DJ Dimension downtown LA Show powered by Elation and Bending Lite

Lighting designer Aaron Attarzadeh delivered a high-impact, visuallytight design for DJ Dimension’s downtown Los Angeles performance, using a full Elationrig supplied by SLX Productions. As a designerwith Bending Lite—the team behind Deadmau5, Tiësto,and Insomniac events—the designer adapted Dimension’s UK tour aesthetic to the outdoor Factory 93 setting.

Aaron, who tours with Dimension in the U.S., collaborated closely with the artist’s creative team, manager Aaron Goldberg, Dimension himself, and Ariel Afar, Principal and Creative Director of SLX Productions.

The lighting package included 36 PROTEUS RAYZOR BLADE S, 26 SMARTY

MAX moving heads, and 16 SŌL I Blinders, all from Elation. SLX, a full-service production company and rental house based in Los Angeles, also supplied haze and fog, along with moving LED panels. Data networking was handled via NETRON EN12 and NS8 nodes for communication from the stage to the front of house, running three VLANs for lighting, video, and show control.

The design process began in Capture and Vectorworks, where Aaron and the team previsualized the concept in detail. “We absolutely love Capture because it’s quick to get a design in front of the client,” the designer states. “We then build a full 3D virtual environment for the artist in Depence and use it as a selling tool. Everyone can immediately see the vision.”

Working with Dimension’s UK-based creative direction, the team focused on preserving the artist’s signature visual moments, with the PROTEUS RAYZOR BLADEs playing a key role. “We like to approach shows by focusing on what makes the artist look the coolest,” Aaron said. “With Dimension, it’s him smoking a cigarette. That’s his thing. So the whole question became: how many ways can we make him look cool while smoking a cigarette? We used a God light from above, plus RAYZOR BLADE fixtures in different variations to highlight him in multiple ways. That was the initial vision behind using the BLADEs.”

Arranged in a straight line behind Dimension at neck height, the LD says

the RAYZOR BLADEs were perfect for this show as they’re essentially three fixtures in one. “You have two lines of white LED, which is the strobe, the RGBW LED engine, and white LEDs for a twinkle effect. Everything is more concentrated and efficient, but still incredibly dynamic.” That multifunctionality allowed Aaron to create high-impact looks without overcomplicating the rig. “The BLADEs let us do more with less,” he says.

Ariel Afar adds, “The RAYZOR BLADEs are incredibly versatile. It lets us create a variety of looks from one fixture, which makes for a cleaner-looking rig.

At SLX, we’ve used them on everything from Coachella to Ja Rule’s 2025 tour. The IP rating is huge as well, especially when you’re setting up the night before.”

The designer made heavy use of the RAYZOR BLADE’s SparkLED background effect, creating a twinkling grid behind the artist. “I’m a big fan of twinkle effects,” he explains. “I left them on at 30–40% for most of the show so the rig would still look full from any angle. It´s not bright to the point where it’s bleeding out the show; it’s just a tiny bit of twinkle that's shooting through the haze. Any photo, any angle—you always see the rig alive, without it overpowering the moment.” The BLADEs’ wide zoom range was also key to shaping the show’s atmosphere.

Mounted at the same height as the BLADEs, SMARTY MAX moving heads delivered tight, focused beams that added punch and contrast to the rig. Aaron leaned on the fixture’s hybrid design for its optical precision and flexibility rather than sheer quantity.

“You don’t get the same beam quality from LED,” he explains. “The arc source gives you a more condensed, pinpoint beam that cuts through the haze. With two stackable prisms and dual gobo wheels, there’s a lot of variation available without needing to overbuild the rig.”

The SŌL I Blinders, with its tiny housing and full-spectrum RGBL+AW LED engine, were placed behind a blow-through video wall to create a glowing under-stage effect.

For SLX principal Ariel Afar, Elation fixtures have become a staple of the company’s inventory. By pairing versatile equipment with design expertise, the company crafts unique staging solutions that are both flexible and quick to deploy—an approach that proved integral to the project. “Ariel and his team at SLX made this an easy load-in,” says Aaron. “They prepped everything at the shop and had it show-ready in 3 hours from trucks dumped to programming.”

The designer concludes by emphasizing that strong vendor relationships are critical to modern touring. “Our relationship with Elation is so important to the execution of these shows,” he says. “Having local support, quick turnaround, and people who understand how fast showbiz moves makes all the difference. Ariel’s relationship with Elation played a huge role in the success of this show.”

www.elationlighting.com

Photos © Kurt Miller