3D – The future of nightclubbing?

The world’s first 3D enabled nightclub will be co-hosting the 3D music festival this September.

Billed as the ‘future of night-time entertainment’, 3opolis launched over two weekends in March 2009 at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, Las Vegas and returned in September 2009 at the Avalon Hollywood nightclub where DJ Benji Madden span tunes on a ‘3D Dance Floor’ which was described by the LA Weekly as “Mind Blowing”.

It is run by The Dream Factory – a full service creative development, animation and 3D production company based in Beverly Hills, CA.  Aside from 3opolis, the Dream Factory also runs the LA 3D Film Festival every September which includes live 3D concerts and fashion shows.

3opolis will return on September 20th, 21st and 22nd where ravers will be provided with RealD glasses and entertained by immersive stereoscopic experiences through projection and sound mixed with light and smoke plus live performances on the 3D Dance Floor.

The 3D Film & Interactive Lounges at 3opolis shows, presented by LG Electronics, are chill out spaces with 3D projections and TV's displaying a variety of content, some of which is created in real time by a ‘3DVJ’ who uses Dream Factory ‘trade secret’ methods to create unlimited custom created content for the displays.  There are also 3D video games, a photo studio, designer eyewear product and merchandising.

The Dream Factory hopes to expand the brand through a franchise model and say they have created the world’s first and largest network of 3D enabled bars, nightclubs and live music venues. The team are appealing to those who either already own a venue and want to 3D enable their space, or are building a new venue and wanting to make 3D a focus in their design plans.

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Smaller 3opolis events have been run in London and it is currently traversing the globe on a world tour.

It is not the first time extra sensory sensations have been offered to dancers to enhance their clubbing experience. The popular Fabric nightclub in London features a "bodysonic dancefloor" in Room One. The company behind it, Djenerate, installed 400 bass inducers underneath the dance floor which emit bass frequenices from the music, sending shocks through the dancer's legs in time to the beat of the music, effectively turning the dancer's bodies into speakers. 

Other clubs such as The Sub Club in Glasgow and Elevate in New Delhi have installed similar systems by the same company.

To celebrate the release of Tron, dance music promoters Submerge hosted Tron 3D nights in major Indian cities. 3D visuals of Tron were accompanied with the film’s Daft Punk soundtrack. DJ Christopher Lawrence entertained clubbers, along with a British DJ and 3D VJ (Visual Jockey) team to create a 'digital 3D clubbing experience'.

Complex 3D LED floors are bringing the disco lights from the celing to the floor thanks to innovations like INOVALED’s Pista 3D system (Pictured above and video below). Mega-club Amnesia, Ibiza has installed the MADRIX Ultimate DMX – an LED system that boasts 8,848 RGB pixels across 3 zones (horizontal platform, inclined roof and 3D vertical array) which can produce 3D effects through unique MADRIX scripts. The effects are dramatic, and a major progression from the glitter ball! ()

NOVAK 3D DISCO has been experimenting with 3D clubbing since 2006, which 'The Independent' described as “putting wonder and amazement back into nightlife!’ and "One of the most exciting and innovative approaches to music visuals we've seen" by the Glastonbury Festival. The global touring company has found success with its combination of house sounds and 3D pre-rendered graphics and images projected onto screens, enjoyed by clubbers wearing red/cyan glasses. 

The company has gone a step further with The 3D DISCO 360 show. The pop-up venue provides a fully immersive 360 environment which surrounds the 1000+ audience with 3D HD graphics and sound. It premiered in the O2 Arena in 2009 and has been on tour since, including the Big Chill and Glastonbury Festival. 3D DISCO 360 were awarded a £10,000 bursary through the Smirnoff Night Vision Initiative (photos of the 360 3D disco can be seen here.)

 What do you think?

Do you think 3D technology could enhance the clubbing experience? Or do you think the simple flashing of a few neon lights in a dissused warehouse in Rochester would be just as fun if the music was right? Let us know your thoughts below!

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