Robe Embraces Armin posted: 21/05/2016
DJ, music producer and international superstar Armin van Buuren launched his new Armin Only' spectacular at Amsterdam Ziggo Dome - Armin Only Embrace - once again uniting the hugely talented technical and creative team that delivered the Armin Only - Intense' world tour in 2014.
Central to the energy, excitement and emotion of the 4 hour trance extravaganza in Amsterdam were 162 Robe moving lights - a megamix of Pointes, LEDWash 600s and LEDBeam 100s - among other fixtures crafted into the visual landscape.
Embrace is another truly unique and imaginative immersive musical, visual and sonic experience from the State of Trance originator. Based on the new album and its multiplicity of sounds, he and special guests - including impresario jazz trumpeter Eric Vloeimans, rock band Kensington, singers from other musical genres and eight dancers - will stun and amaze fans worldwide. The world class production values demanded by the show will be supplied locally.
This was one of the practical starting points for the lighting department, comprising LDs Marc Heinz and Andr Beekmans (The Art of Light) who created the design, and Armin's long term lighting director on-the-road, Michael Seeverens also from The Art of Light. Marc, well known for his work in the arts and theatre world - was again asked on-board by the show concept / creative director Jos Thie and AO producers ALDA to bring a theatrical vibe to the lighting.
The impressive LED video screen upstage of Armin's DJ booth was based on the new Armin logo - a closed' version of the famous A.
Marc worked closely with Andr , who is founder and lead designer of Eindhoven based creative lighting & programming practice, The Art of Light, and as a design tour-de-force, they collaborated with video director Carlo Ruijgers, ambient / playback video content producers Eyesupply and stage / set designer Sander Reneman from 250K.
It's clear to see how the synergies of Marc's theatrical and Andre's EDM lighting experiences combine, compliment and play out during the show.
The 74 x Pointes were dotted around on the overhead trusses and on the stage floor. Twenty-four were dedicated to highlighting scenic elements around the performance space, while the other 50 were in the grid above the stage and on the stage deck - utilized for all the super-bright, funky effects at which they excel. There was also a run of Pointes above the catwalk encasing it in an A-shaped cage at certain moments.
Taking advantage of the Pointes' hybrid features the lights was used as a beam and a spot fixture, opening up another whole round of variety.
The 60 x LEDBeam 100s were rigged on six slanted vertical trusses that extended the A-shape widthways across the stage and wings.
Masking the corners of the screen in keeping with the A-shape involved a perceived reduction in space, so these trusses were partly architectural in function and also allowed the fixtures to sweep out across the arena, scanning the audience and opening out the space.
The LEDWash 600s lit the dancers, with eight on the trusses above the thrust / B-stage and the rest along the edges of the runway below.
The breath-taking results of all these collective imaginations and the innovative mixed-media approach enthralled 34,000 fans at the Ziggo Dome over two nights, and will go on to do the same internationally as Armin and AO Embrace/s the world!
Crafting the lighting design started in August 2015. As always, in addition to the creative demands, Marc and Andre considered how the show is being toured, what equipment is likely to be the most available in different territories, etc. and naturally, the budget!
It had to be big, bold and jaw-dropping, make huge statements, be able to support four hours of full-on banging trance performance without looking repetitive and also have the finesse to support and accentuate the different guest sections and ultimately still not be too complicated or over-fussy so it can work everywhere!
This is a big ask'.
Embrace is also about Armin being close-up and intimate with his audience, with a runway / B-stage thrusting into the arena and much of the performance action, dancing, etc. taking place on here, right in the heart of the fans.
So, with all that in mind fixture choices were influenced by what was likely to be the most available on different continents and what first or second substitutes were likely to be. This decision alone can be the difference between spending 35 minutes or 8 hours of cloning / fixture swapping and updating the console before any show programming and tweaking can even start!
Unlike Intense that was 95% indoors, around 50% of the Embrace shows will be staged outside, so the lighting design and specification needed to address this too. We chose only the most reliable fixtures in our experience stated Andre, and this included the Robes .
Just as the show reveals multiple layers and depths as it unfolds, with the dancers, singers and musicians each adding new dynamic twists to the action, it was important that different areas of the stage were lit as individual spaces with their own definition. The audience is connected further by being lit and drawn into the action.
Lighting equipment for the two Ziggo Dome launch gigs and two sneak previews' at Brabanthallen in Den Bosch - following an intense three week production rehearsal period - was supplied by leading Dutch rental company, The Purple Group.
As a DJ/producer I want to connect people to this world full of inspiring combinations. An endless universe of possibilities is waiting to be embraced. Everything is possible * says Armin and it seems all the ingredients are in place for another crazy year of AO touring!
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
04/12/2025
SBS launches Future Frames initiative to support emerging First Nations video ed...
04/12/2025
Coronal mass ejections caused by eruptions on the surface of the sun can have fa...
04/12/2025
Gracenote Content Connect enables media ecosystem to precisely align ad campaigns and programming based on rich content signals
NEW YORK - December 4, 2025 - N...
Robe Embraces Armin posted: 21/05/2016 
