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USA - Based on its recent analysis of the professional and commercial microphone market, Frost & Sullivan has recognized Shure Incorporated with the 2016 North America Company of the Year Award.

"Shure has launched numerous innovative wired and wireless microphone products, conferencing systems, audio processors, earphones, headphones, and software systems, expanding its footprint both nationally and globally over the decades," said Frost & Sullivan industry principal Alaa Saayed. "Significantly, it is the most purchased brand among institutions, enterprises, houses of worship, live events' sound contractors, as well as theatres, broadcast, and studios."

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated excellence in terms of growth strategy and implementation. The award recognizes a high degree of innovation with products and technologie

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Mozambique - "Jazz music is the power of now," Wynton Marsalis once observed. If that is the case, then Maputo is flourishing in the moment. A bustling city of gleaming new high-rises, Mediterranean-style villas and wide boulevards lined with jacaranda and flame trees, the Mozambique capital teems with the sound of jazz from its lively club scene and internationally acclaimed festivals.

Included in the latter group is the Maputo Morejazz Series Festival, a two-day event, now in its sixth year, which has in previous years featured music from Grammy winners like Beninese-born superstar Angélique Kidjo, Cameroonian Manu Dibango and other leading African artists. This year, Morejazz featured Cuba's Omar Sosa, South Africa's Judith Sephuma, Mozambique's Moreira Chonguica and Italy's Susana Stivali, as well as student musician stars of tomorrow.

Supporting this diverse mi

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UK - Kinesys automation is central to show designer Jvan Morandi's visual concept for the current Placebo Retrospective tour, which features some of the musical highlights and moments from 20 years on the indie rock frontline for the band, known for their intelligent visceral, raw and creative approach to live performance.

Ten Kinesys Elevation 1+ vari-speed drive units, used with 10 x half tonne Liftket motors and Kinesys Vector control are being used to move five I-shaped trussing pods rigged in the roof above the stage.

The system is a new investment in automation by lighting and video contractors Colour Sound Experiment, which made several purchases for this lengthy arena tour to ensure that Jvan has exactly the right elements for the tour.

Colour Sound's Haydn Cruickshank comments, "We have sub-rented Kinesys systems as needed for some time now, so we know the kit

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UK - HSL enjoyed the thrills and hi-energy exhilaration of supplying lighting and rigging for the Endemol produced DanTDM UK tour, for a lighting design crafted by Sam Wright. Sean McGlone and John Slevin project managed for the Blackburn UK based company, with technicals on the road co-ordinated by production manager, Jason Culverwell.

DanTDM is a professional gamer and You Tube star with around 13m subscribers enjoying his TheDiamondMinecart, making it a top UK You Tube channel which has so far received a staggering 8.4 billion views. Needleless to say, the tour which ran from June to November sold out everywhere it visited.

The producers commissioned award winning theatre, film and TV director Ben Woolf to develop a live show which could tour, putting DanTDM in front of thousands of fans, interacting, and entertaining them with a series of special games.

His core au

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UK - Utopium built and supplied a custom floor package and flown fixtures to illuminate Jake Bugg's UK and European tour, November 2016.

Following the release of his third album, On My One, Jake Bugg embarked on a promotional tour which saw him visit a host of different venues throughout the UK and Europe, including Manchester's O2 Apollo, London's O2 Academy Brixton and The Great Hall at Cardiff University Student's Union.

Utopium was entrusted to build and supply a custom floor package which included Martin MAC Quantum Profiles, new Martin MAC Aura XB washes to offer additional brightness and tighter beams, Martin Atomic 3K strobes, Thomas 4 Lite Molefays, SGM P-5 LED Floods, Antari HZ500 hazers, Antari AF-3 Fans, 8ft Black Truss Towers and a Road Hog 4 Control Desk.

The team also supplied a flown package which incorporated Martin MAC Aura XB washes, 40ft Trus

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USA - Paul Litchfield is no Thomas Edison, but the Massachusetts resident will go down in history as a great inventor, at least as far as the athletic shoe industry is concerned. In 1989, Litchfield created the Reebok PUMP!, an inflatable running shoe that redefined footwear aesthetics, was embraced by athletes from virtually every sport, and became one of the most prominent urban fashion icons of the '90s.

Now, some quarter of a century later, Reebok is relaunching the legendary running shoe with glitzy events, such as the one that took place in October at an Insta Fury Pop Up Shop space in Midtown Manhattan. The event featured an appearance by rap powerhouse and Reebok endorsee Future, portraits by world renowned sneaker artist Steph Morris from the UK, and a massive collection of new PUMP! shoes.

Accenting the proceedings with vivid colors, sharp beams and crisp gobos w

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USA - CAST wysiwyg was a guest star at the recent Kaaboo festival held at the historic Del Mar Racetrack and Fairgrounds, just north of San Diego on the Southern California coast.

Kaaboo is a new concept, describing itself as a "mix-perience" that blends headline music acts, top comedians, and a world-class food selection from celebrity chefs, with the underlying benefit of the three-day event being its reprieve from the porta-potties, muddy grounds and confused millennials. The event appeals to the more mature, more affluent festivalgoer willing to pay a little extra for atypical festival VIP amenities.

Chris Lisle of Chris Lisle Lighting Design of Nashville, Tennessee was lighting designer for the main Sunset Cliffs stage, hosting headline acts including Jimmy Buffett, Aerosmith, Fall Out Boy, Lenny Kravitz, Flo Rida and Collective Soul to name just a few. In all, almost

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Europe -Leading Croatian artists Gibonni & Oliver are on an extensive European tour campaign supporting their collaborative new album Familija (Family) with a brand new lighting design by Gibonni's long term LD Sven Ku?ni? based around 88 x Robe moving lights - a combination of Pointes, MMX Spots and MMX WashBeams.

Sven's design is adaptable to be able to fit into the wide variety of different venue sizes on the itinerary. He was given a 'blank canvas' by the artists, both of whom he knowns well. Gibonni and he are in tune when it comes to ideas about presenting his music live, and he trusts Sven implicitly to imagine and deliver all the visual aspects which include video.

Sven has been a keen Robe user for some years. One of his philosophies is that "darkness is the best lighting effect available" so on this one, video screens are used in moderation so they augment

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South Africa - Over R2m was raised in aid of youth development at the fourth annual Chefs Who Share - the Art of Giving Back. Since its inception, CCPP Group have supplied the full technical for the black-tie gala event which is usually hosted in the Cape Town, but this year was brought to the Johannesburg City Hall. The set was designed by cNic and built by Dream Sets.

This annual charity event saw top international chefs arrive in Johannesburg to cook alongside South Africa's finest talent, ending the experience at a fundraising gala dinner. "The client is very particular," commented Clint Cawood, who established CCPP in George in 2006. "While they never give us free rein, they provide detailed guidelines which at the end of the day is great for everyone."

Clint invested in a DiGiCo S21 prior to the event. On the lighting side, Lans Pepler from CCPP programmed on a grand

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UK - As a production supplier for prestigious clients at equally prestigious London venues, Production Plus cannot afford to take any chances with equipment. One of the most recent events supported by the company was the annual charity ball for the DM Thomas Foundation at the London Hilton on Park Lane, where Yamaha and Nexo once again proved their worth.

Dedicated to helping disadvantaged and vulnerable young people transform their lives, the DM Thomas Foundation's annual ball is a chance for the charity to highlight it's work to an audience of invited guests, while also giving them an enjoyable evening of entertainment.

Letchworth-based Production Plus has been using Nexo loudspeakers for over 15 years and brought Yamaha digital mixers into the company's portfolio nine years ago.

"We don't want a lot of different brands in our rental inventory. We want equipment that

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UK - Birmingham Repertory Theatre's production of The Snowman is playing to packed houses at the Peacock Theatre this Christmas, with Hawthorn supplying lighting equipment for the production.

Working closely with Andy Fidgeon, head of lighting at Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Hawthorn has drawn from its extensive range of hire stock to supply lighting equipment to specification.

Wanting to upgrade this year's rig to feature more efficient and reliable fixtures whilst also still maintaining the look of the show, Hawthorn replaced the older Vari*Lite VL1000's units previously used with a mixture of Martin MAC Viper Performances & Wash DX fixtures. A selection of MAC 700 profiles also formed part of this season's rig.

"This year we wanted to upgrade and enhance the lighting of the production," says Fidgeon, who has been associated with the show for 20 years. "Using

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UK - Set between the fateful years of 1974 and 1979, which saw huge economic crisis and a hung parliament, This House takes place in the engine rooms of Westminster, where fist fights took place and votes were won or lost by one. Following a brief run at the Chichester Minerva Theatre in October, the show has now arrived in the West End, playing at the Garrick Theatre, London. White Light has been called upon to provide the lighting equipment.

This House is written by James Graham and was initially staged at the National's Cottesloe Theatre (now the Dorfman) back in 2012. After lighting the original production, Paule Constable is once again designing the West End revival. She comments, "This House is a brilliant show and I am delighted to be working on it once again.

"What's great is that I've reunited with director Jeremy Herrin and designer Rae Smith who bo

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Italy - Following the extraordinary success of their summer tour, and after winning the 65th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival and representing Italy in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, Il Volo have given a long series of performances in Italy and abroad this year. Show designer Francesco De Cave, who was called upon by the production team to create a new show image, used Claypaky lights to illuminate the young tenors' world tour dates.

Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble, just back from the success and excitement of their long Il Volo World Tour 2016, are now top stars of traditional Italian and international music, which they play with style and modern arrangements.

Francesco De Cave helped create new exciting atmospheres through a show lighting design he set up using a set of conventional lights, Claypaky moving lights, and some other special effec

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Russia - Allen & Heath's dLive digital mixing system was selected to provide FOH and monitor mixing at the first Delta Jazz International festival hosted in Astrakhan, South Russia.

The three-day festival was an Italian-Russian collaboration involving the Astrakhan State Theatre of Opera and Ballet, Santa Cecilia Conservatory of Rome and the International Academy ARCO Foundation.

The dLive system employed at the festival comprised a S5000 Surface, DM48 MixRack and DX32 expander module, plus the new IP6 remote controllers. Monitor mixes were managed via a laptop loaded with the dLive Director control software. The rest of the PA system comprised Audio-Technica and Lewitt microphones, K-Array FOH speakers and QSC stage monitors.

Renowned Russian jazz and blues musicians, such as Sergey Manoukian, Pavel Chekmakovsky, Artem Fedorov, and the Yury Alperin's ensem

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UK / Australia - Power distribution specialist, ide Systems, is branching out to Australia with its range of British-made power distribution equipment. The equipment includes distribution units, transfer switches and power cables for sectors that need temporary power such as events and exhibitions, construction, healthcare, industrial and offshore.

The company started the expansion with its recent delivery of an Australian order for a range of bespoke 400A power distribution boards. Ide Systems responded with the prompt delivery of the customised product. The client chose ide Systems specifically because of its high-quality products made in Britain and its reputation across the UK.

The company has adapted many of its electrical products destined for the Australian market, such as using the red, white, dark blue and black colours for power cable insulation. With 22 year

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Switzerland - In the heart of the city of Meyrin, close to Geneva airport, the Forum de Meyrin is an important cultural centre. Its 700-seat theatre has just been refurbished with a new house PA system, featuring Nexo's Geo S12 and Geo M6 compact line arrays. These have been integrated with an existing Nexo audio inventory that has been built up over 22 years.

Designed by Frédéric Walder of ZAP Audio in conjunction with Jose Bouzas, head of the Forum's sound department, the new fixed system meets the varied demands of this busy venue, be they theatre, dance, music or opera. ZAP Audio has been working with the Forum de Meyrin since it opened in 1994, supplying the first sound reinforcement products (Nexo PS Series, LS Series subs), and then expanding and upgrading the PA specification in 2002.

In 2014, the Forum took the decision to install a line array system. A thre

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USA - My Morning Jacket (MMJ) founder and frontman Jim James embarked on a solo tour this fall, opening on the West Coast and closing 18 December at Iron City, Birmingham, Alabama. Veteran MMJ designer Marc Janowitz conceived a "forest" of 57 Solaris Mozarts as a main design feature for the tour.

"The Mozarts are used as stand-alone fixtures," explains Janowitz, "each one mounted at the end of goosenecks, LP claws, mic stand boom arms, and other lightweight audio accessories. I designed them to look as if they were growing out the ends of these 'branches'. There are sets of these trees downstage, mid-stage and upstage, creating a three-dimensional forest of lights for Jim and his band. Mozarts are super bright, but not in a way that it hurts to look at them, and although they're promoted as RGB their mixed white is excellent."

Space optimization is always a major considera

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Belgium - The name Heidi may conjure up images of a sweet young heroine in a Swiss children's tale, but for thrill seekers in Benelux it is also coming to stand for an exciting rollercoaster ride. Towering above the heart of the Plopsaland De Panne theme park in Belgium, Heidi The Ride, is a new 22m high wooden rollercoaster that accelerates to dizzying speeds.

Named after the highly successful Heidi TV show produced by amusement park owners Studio 100, Heidi's commanding position at the end of the park can now be appreciated by both park visitors and passers-by at all times of the day, thanks to an impressive lighting design utilizing fixtures from Chauvet Professional's Iluminarc division.

Luc Peumans and his team at creative design studio Painting With Light was brought on board to give Heidi an exciting night-time visual aesthetic to match the breath-taking experie

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South Africa - A severe drought and water shortage left Kroonstad, situated in the Free State, in dire straits earlier this year. In fact, there has been little improvement since. In the midst of this crisis, Kroonstad Cell Church were moving into a new church building which they had worked on for a couple of years, when Johannesburg based Maranatha Community Church decided to pay it forward and donate some of their existing lighting system to them.

"Kroonstad Cell Church is a dynamic local church with sound leadership," said Pastor Kobus from Maranatha Community Church. "We believe that if you touch a church you touch a community and so we wanted to give them a kick-start in getting on their feet in the new building."

Maranatha Community Church decided to upgrade their own auditorium with Longman Phoenix Bars and then to donate their existing Robe LEDForce 18s and a l

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USA - Rock band Blink-182 - known for their raw, adrenalized, hi-energy performances - are back on the road and blasted straight back up to the top of the charts in both the US and UK with their new studio album California and single Bored to Death!.

An extensive tour - currently in the US is re-igniting the enthusiasm, passion and commitment of their loyal fanbase who have rocked up to show their continued appreciation and enjoyed intense performances with an eye-popping production design to match created by Dominic Smith from Neon Black.

Dominic - who is based internationally in the US and the UK - started working with the band in April and Neon Black delivered the full production design for the tour - lighting, video and set. The lighting rig includes 40 x BMFL Blades which are being supplied by VER.

It's the first time Dominic has toured with

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Thailand - Considered to be one of the most beautiful temples in Thailand, Wat Tha Sung or The Glass Temple - so named because of its spectacular roof made from mirrors and crystals - is situated in Thailand's Uthai Thani province. The recent installation of a discreet L-Acoustics audio system in one of the temple complex's newer halls has ensured that it sounds as good as the original temple looks.

The original Wat Tha Sung temple dates back to the Ayutthaya period, which dates from 1351 to 1767. By the mid-1700s the temple was derelict, but in 1789 monk Luang Pho Yai restored it, with more buildings later added to the complex. It now has many pavilions with accommodation for meditation.

One of the newer main halls, Sala 12 Rai, has recently undergone extensive renovation in preparation for being renamed 100th Birthday of Pra Rachapromyan Cathedral. The update include

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Britannia Row Productions has further consolidated its long-standing relationship with Turbosound, with the announcement of the purchase of 48 stacks of Flashlight at this year's PLASA Show. Brit Row took delivery of the Flashlight system at the end of September to help service their busy Autumn season and millennium projects, commencing with the Jamiroquai tour and MOBO Awards.

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GAE Sales UK will no longer distribute GAE Loudspeakers in the UK. MD Peter Barnard was informed by Opal Audio Vertrieb, the holding company for GAE in Germany, that they had taken the decision as a result of a "conflict of interest." As a consequence, Barnard is in the process of changing the trading name of his company and, from November 1st, it will be known as EAG UK (European Audio Group UK). The new distribution arrangements for GAE in the UK are yet to be announced.

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After 12 years of planning, the Dream Factory finally opened its doors officially for the first time last month. The permanent Warwickshire home of the Playbox Theatre, the Dream Factory is the first purpose-built young peoples' theatre in the UK. Sceno Plus, the design arm of Cirque du Soleil, was responsible for the theatre design, the technical aspects of which were put into practice by Northern Light. Lighting is Strand throughout, whilst the sound is simple but effective, with a variety of Crown-powered Martin Audio cabinets, a 24-channel Soundcraft K1, with FOH and backstage paging amps from TOA, and a Baldwin Boxall induction loop system.
  1. Dare Appoint Litton Lane
  2. KAM and Penn Accessorise
  3. Royal Court Rebuild
  4. Martin Professional's Positive Expectations
  5. Telex and EVI Move to Joint HQ
  6. Shead Wins World Light Jockey Championship
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