XL Lounge, New York City Thousands of Moods With the
Touch of a Button


XL New York

The problem: XL is a nightclub in a city full of nightclubs. To stand out, they knew they had to provide patrons with an experience unlike any other.

How, though, do you do that? How do you create a club that's different and exciting enough to be talked about, but varied enough that people never tire of it?

The solution: When we started on this project, XL's owners gave us some very specific directives. They said that they wanted to take people on an emotional roller coaster ride. They also wanted to change the mood in the club with a touch of a button.



XL New York

We installed the lighting, audio, video, computer networks, POS, surveillance, and control systems - and gave them that button.

The XL staff had a palette of thousands of looks and atmospheres to choose from. They could change everything, including lights, wall color, ceiling images, and the tempo of the music. They were able to raise and lower the club's excitement level, anxiety level, joy level, and relaxation level - automatically.

With a touch of a button, the place could change from a lazy blue-clouds look, to one a sinister red, punctuated by streaks of hot white light.

The system could run on its own, triggering dynamic sequences of imagery and sound at predetermined points, or the DJs and VJs could operate it manually.

We built a three-story illuminated light wall, which provided a backdrop for the curved stainless steel staircase leading to the VIP level. That wall, capable of changing to any one of 16 million colors, used backlighting to make people look like shadows, as they climbed the stairs.

On the second floor, we created numerous VIP areas, which helped the club with its exclusive feel. On the third floor, we outfitted the owner's private suite with an 18-foot long, one-way mirror, as well as a TV on which you can watch customized content or see each level in the club in real time.

Even the bathroom became part of a famous part of the experience. In it, we included a thousand-gallon saltwater fish tank, light refraction machines, and a series of water sound effects. The bathroom started showing up in TV shows, such as Sex & the City.

Next: Time Warner – A Multi-Media Playground