Desperados Uses 2,000 Phones to Create an Epic House Party Light Show

Desperados reached new levels of wild experimentation once again by redesigning the concept of a house party and proving amazing things can happen when you unplug and let go. This is the first event of ‘Epic Parties Imagined by You’, a yearlong series of acts where Desperados looks to consumers to ignite the party spirit by collecting their ideas and bringing the most epic ones to life. 

The party was imagined by Karolina Gilon from Poland, who felt phones were negatively affecting the way people socialise and party, a complaint that is mirrored by many in the industry. With people spending an average of 3 hours and 43 minutes per day on their phones each day, there is a growing trend of ‘unplugged’ parties, where phones are simply banned or locked away. 

Desperados encouraged partygoers to embrace the unknown by giving up their phones, resulting in a wild and distraction free party experience. Linked together, 2,000 phone screens created the largest ever video light show at a house party, playing synchronised animations to the music and changing the perspective of the apartment through abstract-shaped footage. 

Karolina Gilon, instigator of the party idea, said, “By removing phones from the equation, Desperados turned everyone’s attention to the dance floor and the epic house party. I also loved reliving the experience the following day without having the need to reach for my phone to share my experiences.” 

Bert, from the local DJ duo Last Robots, said, “When people are constantly on their phones taking photos and videos, it impacts the vibe – especially for the DJ.” iRobot, the other half of the duo, agreed, “When you play at a party like this without phones you really notice the difference – it’s next level.” 

‘Epic Parties Imagined by You’ is a wild experiment whereby Desperados is creating a series of co-created parties culminating in the first crowdsourced party imagined by party goers worldwide, YourFest. The co-created series of events helps Desperados move the party world forward creatively, by uncovering what people want from festivals and house parties, as well as the journey to the party, bars and clubs. Consumers can share their party ideas on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using #WeAreTheParty. 

Diederik Vos, global brand director and chief party curator, Desperados, commented, “Born out of wild experimentation, we have a bold mindset which led us to push the boundaries when dreaming up our latest series of acts. Our goal was to ignite the party spirit with creativity and experimentation, but we wanted to give partygoers around the world the opportunity to shape their own party adventures. This led us to co-create a series of epic parties and festivals imagined by partygoers.”

Desperados wants partygoers to enjoy guilt-free partying, so in addition to partygoers’ phones, the LED wall used phones sourced from a phone recycling company, Moby, as well as iPadRental.pl.

This party is the latest act from Desperados, following a series of unique acts in music and partying. Techno and house aficionado Seth Troxler created an exclusive track for the party series and will headline YourFest in September. 

Previous Desperados activations within Inner Tequila Studios include: Deep House, the world’s deepest dance floor with Peggy Gou; Sound Stage: Watt The Frequency, a global DIY mobile sound system performance with KiNK; SkyFest, a hot air balloon electronic light orchestra; Train Trax, an ordinary train wired into a music instrument; Bass Drop, a party onboard a plane at zero gravity, 30,000ft above the Nevada desert; and House Party Plugged, which saw an ordinary house transformed into a backing track.