ANTWERP, BELGIUM – May 2020 – Reverze exploded onto the hardstyle music scene in 2006. Its trajectory has been epic and the international event is now the biggest indoor gathering for the harder styles of music in Belgium, drawing in the best artists from the genre. This year’s sold-out edition, Reverze – The Power of Perception, was organized by Bass Events. Held at the beginning of March, it saw 25,000 fans flock to Antwerp’s Sportpaleis and Lotto Arena. Whilst the concept of Reverze is now familiar to its visitors, this year saw a significant change to its audio set up, with Netherlands-based Purple Group BV bringing in an L-Acoustics K1 and K2 system, designed by Noiz Boyz, to deliver extra power and clarity.

The event is spectacular in every way; from its line-up, filled with the world’s top hard dance acts including Brennan Heart, Da Tweekaz, Keltek, Sefa, Angerfist, Sub Zero Project, Harddriver and Miss K8, to its dazzling visual show.

Brought in by Rudy Vorstenbosch, owner and production director of event industry service partner Axiom – Solid Solutions, this was the first time Purple Group had worked with the festival.

“Rudy wanted just one, full-service company for the production instead of multiple suppliers, as in previous years,” says Purple Group’s Bas Feuler. “He knew that Purple Group could deliver all technical requirements including audio, lighting, LED screens, rigging and motion control. This meant that now, he only one had contact person for his production. It worked really well; the lines of communication were markedly reduced and any issues could be solved quickly.”

The audio design for Reverze has remained constant since 2014 and, despite the change in supplier and system, this year was no different.

“It’s a design that works and no one saw any need for it to change,” recalls Feuler. “But Reverze is all about quality and giving maximum experience to people. L-Acoustics K Series is a very powerful system. Power is important for an event of this style, K1 and K2 more than deliver on that front, and the addition of K1-SB subs gave much more impact for the raised decks around the side of the venue and over the tribune than had been possible in previous years.”

Purple Group received confirmation on the project in November 2019 and started working on it immediately. “The Sportpaleis is a very well-known venue and I have worked there many times,” Feuler adds. This familiarity proved useful and reduced the number of site visits required. When the production design arrived at Purple Group, Bas and the company’s chief of rigging, Ruud Koolen looked at the weights of all the objects required to determine if the existing design would work in the venue with the new system.

“Once this initial phase was given the go-ahead, the design was sent back to the technical production,” Feuler continues. “They sent us a new version with a small re-design, we made amendments on the CAD file and with Soundvision. This process continued until we had the optimum setup. The quantity of technical equipment and the capacity of the venue were a complex match, so it was quite a task, both logistically and build-wise, to work on. Two months of pre-production were definitely needed to make the load in of Reverze successful!”

The final system comprised main hangs of 14 L-Acoustics K1 with two K2 down per side, plus four K1-SB with 10 K2 down for the side PA on stage, the K1-SB providing the aforementioned impact for the decks and tribune. Twelve K1 provided the first main delay line, with hangs of 10 K2 and eight K1-SB for the side delay flown next to each other for additional impact on the decks, while six K2 were utilised for the VIP deck delay. Subs and fills on the auditorium floor were 28 KS-28 and 12 Kara. 76 LA12x amplified controllers delivered all the power required for the system.

The incredible impact of L-Acoustics K Series was notable, with online magazine Hardstyle Report stating: “The quality of the sound is almost perfect and everyone is going mental to [Synchronised’s] album tracks and also several new tracks…” and “This edition was clearly one for the books in terms of light elements and quality of sound!”

Fueler confirms that his client was also delighted. “At the end of this production Rudy shook me warmly by the hand,” he concludes. “A sure sign that he was happy with the results from both Purple Group and L-Acoustics.”