain. According to Adam Hall, there has been considerable interest in Whispering Windows from the German market. The first monthly shipment of this order took place at the end of April.

Since la

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UK - Quadrant Visual Solutions has been named Audio Visual Hire Company of the Year by the Hire Association of Europe (HAE) at the Association's annual Ceremony and gala dinner at the Marriott Forest of Arden Hotel, Warwick in April 2004. "Quadrant's winning entry demonstrates an impressively high standard of professionalism," said the judges, adding: "They show a consistent record of delivery and high standards of service. In addition, they are able to demonstrate clear systems and procedures relating to safety, health and quality."

Quadrants' hire and events division employs 25 full-time staff from offices in Birmingham, Derby, and Nottingham. The service which has been built-up over the last 20 years now boasts 400 clients in the UK and £1.5 million of AV and professional video equipment for wet and dry hire including presentation kits for all budgets fro

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International - The June 2004 issue of Lighting&Sound International magazine (published 9 June 2004) will feature a Technical Focus on the new Working at Height Regulations. PLASA's Health & Safety consultant, Ron Bonner, has been delivering a seminar to the industry on the subject of the new regulations, including at the PALME exhibition in Dubai in February, and at this week's A.C. Lighting North trade show in Leeds. He comments: "This legislation is being forced on our industry - and a number of others - very soon. As so much of the work in entertainment technology is carried out at height, I believe it is vital that professionals working in this industry have an understanding of what is in store for them."

The Technical Focus article will also go on to provide a round-up of chain hoist motors and their control systems. The review will examine standards and safety,

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UK - Star Events Group has hired out its first Star Orbit stage since buying the range of stages earlier this year. The stage, hired to the Rockingham Racetrack over the May bank holiday, also marked the first of the venue's summer series 'Days of Thunder' shows. 20,000 visitors enjoyed an exciting day's racing before being entertained by Freefaller, D'Side and V, with Blue closing the evening.

Since opening the UK's first purpose-built motor racing circuit in May 2001, with grandstand seating and modern facilities for visitors' comfort, Rockingham has encouraged family audiences to visit the state-of-the art venue by adding funfairs and pop concerts to the racing days.

Rockingham's Jeff Carter commented: "Last year we hosted several successful concerts with Star Mobile and this year we have bought in Star Orbit with their dome-shaped stage, which looks great and the arti

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UK - Ten years ago, Milne's Cold Storage & Ice Factory in Perth, Scotland, was transformed into a nightclub featuring top-of-the-line Martin Professional equipment. Today, following a refurbishment including Martin lighting, Jem smoke and Mach audio gear, the venue is looking forward to another decade of success.

Michael Jordan, managing director of Nightclub Sound & Light (NSAL), a Martin preferred dealer located in Perth, provided the lighting, smoke and sound systems for all three rooms in the venue. Jordan explains: "I'm actually a DJ at the club and The Ice Factory is the reason I got involved with Martin years ago. I wanted to be able to service this venue," he states. "I kept the lighting going for 10 years and now I'm one of the biggest dealers in Scotland. This was a top Martin install when it opened . . . with 1220s, 218s and RoboColor IIs. Now with the

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UK - Spector Lumenex, a division of Tyco Fire & Security, has recently achieved accreditation to BS EN ISO 14001 Environmental Standard and OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Standard. The company provides a wide range of life safety wired communication to the Oil, Gas and Petrochemical industries, both on and offshore, as well as public address and voice alarm systems for transport, commercial buildings, shopping centres, entertainment and industrial sectors. The company's systems have been installed in diverse situations in some of the most severe environments and most difficult acoustic environments worldwide. This has resulted in an extensive client list, which includes major oil companies and other prestigious organizations.

The company says the Environmental Standard will allow all members of the company, frommanagement to the shop floor, to demonstrate their commi

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UK - Global Display Solutions (GDS), market leader in the design and manufacture of display solutions, has joined forces with NextWindow, designer and developer of optical imaging technologies in the field of touch recognition. Under the agreement NextWindow will supply optical imaging technology forintegration into GDS's new 32" and 37" LCD displays, providing the displays with touchscreen capabilities.

GDS selected NextWindow for its touchscreen technology after GDS's research into the touch solutions available for large interactive displays identified NextWindow's technology as being superior in performance over other touch technologies on the market, say the company. This new joint venture will enable both companies to combine their unrivalled manufacturing and design capabilities to deliver touchscreen displays of unparalleled quality and innovation to industry s

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UK / Australia - Leisuretec Distribution has been appointed as the official distributor in the UK for the Aeromic Systems range of products. The announcement follows a visit to the UK in April 2004 by the founders of the Melbourne, Australia-based company, John Penhallow and Peter Paisley. The product range includes the AM10 Aeromic, well known in the worldwide fitness market, and the innovative new CM10 Cyclemic, the AM12 Countryline Headmic and a selection of multi-sized body pouches (for body pack transmitters).

John Penhallow commented on the new partnership: "We are anticipating sales growth in the UK to develop on a par with the growth already achieved in Europe and the USA, and we see Leisuretec Distribution as the right vehicle to achieving this growth in the UK."

"Until now, our products have been very well represented in the UK by John Mear of Soundguy

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UK - Bandit Lites UK is supplying all lighting equipment and crew to the three-month sold-out Westlife UK and European tour. Westlife are one of the UK's most successful boybands, renowned for their entertaining stage shows and high-value, high-energy productions. The bands four tours - starting with 2001's Coast To Coast - have all been the biggest in Europe in their respective years.

The 2004 Turnaround tour sees a new level of presentational confidence with the band, whose streamlined 90 minute performance is divided into five sections.

Bandit is once again working with the Production North team led by Steve Levitt, Jason Danter and Karen Ringland, on this, the fourth Westlife tour. The Turnaround show was conceived by the band, (Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Shane Felan and Mark Feehily), lighting and set designer Peter Barnes and production manager Steve Le

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UK - The Elbow Room - a hybrid of bar, club and pool hall with five venues in the UK, has recently opted for a KV2 Audio sound system for its Islington site, after Elbow Room's operations manager John Power met Duncan Baines of Xtreme AV to discuss plans for the venue.

Since it opened in 2000, the venue had employed a house system for day-to-day work, hiring in something more substantial for special events. As the special events grew, so did the need for a permanent system that could handle the growing list of international DJs and the succession of live bands.

Due to the increase in live performances and to provide bands with a suitable working area, Xtreme AV devised a portable stage, constructed in front of the DJ booth before each gig. This meant that the sound system had to be portable, so that the stacks could be moved from either side of the DJ booth (behind the stage)

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UK - The conversion of an underground arcade in Carlisle's old town has resulted in one of the first installations of the new Cerwin-Vega! Vision systems. Owners of Club Concrete, the Van Lierop family, were alerted to the new system by local Cerwin Vega dealer Peter Tyson's - who had earlier fitted out the family's other bar/restaurant operation, Fat Fingers. The 300-capacity subterranean nightclub majors on natural materials - concrete, slate, tiles, sandstone and reclaimed timber. John Van Lierop, and his sons Mark and Tony, thus wanted a natural-sounding PA, which also blended with the aesthetics - but also delivered a punchy bottom end.

Mick McCall, who runs the retailer's DJ department, recommended the system after being approached by Denis Phoenix of Cerwin Vega distributor Lamba, soon after the Vision series landed in the UK. Occupying the ultra-high performance segment

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UK - Manchester-based ACE PA Ltd. has purchased an Allen & Heath ML3000 VCA console to provide sound reinforcement for its medium to large events. The 40-channel console made its debut at BBC Music Live 2004 in Manchester's Exchange Square on 1 May, where ACE PA provided the PA system for a nine-hour live event.

"We selected the ML3000 because it fulfilled all the requirements without breaking the bank," commented ACE PA's Gary Jones. "This is the first VCA desk that ACE PA has ever owned and we are very impressed with the grouping capability. The 36 mono and six stereo format has the capacity to cover the medium to large events for which we predominantly cater. Furthermore, the ML3000's eight auxes provide the perfect solution when we have to control both monitor and FOH sound from the FOH position."

Manchester's BBC Music Live event commenced with classic

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UK - White Light and The Moving Light Company held an open day to introduce electricians, programmers and lighting designers to the grandma range of consoles. On Wednesday 28 April White Light and The Moving Light Company plus a selection of guests took part in something of an English tradition - afternoon tea with grandma. In fact, not just tea, but tea, sandwiches, cakes and other snacks. And not just one grandMA, but most of MA Lighting's grandMA range of lighting consoles.

"The grandMA range has been on our 'radar' for some time now," comments White Light's technical director, Dave Isherwood, "having proved itself on a range of rock-and-roll and corporate projects for others over the last few years. Having now supplied two systems to theatrical productions - Thoroughly Modern Millie in London and Mamma Mia in Holland, we found that many of our re

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