Formerly a cold storage unit for frozen foods, Milne's Cold Storage & Ice Factory was transformed ten years ago into Perth, a Scotland nightclub featuring top-of-the-line Martin gear. Today, a recent refurbishment that again includes Martin lighting, Jem smoke and Mach audio gear has secured The Ice Factory (formerly Perth) as one of Scotland's hottest nightclubs for another decade.
Hot New Lights
The Ice Factory consists of three dance areas–Casbah, Funky, and the Ice Factory's main room. Michael Jordan, managing director of Nightclub Sound and Light (NSAL), a Martin preferred dealer located in Perth, provided the lighting, smoke and sound gear for all rooms.
The Ice Factory is in fact Jordan’s local club. "I'm actually a DJ at the club and The Ice Factory is the reason I got involved with Martin years ago. I wanted to be able to service this venue," he states. "I kept the lighting going for ten years and now I'm one of the biggest dealers in Scotland. This was a top Martin install when it opened ten years ago with 1220s, 218s and RoboColor IIs and now with the refurbishment we've added some of Martin's latest gear to make it even better than it was before."
The Ice Factory upgrade debuted on March 5th. The new lighting system in the main Ice Factory room features MAC 250 Kryptons, Wizard effect lights and Atomic strobes.
Jordan wanted to fill the club’s large dancefloor with beam and gobo patterns, so he chose the Martin Mac 250 Krypton for its diversity and quality. "The lighting show had to be state of the art and modern and I was looking for a long term solution," he explains. "Like the older equipment, I thought the MAC 250 Krypton would serve the Ice Factory for 10 years. The versatility of the Krypton was an important factor as it could be minimalistic, and we could use the height of the club as well."
The main lighting element in the dance area is a circular truss with Wizards and MAC 250 Kryptons. Since Jordan works in the club as a DJ, he knew first hand the need for a circular rig: "The design and layout of the round rig is something that's been on my mind for this venue for a while, knowing several years ago that it was getting a refurbishment."
Additional Kryptons and MAC 300s for color wash grace square shaped trussing on either end of the dancefloor while ample trim heights allow the Atomic 3000 strobes to be flown high, a considerate requisite due to their powerful output. "We've opened the place up by shining light everywhere," Jordan says. "The idea of the positioning was to get light everywhere–getting a good flow of light. It looks very impressive."
Additionally, a Martin Mania DC1 decorates the back wall of the bar with fluid effects that look as if water were flowing down the wall. Lighting at The Ice Factory is controlled via a DJ version Martin LightJockey.
Still Sounds Clear as Ice
The Mach sound system is the original Installation Series sound system consisting of Mach M154i 2-way medium-throw speakers and M152i and M182i subs. Mach M125i 3-way near field speakers were added several years ago as DJ monitors and recently Mach CS-8 in-ceiling speakers were added for infill purposes.
"In all my years of working in this venue there has never been a failure," Jordan says of the audio system. "The Mach speakers are located in each corner of the dancefloor, in order to get a good spread. Because of the angle flowing toward the dancefloor everything was set up for infill. The main speaker positioning of the M154i is to get the clarity on the dancefloor. They are very, very clear."
In addition to The Ice Factory's main dance area, the Casbah features MiniMACs and a full Mach sound system. After ten years of faultless service, Jordan reports that the Casbah's Mach sound system remains unpolluted and exact.
Downstairs, Funky is outfitted with MAC 250 Kryptons, RoboScan 812 scanners and Martin Architectural Alien 05 color changers. Jem smoke machines provide atmospheric haze and mid-air lighting canopy in all three rooms.
Besides drawing new patrons and adding to The Ice Factory's popularity, the lighting, sound, and smoke upgrade is also an attractive element for world-class DJs like Judge Jules, Paul Van Dyke and others. Jordan reports that the refurbishment has been a big success, garnering praise from customers and DJs alike. "People know when you've spent money on your venue," he says.
Equipment:
10 MAC 250 Krypton
2 MAC 300
4 Wizard
8 RoboScan 812
2 Atomic 3000
1 Mania DC1
16 Alien 05
1 Alien 05 Driver
1 LightJockey
2 Jem TechnoHaze
8 Mach M154i
4 Mach M152i
2 Mach M82i
2 Mach M125i
4 Mach CS-8
1 Sanyo XU-46 Projector (Air-Clean Pro Housing)
1 Formula Sound PM-90 Mixer
2 Pioneer CDJ800