Music festival meets web 2.0 – with a live stream of a very special kind. During the 24. UMSONST & DRAUSSEN (U&D) festival in Würzburg the more than 80,000 visitors were not only entertained by music and cultural program: from June 23 to 26 a Twitter wall on the main stage offered additional distraction – a total success.
Internet users had the possibility to post their messages via the festival’s Twitter page. And they really seized the chance – several hundred entries over the four days of the festival. “The whole web community in Würzburg only had one thing to talk about: the Twitter wall of the U&D”, explained Tilman Hampl, press spokesman of U&D. The short messages were transmitted in real time and in different colors – the latter to enable a better readability and to create a nice light effect in passing. Read more »
The airport nightclub in Würzburg, Bavaria, is one of Germany’s leading house and techno clubs. It has been and still is home to many international top acts. Whether it is Sven Väth, Paul van Dyk, DJ Rush, Monika Kruse, Chris Liebing or Westbam; they all have rocked both turntables and entertained the masses.
Now, the airport, which had its own truck at the Love Parade for years, set a new standard and decided to install LSD curtains. “We wanted to try something new, something, that other clubs don’t have,” reckons the owner Rudi Schmidt. As the LED Soft Displays offer great flexibility, a very low own weight and brilliant colors, they are an innovation in the field of lighting technology: they are suitable for a wide range of applications and can show videos, graphic applications as well as backdrops. Only recently, the Eurolite LSD-100 curtain was crowned the winner in the category “Light tool of the year“ by German magazine Soundcheck.
The 14 curtains have been installed by Ape Laps Lichtprodukte from Würzburg. CEO Julius Schrenk assembled in total ten Eurolite LSD-75, four LSD-50 and six LSD AIO Network control systems in the airport and in the adjacent premises of “Soundpark Ost”. The curtains are primarily used as backdrops or ceiling lighting.
The airport opened its doors in 1983 in an old warehouse. Back in those days, the interior design space was the one of an airport terminal, hence the name to the club. The crowd at the time was trendy, ties and champagne were an obligation and many so called “pop icons” of the 80s, like Kool & the Gang, Sister Sledge, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Santana or Def Leppard, had their appearance at the airport after having played a show in the city.
In the following years, the airport turned from an elitist into a favorite student venue. Furthermore, they opened within the site the “Rockpalast” area (today “Soundpark Ost”) offering there an alternative music program. There was another turning point in the club’s history when techno music became popular. The new electronic music dominated the dance floors and the airport soon became Mecca for ravers all over Germany and beyond. After a short renovation phase, the club was reanimated by Rudi Schmidt, who re-opened a completely new designed airport. Techno had become music for the masses and the expanded venue offered plenty of space.
Today the airport offers various party activities such as dance classics or student events, while the Friday nights are dedicated to house music. Highlights of the club are still its highly successful techno events with superstar guests like Westbam, Carl Cox and others.
