Resistance at Privilege, Ibiza

Ultra Enterprises has spent its 2nd consecutive summer in Ibiza, delivering 9-weeks of Resistance at the world’s largest nightclub. In keeping with the group’s consistent production values, a special Funktion-One Vero sound system was deployed for each event, along with an exquisite show design and a talented tech team. TPi hit the White Isle to find out more…

On 17 July 2018, Resistance took up residence at Ibiza’s iconic Privilege club for an impressive 9 successive Tuesdays, running throughout summer until 11 September 2018. TPi attended a special show in early August – when superstar DJ and Funktion-One advocate, Carl Cox, celebrated his birthday with hordes of dance music aficionados.

The underground electronic music event landed with the promise of delivering ‘the biggest production on the island’, and backed that notion up with video, lighting and audio standards that have set a new precedent for Ibizan club nights. Indeed, stepping off the plane at the island’s small airport, clubbing guide promoters are handing out booklets, the ‘must see’ bible acknowledges Resistance at Privilege as a priority. A quote from Cox himself reads: “The Funktion-One sound system and the lighting on this night makes it feel like no other club – truly amazing.” So what is this new club sensation all about?

Launched in recent years as an offshoot of the Ultra Music Festival brand, (you know the one; Miami elegance and the world’s biggest names performing at North America’s most prevalent outdoor dance event), Resistance is the brain child of brand founder, Russell Faibisch, and in its own right has grown a global reputation as championing the best in live techno. In addition to having stages at 10 international festivals, parent group Ultra Worldwide produces 30 standalone Resistance shows around the world each year – including this summer’s return to Ibiza’s biggest clubbing space following its 2017 debut.

Key to the success of this Ibiza run – and all Resistance shows - is the stunning visual and acoustic canvas it provides for the in-demand line up.

The Ultra team pride themselves on enabling the best possible audience experience, by using the best technology available.

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Richard Milstein, Creative Director of Ultra Music Festival and Resistance Production Designer spoke to TPi during a busy build day. “Ultra has been around for 20 years now, and 10 years ago we began to do worldwide events. Due to the success we saw on a global scale, it enabled us to really push the envelope when it came to future production designs.

“Sound is obviously an extremely important component of any design. Funktion-One - especially for our Resistance brand - has been our number one sound system for years. As a manufacturer, they keep a great level of contact with us, because they’re much more than that. Tony Andrews always recommends the best products for the space we’re using, and when we’re in Europe, we only use him. When we go to Asia for example, it’s a little more difficult, but we always ask our Asian production partners to give us Funktion-One as our absolute first choice,” said Milstein of what allows Resistance to make a stand out impression in Ibiza, which at times can feel somewhat oversaturated with club nights.

He continued: “A lot of our production is video-heavy because we like to give our artists a canvas to be able to create a feel for their own show. This is something we’ve done with Ultra for many years. We’re not like other festivals in that we don’t do traditional set design - we use straight up technology in our creativity.

“We’ve taken on the Resistance brand seriously in the last 2 years, meaning that we’ve really developed an identity with the concept of design and you can see that in the visuals we produce. This can be encapsulated by a figure who appears on the screens we’ve called ‘The Seeker.’ The Seeker is neither a man nor a woman… but the notion that we’re seeking people, we want the people, the masses, to believe in the brand of Resistance. Throughout the night, you’ll notice we use a lot of the same colours at the early part of the night and when our headliners come on, we then show visuals tailored to them.”

Funktion-One’s Tony Andrews mixes on his desk of choice - the Cadac CDC5; Funktion-One’s Ann Andrews flew out weekly to help oversee the audio elements of the show; Ultra Music’s Richard Milstein is the Resistance Production Designer and creative lead; Production Director, Jim Baggott and Production Manager, Charlie Canavan.

PRODUCTION TECH

Milstein noted that the production team – led by Jim Baggott and Charlie Canavan - Tony and Ann Andrews, Lighting Director, Andy Hurst, and the Visionlite crew, which supplied automation, rigging, lighting & video, plus the local crew, had all been “fantastic to work with, I’m very lucky to be working with the best.”

Baggott, the Production Director who oversees Resistance shows worldwide, joined the conversation: “I work very closely with Richard, and once he’s given us the concept and some renders, we work out what type of screens and what type of lighting fixtures we’re going to use, depending on where we are in the world.

“Tonight’s one of our biggest nights because it’s Carl Cox’s birthday. I’ve personally been working with Carl for 15 years - I’ve toured the world with him 7 times!” reminisced Baggott. “It’s great to have him as one of our main ambassadors for Resistance. We want to be one step ahead of anyone else who is putting on nights in Ibiza. Both the Ultra and Resistance brands are renowned for their production quality and the team we’ve got are all at the top of their game. For example, Andy Hurst was brought in last year as the Show Director for Privilege and did such a great job that he’s been the LD for resistance worldwide ever since.

“Funktion-One has also been a favourite of ours for a long time. I’ve worked with Tony and Ann Andrews for years, especially when I was out touring with Carl. What we achieved in Space [helping to create the most sought-after clubbing experience for over 2 decades], by always having a Funktion-One install in there, was brilliant. So, by bringing them into Privilege with the new Vero system and having such a versatile speaker in here for Resistance, it was the next step up. Tony and Ann fly out from the UK each week, but this is a special one, so Tony is mixing tonight,” he nodded in approval.

“The Visionlite crew first worked with us at Ultra Europe in Croatia when we were looking into using an automated roof system which we use in Miami, and this is where the Ibiza concept came from. The first year that we had it in Croatia, Visionlite brought in a Kinesys system we got on with their team very well. Since then, we’ve teamed up for Resistance and now have them running automation lighting and video. They’ve also built a custommade DJ booth which makes life easier during change overs.”

Charlie Canavan, Resistance in-house Production Manager, added: “Jim looks after every Resistance show but as it’s grown, it’s gotten to the point where he can’t do every show in person, which is why I’m always on site.”

AUTHORITIVE AUDIO

Canavan also has a lot of respect for the audio element of the show. “It’s a treat to have Tony Andrews here, and something I really enjoy telling our guest engineers or visiting tour managers; if they’re worried about their DJ, I really take pride in telling them not to worry about a thing because we’ve got Tony Andrews here mixing, and he’s tuned the system himself!”

At this very moment, Andrews is walking the floor, making sure everything’s just right... “Tony’s never afraid to tell you if something’s not perfect. He’ll gladly spend an entire day tuning a system. In my opinion, he’s one of the very few geniuses left working in this industry. I think the Vero is a great system, and he’s tweaked it since last year even, so now it sounds even better. It’s also the only system Carl likes to use. I think one of the emails we had went along the lines of “If there’s no Funktion-One, there’s no Carl Cox!” And it’s true; Carl has an amazing relationship with Tony that goes way back. He and Ann are really nice people and they genuinely care. There’s not too many people in the industry like that these days; Tony doesn’t just send you a system, he comes out with it, installs it, tunes it, and the outcome is always brilliant. He’s a legend to me.”

The Resistance team were adamant that each show should stand head.

Adam Gaca worked on behalf of Visionlite; Show Director and LD, Andy Hurst.

The rig for the 2018 summer shows in Ibiza comprised a Barco S3 video switcher, LED tiles of 3.9 and above a 12mm curtain above the dance floor. For lighting, 153 Pro Lite LED Bars, 23 Claypaky A.Leda B-Eye K10’s,13 Kinekt Lasers, 36 Robe MiniPointes, 16 Martin by Harman MAC Axioms, 15 Martin by Harman Atomic Strobes and 6 Laser Blades. The lasers added even more slick production value to the nights.

Ryan Hagan, ER Production Co-Founder and Laser Tech, Harry Boyde handled the club’s laser effects. Hagan stated: “This was our second year supplying Resistance Ibiza, and this year, as well as the Kinekts and Laserblades, we also supplied 12 Physco2 Jets in the main room, and 4 Kinekts and 2 Pyscho2 Jets in the second, smaller room of the club.”

The use of lasers is key to full on technological impact of the show. Kinekts were placed on the upstage side of each of the Kinesys-controlled video pods (52 motors in total), which moved almost continuously during several segments of the night.

Boyde, who was on site in Ibiza, added: “With various focuses throughout the show, the challenge for us was to make the most out of our static 60-degree projection scan angle and satisfy the various Kinesys moves throughout the show. By the time rehearsals were over, we had great focuses in both vertical and horizontal screen positions. The Laserblades were rigged upstage on the lighting towers, focused to run along the same diamond formation as the screens.

Hagen furthered: “The Physco2 Jets were rigged along the length of the room and around the VIP balcony, positioned so that we could use the tilt to get a full coverage of the crowd. This was by the far the biggest production on the island this summer, so it was essential for us to be able to leave all control and cable elements in without hindering other shows taking place at Privilege. Every week our technician, Harry Boyde, was able to arrive and simply add the heads into the rig and we were show ready.”

MOTION CONTROL AND RIGGING

Canavan made note of the fact that Privilege is quite a difficult venue to work in, when putting a large-scale production inside. “We installed a BGR70 Prolyte truss from Unlimited Productions subsidiary Unlimited Rental. It’s retractable and can take a lot of weight. This year, as we’re in our second season, we know the room a lot better so it was easier to get a smooth start to the production install.”

Visionite’s Production Director, Adam Gaca, took up the story: “From the very first moment Richard sent the designs through, we began to adapt it to the environment here. Starting with all the calculations for trussing, hoist control and those vital rigging details, the roof began to take shape. “I’m a structural engineer by trade, so I take full responsibility for everything that goes above peoples’ heads. Safety first, always. We’re using 8.5 tonnes in the roof at Privilege, and I’m proud that we were chosen to be the automation and rigging experts here.”

To bring the best and the safest system into the club, the “obvious” answer lay in a brand new Kinesys Apex system, according to Visionlite’s Blake McNally, who added: “As a motion provider, Visionlite is responsible for both the health and safety of the workers, and the audience during the show. All plans needs to be done according to the roof weight capacity, and all points need to be calculated with dynamic loads for the risk assessments. Therefore, Kinesys is the key component within our equipment.

“We are very proud to be a part of this amazing production and we hope that this production will open up new possibilities and make motion control more commonplace, or on the same level as lighting and video within the show design.”

In order to create a sufficient self-supported structure, Unlimited Productions assisted with the challenge. Together with Unlimited Rental, it supplied a complete BGR70 pre-rig solution and was responsible for all the rigging positions and points.

Unlimited Productions’ CEO, Willem Loos said: “The BGR70 truss is designed to create large spans that can hold heavy loads. Compared to conventional 100’er truss systems, the BGR70 truss is 40% stronger and saves up to 35% transport volume. Rectangular profiles create a truss that can be used for spans up to 45m, still allowing a centre point load of 750 kg. Due to its low volume and height, combined with a high load bearing capacity, the BGR70 truss is extremely suitable as a mother grid, or to support a front façade for large sets, like on dance festivals. Due to its zero deflection, the BGR70 truss is ideal in applications with motion or LED screens.

“Using the unique pre-camber options, you can create an absolute straight truss. Depending on the applied load, a combination of spacers ranging from 0mm to 4mm can create a precamber effect that will result in zero deflection, despite the applied loading. This is a great feature when using motion or LED screens.

“Due to its 4-sided webbing the BGR70 truss can be used in vertical as well as a horizontal plane, or a combination of these. Creating possibilities for outdoor and indoor applications, as well as combinations in 2 or 3 dimensionalstructures. It is a tool-less system, no tools are needed for assembly and disassembly.

“A special hoist adapter is designed for the BGR70 truss. This adapter can be used either at the end of the span or in between 2 truss sections, offering a fully integrated suspension system. The hoist can be mounted above or inside the truss span, thereby reducing total trim-height.”

In my opinion, he’s one of the very few geniuses left working in this industry...

Production Manager Charlie Canavan on Tony Andrews

RESISTANCE RESULTS

The results of this combined production effort certainly had the island talking. The last word goes to Richard Milstein, who concluded that: “Privilege is the only venue that has the capacity to accommodate this size of production, so this was the right venue for what we wanted to produce.

“The team here have made it happen, week after week, but none of this would be possible without our brand owner - who has strongly believed in my efforts and really given me the opportunity to do great things for him - Russell Faibisch. It’s been quite a summer for Resistance!” he smiled. If chilling out (or dancing until you can’t feel your feet) is your thing, then Resistance at Ibiza is certainly a must attend night. Don’t just take our word for it, the 2018 DJ Awards crowned it the best Ibiza Night. After a hugely successful season at Privilege, the dynamic production and in-demand line-ups saw Faibisch and co wearing a smile all the way to the end of season closing party...

TPi Photos: Crew shots by TPi Show shots by Maxx McInernryRob Burgione & Gerado Arteaga

www.resistancemusic.com

www.privilegeibiza.com

www.funktion-one.com

www.visionlite.eu

www.unlimited-productions.com

www.er-productions.com