Over 170 CHAUVET Professional fixtures light Chase & Status at Coachella

The “monarchs of the UK electronic music scene.” That is how one critic described Chase & Status. A lofty title to be sure, but anyone who’s ever seen a performance by these drum and base legends would readily understand where that writer was coming from. With their impeccable timing and boundless energy, the Brit Award winning duo seamlessly swirls DnB with other genres to immerse any fan anywhere in a rave experience.

On Sunday 13^th April, the EDM “monarchs” brought their musical kingdom to California, transforming Coachella’s massive Sahara Stage into a giant dance club with their signature sound and guest appearances by stars like Stormzy. Enhancing the vibe and energizing the entire stage was a stunning production designed by High Scream, with management by NTRP, programming by Olly Walker, and onsite lighting by Elliott Mountford of Ti²² Design.

The lighting element of this dynamic stage panorama drew on the intense output of 172 CHAUVET Professional fixtures. Of these units, 104 were Color STRIKE M motorized strobe-washes, part of the Sahara’s house rig, supplied by Volt. The remaining fixtures, part of the Colour Sound Experiment supplied floor package, featured 48 Color STRIKE M and 20 Maverick Storm 4 Profile fixtures. The impressive collection of Color STRIKE M fixtures were instrumental in creating intense strobe effects that were brilliantly timed to match the music through the show.

“It was a big, impactful show,” said Elliott. “We were hitting around 120 Universes between the house rig and the floor package. Volt designed the house rig, placing the Color STRIKE M units in the air and on the floor around the stage. As for the floor package designed by High Scream, it had another row of STRIKE units along the whole of the video wall downstage. This helped frame the whole stage.”

“We had the Maverick Storms were placed behind the DJ area for essential backlighting,” continued Elliott. “The two central Storms were used to silhouette the DJs for 90 percent of the show.”

Programming and controlling the 120-universe show was a considerable undertaking. “Olly Walker spent five-days programming in London,” said Elliott. “Everything was time-coded so nothing was ran live, except for some busked key lighting.

“Olly and I have worked a lot together before. Our styles are similar, based on contrast and very timecode heavy shows,” continued Elliott. “We steer away from lots of effects and use more hits together with the music. His role was to work on the show-file back home, as he knows the music very well. Once he handed me a show-file, my job was to check that everything worked in previz, and on the rig. We reworked some song changes, and program SFX + Lasers into the show, and then I operated the show both weekends.”

This collaboration, along with a lot of inspiration and effort resulted in some sweet looks that more than met the moment during the festival. For Walker, one of the highlights was during the song “Innocence,” when a dazzling array of pixel effects moved in harmony with the music.

Elliott’s favourite moments came during the first laser drop. “We teased the audience, and then brought them all in at once — you could feel their reaction. I also loved Olly’s work with the big hard looks, then switching straight to dual backlights, it really created contrast. A lot of the other artists on that stage used lots of effects, and busking – we felt it had to be so tight timing wise.”

Tight timing? Yes, indeed! The production matched the music of Chase and Status, note for note, creating a show that was fit for a “monarch,” or for that matter any other artist making great EDM music.