048 VENUE
“We chose the opposite approach... a high
quality, very effective but relatively minimal
system that would provide warm, involving sound throughout the club.”
LUSH
HO CHI MINh CITY, VIETNAM ASIA/PACIFIC/OCEANIA
One of the most eye-pleasing and tastefully designed nightclubs that mondo*dr visited in Ho Chi Minh City was Lush. Despite opening over four years ago, Lush was one of the first venues in Vietnam to use a complete Nexo sound system and Coemar lighting. Located in the central entertainment area, District 1, the official capacity of the club is 350 people, and it targets sophisticated Vietnamese who are interested and accustomed to western culture plus expats living abroad who want some of the style they often miss from their home countries. Thorin Cagle, co-owner and operator told mondo*dr how it came about: “[Lush] was meant to be something Vietnam had never seen before. At that time, nightclubs were dark warehouse spaces spray painted black. We wanted to make something really dramatic. We also wanted a club venue that was comfortable and inviting to casual Vietnamese women who wanted a venue where they would feel safe and sophisticated. We really wanted to create a place where expats and sophisticated locals could get together to party.” Searching for the right location took about 12 months, but the actual construction time was very rapid. From the beginning of the design to opening the doors took about four months, but to maintain its vibrancy the venue has seen a number of renovations since then. “The biggest hurdle to overcome was that the property could not be fully developed,” said Cagle. “Instead it had to keep its existing footprint. So we couldn’t make it into one large structure; instead we had to work with the existing garden spaces, and the main bar interior... the final design of the main bar went very well, allowing for dramatic use of graphics and having no obstructed sight lines. It is really not about the building design. It is about being able to see the
www.mondodr.com
people in it.” According to Cagel, it’s a very different type of venue from most Vietnamese clubs. “Most Vietnamese clubs are designed as bottle bars, where you sit at one table and receive bottle service from hostesses. Lush has a much more open and freewheeling environment; designed to make people interact and be sociable. There are a number of different environments, such as mingling space in the back garden and lounge seating in the main bar. Along with stand up bar space which makes parties interact more like a bar then a Vietnamese club.” Locally based suppliers completed the sound and lighting installation, but the brands chosen were very different to the prevailing norm at the time. Confirming Rob Eddy’s theory of aural expectations in Vietnam, Cagle added that, “Vietnamese clubs predominantly have huge stacks of (often fake) poorly placed speakers, blasting out techno at ear-splitting levels, and with horrible sound quality. We chose the opposite approach; a high quality, very effective but relatively minimal system that would provide warm, involving sound throughout the club space. We wanted the music to move the customers, not assault them. Post-Lush, more clubs are choosing Nexo equipment for their installations.” Indeed this is evidenced by the overwhelming number of Vietnamese venues that opt for Nexo, and it is no coincidence that the company has made major in roads in this country. Referring to the Coemar lighting Cagle said: “Similarly, a smaller number of high quality lights provide enough energy and movement without overloading the partygoers’ eyes. All the equipment we chose also seems to be providing the added benefit of being far more reliable than typical installations here.” Lush was also one of the first nightclubs here to embrace the idea of using software and controllers for music playback, not only providing great flexibility but also helping deal with the unique environment in HCMC.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
SOUND 4 x Nexo PS15 full-range speaker; 2 x Nexo LS1200 subwoofer; 4 x Nexo PS8 speaker; 2 x Nexo LS400 subwoofer; 1 x Nexo TD audio controller; 4 x Studiomaster AX3500 1100W/ch amp; 1 x Beta Three Elder UA1330 Series 1000W/ch amp; 2 x Pioneer CDJ-800 Mk2 CD player; 1 x Allen & Heath Xone:32 mixer
lighting 4 x Coemar Wash 575W moving head; 6 x Coemar Spot 250W moving head; 10 x Par Lights 575W; 1 x VXCO creator DMX 1024 controller; 1 x Studio Due City Color
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116