Onedot Calls on CHAUVET Professional to Light Landmark Souldia Show at Festival d'ete de Quebec

Canadian rapper Souldia performed this July at the Festival d'ete de Quebec, focusing on songs from his 13th album, Monstre. The show was notable for its versatility. "Our number one rule when programming a show is to make sure every song has its own unique visual identity," says Erik Nowosielski-Lamoureux, the lead lighting designer from the firm Onedot. "Once our programming is complete, we always go back and watch the entire show. If two songs feel too similar, we'll adjust the lighting to give each one its own signature look. This particular stage design was extremely versatile, which made it easy to create distinct looks throughout the performance while keeping the show fresh and engaging."

Nowosielski-Lamoureux is quick to add that the Onedot team was fortunate to work with an overall show design and on a massive, versatile stage that allowed their creativity to flourish. "So many things came together in this production that amplified the power of our lighting," he says. "Marc-Olivier Commeau, our creative director, was responsible for the overall creative vision of the show. We used his artistic direction as the foundation for the lighting design, and he also created all of the video content. A big thank-you also goes to Quebec City-based lighting designer Pier-Luc Boucher for creating such an incredible stage design."

The Onedot team and their collaborators created an environment on stage that brought the audience into the world that gave rise to Souldia's music. At times, it was harsh, with searing light piercing dark space and illuminating pieces of dystopian scenery. At other times, it was vividly imaginative with abstract video images set against monochromatic washes.

The rig included 48 Color STRIKE M strobe-washes and 32 COLORado PXL Curve 12 motorized battens from CHAUVET Professional, supplied by Solotech.

"Pier-Luc Boucher did a fantastic job integrating the Color STRIKE M into the stage design," Nowosielski-Lamoureux says. "Rather than placing them in just one location, they were distributed throughout the entire stage, allowing us to create impactful looks from every angle. At low intensity, this fixture produces beautiful, saturated colors and subtle eye-candy effects that add depth to the stage. At full output, it becomes an incredibly powerful strobe that can completely transform the energy of a song. It's one of those fixtures that can do almost everything."

Nowosielski-Lamoureux and his programmer-operator Maxence Gendron also drew on the versatility of COLORado PXL Curve 12s in their rig. "Creative possibilities are unlimited with this fixture," he says. "They almost feel like having twelve individual wash lights in a single unit, giving you incredible flexibility for effects and pixel mapping."

In addition to expressing gratitude to his many collaborators, including PMs Mathieu Couture and Marc-Antoine Tanguay from Onedot, Nowosielski-Lamoureux is especially thankful to Souldia.

"I'd like to sincerely thank Souldia and the label, 7ieme Ciel, for placing their trust in Onedot for this project," he says, adding that headlining the Festival d'ete de Quebec is "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many artists," and another chapter to be added to the history of everyone involved in this show.