Avolites D7: Full control and light effects for Hilltop Hoods

The latest tour of the Australian Hilltop Hoods has featured lighting design by Paul Owen, who chose the lighting console Avolites D7-215 to redefine the usual lighting schemes of rap concerts.

Hilltop Hoods has blazed a trail in the rap scene by bringing his unique sonic offering and intricate narratives to stages around the world.. Coming from Adelaide and formed by MC Suffa (Matthew Lambert), Pressure (Daniel Smith) y DJ Debris (Barry Francis), The group has been touring since the beginning of the nineties, decade in which hip-hop was at its peak.

Owen's history with the “Hoods” began twenty years. Since then, have defined a lengthown lighting equipment, combining techniques from different disciplines to apply them to the world of rap. In this way, the theater delicacy and the impact of rock 'n' roll they coexist on the tables.

The last tour of Hilltop Hoods It started with festivals in Australia and New Zealand, followed by a European tour. The lighting designer began by using the D7 de Avolites in Australia, where the lighting equipment was supplied by the rental company Harry the Hirer. After, went to a configuration Avolites T3 in Europa, although now he is preparing to close the tour in style in Australia again with the D7.

D7: new possibilities

Owen has been using the control surfaces Avolites since the beginning of his professional career in the early 1990s 1990. Since then, has remained faithful to the brand.

The tour of Hilltop Hoods It's your first experience with D7, Although I had already used a Avolites D9 para la gira “Red Hot Summer”de Jimmy Barnes (famous for Cold Chisel) in 2023. It was on this tour that he discovered some of the main advantages of this range: from his portability, until specific functions like the generator Key Frame Shapes, which allows producing real time effects.

The Avolites D7 also allows Owen to create complex lighting schemes using mapping techniques: “With the D7 and a little lateral thinking, “You can effectively animate a look without having to use a media server.”. And it is that, for lighting designer, the programming architecture of the D7 is “simple, but smart”: “You can start up a computer through the console in a few 20 minutes, which is great. The console is the translator between what I have in my head and how the lights will look on stage, and I have discovered that, of all the options, Avolites is generally the best translator for me… without a doubt!”.

After deploying the console to manage some 60 devices plus a floor package with 5 Vanish LED panels each, 20 MagicBlades y 50 LED Moles, as well as several MAC Aura XBs of Martin to generate low level lateral washes on supports and strips LED Klus for signage, Owen prepares to continue elevating the show Hilltop Hoods looking ahead to the next leg of his tour. For this, plans to manage between 260 y 270 lights, including several iFortes of Robe, plus special effects and video.