Steve Aoki Neon Future tour, Xite (VSL) put together a complex visual show integrating lighting arts, visual arts and a custom sculptural 3D LED mapping. Neon Future I is the second studio album by American DJ and producer Steve Aoki. It was released on September 30, 2014 through Ultra Records and Dim Mak Records.
The team at Deckstar Management contacted the Xite (VSL) team to create a unique production design that embodied the concepts Steve was exploring on the album such as extending our lives, extending our creativity, opening up the mysteries of the brain. To execute these visual ideas we explored a wide range of futuristic themes: Megastructures, Megacities, Neo Tokyo, Japanese Anime, Futuristic Utopia, Future Electricity, Data Glitch. Each of these unique visual aesthetics explored futuristic representations of urban life, urban power, communication and data arts. Steve Aoki – Neon Future
Making up Steve’s unique touring production are four square LED canvases, one for each letter of Steve’s last name, which display dynamic typographic animations and futuristic content. They surround Steve in an arching fashion with correspond staging, allowing him to perform in and around the set. Surrounding each LED screen is a 3d mapped, mirror-lined LED scenic grid that extends the visual elements in physical ones, adding an elaborate scenic layer to the production.
The 3D LED grid was designed, programmed, engineered and built primarily in house at the Xite (VSL) Studio. It is a very custom piece of scenery built specifically for this tour. The grid consists of 972 frosted acrylic tubes, each of which contain 26 individually controlled LED pixels. Lining the mounting structure is a highly reflective mirrored acrylic, creating the illusion that there are twice as many pixels and depth to the grid (50,000+).
The overall effect is a video product that is integrated into standard staging and LED modules to create a scenic composition that comes together like pieces to a puzzle. Lighting is arranged to compliment and frame these effects in a variety of interesting ways. The programmed combination of each element and the interplay between them is what makes this production truly unique. Here is a recap of the Neon Future Live from a live performance at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago
Deliverables: Creative Direction, Production and Lighting Design, CAD support, 3D Animation, Content Creation, System Programming, VJ Services