The 1100-capacity large hall and 420-person small hall are both now fully equipped with Robe moving lights, with packages specified by the chief lighting technician Mathieu (Mat) Huveneers and his team to deliver full flexibility and high production values for all performers. During the pandemic, regular livestreams were broadcast from the studio.

Muziekgieterij initially opened in 2007 and has been on its current former “Sphinx” ceramic factory site on the outskirts of the city since 2013, with the large hall built from scratch in 2019. The venue now stages an average of 7 live shows a week including a full weekend programme, so it is essential for them to have dynamic lighting systems with plenty of creative potential.

The very first Robe lights associated with the venue had arrived back in 2009 – a set of ex-rental ColorSpot 575ATs – way before Mat’s time, but were only finally retired in 2023, impressing everyone with their reliability and longevity!

In 2019, with the completion of construction of the large hall, 12 x ESPRITES, 44 x LEDBeam 150s and 12 x Spikies were delivered by Robe’s Benelux distributor, Controllux.

The 12 x ESPRITES went into the main hall along with six of the LEDBeam 150s and the 12 Spikies which make up an excellent floor package, with the balance of the little LEDBeam 150s going into the small hall together with 6 x ParFects. “All these fixtures are a perfect physical size and had all the right features to offer great shows in both venues,” commented Mat, who has worked at Muziekgieterij for 10 years, starting as an intern whilst still at high school.

“Apart from unlocking plenty of creativity,” he comments, “these Robe lights are all low on maintenance,” which is a great asset for a busy venue like this as less maintenance gives him and the lighting crew more time to spend lighting bands and being imaginative!

The small hall lighting rig was working very well for DJ shows and dance parties, but they still needed some hard-edged beam / spot lights for the space.

Just before summer 2023, Controllux’s Maikel Sakkers rocked up with some prototype Robe PAINTES, which the team – including lighting technicians Axel Moors and Petri Veerkamp – were able to test and evaluate in situ.

Shortly after came the decision to purchase eight PAINTES for the small hall.

“This was for all the same reasons that Robe had worked so successfully for us already,” said Mat, “Low maintenance, the AirLOC™ (Less Optical Cleaning) technology - also featured on ESPRITES - which keep the optical elements in good condition for far longer was a big plus, they are rider-friendly fixtures, and all the bands and musicians we host can work with PAINTES.”

Axel, also a big fan of ESPRITES which he “drives extremely hard” especially when lighting dance events and show shows in the big hall, particularly likes the compact size and speed of the PAINTES. Again, this is great for lighting and creating atmos for dance music events. “The zoom is fantastic – I can fill the whole room with light in an instant and the brightness is truly impressive for the small size of the fixture!” he declares.

He adds that visiting technicians are frequently commenting favourably about the Robe lights and their setup.

Mat remarks on the lack of hotspot in the PAINTE and indeed, on all the recent Robe product ranges “the intensity and the even spread of the source is fantastic, and that’s something that – clearly – much time and effort has been spent on.”

About 40 % of the incoming bands – all those who don’t bring their own LD or operator – are lit by the Muziekgieterij crew and Petri notes that it’s great to have all these Robe products in the rig as they really give the versatility to light all sounds and styles of music.

All of them enjoy working at the venue, a music lover’s dream, and a stimulating environment where there is always something interesting or cool happening. “It is a great place to learn the craft of lighting different types of music and live artists of all descriptions, and also be able to experiment a bit and discover the techniques and treatments that will work best,” concludes Mat.

Photo Credits: Louise Stickland, Harry Heuts