Silent Yoga at Lululemon Athletica Santa Monica. Click through to Facebook Album with more pictures from the event. | Photo credit: Patricia Pena Lamovec.

What’s cooler than applying new technology in new ways?

Being the first to do it.

In 2010, Silent Storm hosted the World’s First Silent Disco Pub Crawl. In March 2012, Silent Storm partnered with Lululemon Athletica to bring (what we believe to be) the World’s First Silent Yoga Dance Party! The event took place at the Lululemon Athletica store in Santa Monica, California, kicking off a monthly series of secret events on the 12th of each month through 2012 – dubbed “On the 12th“. Guests received a set of wireless silent disco headsets at entry and enjoyed a yoga class followed a smile-filled dance party curated by a DJ performance, all illuminated by glow sticks and bright neon yoga attire.

Armin Razmy created this great clip from the Silent Yoga Dance Party – check it out:

Our partner SnapFiesta was also in on the fun, capturing timeless photos of guests adorned in their goofy props. Big thanks to the Lululemon team – and to all who came out to make history with us!

SnapFiesta Photobooth at Silent Yoga Dance Party at Lululemon Santa Monica. Click through to Facebook album with more SnapFiesta photos from the event.

If you know of another silent yoga dance party that preceded March 12, 2012 – please let us know!

The History of Headphones | The Evolution of Headphone Technology

Check out the wireless silent disco headphones Silent Storm offers.

DJ VOLTRAN warming up for his set lasting into the wee morning hours.

For those of you who were lucky enough to attend Nateva in 2010 can attest to how special this event really was. While intimate in size, the event brought together an incredible line-up over the three days including The Flaming Lips, Ghostland Observatory and Further, just to name a few. For two nights, the fenced-in grassy area next to the big brown barn transformed into a silent disco dance party featuring DJs Voltran, Tim LeForte, and Ryan Brown.

Today we discovered a video taken by Ryan Brown of one of the silent nights, unpublished until just recently. The scene captures a very early morning of happy party people just as the sun begins to rise for another warm and amazing day of (literally) the one and only, Nateva.

Our friend Dan of Dan Marino Photography captured tons of great photos from the silent party. Two albums of pics from the Nateva silent disco are posted on Facebook here and here. We hope that one day, Nateva will rise again — and when it does, you can bet we’ll be there.

Here’s one of VOLTRAN’s latest from the cloud:

We’ve been saying that the creative possibilities for wireless headphone technology are endless since the beginning – and our partnership with AVAdventure Productions is a perfect example of an innovative and exciting application. The AVAdventure uses Silent Storm’s wireless headphone technology to engage participants with each other through stories and games – it’s a live, interactive event, each ending with a silent disco-style dance party.

We’re thrilled to partner up with AVAdventure Productions. They tour nationwide and are making rounds across NACA events in the U.S. this year. They will also be present again at SXSW 2012 – so keep an eye out for much more from them in the near future – and be sure to check out the various ‘AVAdventures’ they create.

“Whatever the future may be for interactive storytelling, you can bet that AVAdventures…will likely be a part of it.”

“Whenever someone asked me to name the most interesting concept I’d seen at South by Southwest Interactive, I mentioned [the AVAdventure] panel.”

Video not playing? Watch it on NBC.

DJs Domonique Porter and Jason Game brought the dance floor energy with electro / techno / house on the Blue and Red channels, while classics by Frank Sinatra and Django Reindhardt slowed it down on the Green channel for those who preferred to go back in time and ballroom dance in the beautiful Palihouse lobby — all while maintaining a volume suitable for conversation and relaxation for the hotel guests.

Watch the other segments of 1st Look’s Dance Phenomenon episode.

Silent Disco at California Academy of Sciences | Photo credit: SF Station

In 2011 the California Academy of Sciences hosted their first silent disco, closing out the night full of fantastic activities and vendors. The crowd was in a great mood and diverse as ever. Guests jump started the holiday season with live reindeer, indoor snow flurries, and all the sugar & spice they could handle. The amazing lit-up tree art installations seen in the video each had a push-and-sniff button which actually forced spicy holiday aromas out of the holes in the fiberglass, otherwise known as the “Spice Forest” – it was brilliant. The huge snowman in the background was actually a dome which guests could go inside and watch video earlier in the evening. The week marked the NightLife debut of ‘Tis the Season for Science, the Academy’s new exhibit featuring the sights, sounds, and smells of the season, along with the science behind some favorite traditions.

Guests explored the exhibit and ended the night with a high-energy dance party in the Piazza. The silent disco featured ICEE HOT’s Shawn Reynaldo (formally known as Disco Shawn). EVERYONE was getting down. At one point, a woman came up to us and told us how she’s never seen her friend dance before in her entire life – and he was breakin’ it down! It was so great to see people of all ages and backgrounds having such a cohesively positive experience with each other. To give you a taste of Shawn’s sound, here’s a fiery set from a couple years back:

The video was shot and edited by Nicole Landau of Green Cap Productions. Photos featured at the end of the video were captured by SnapFiesta. See the entire album on Facebook. Music in this video is Adele – Set Fire To The Rain Remix (Moto Blanco Radio Edit)

This is a depiction of how 3D sound morphs what you hear through headphones into a three-dimensional audio experience – trippy, isn't it!?

3D sound is a product of binaural recording which requires the use of two microphones commonly arranged on either side of a mannequin head with the intent to create a 3D stereo sound sensation for the listener. This yields the perception of actually being in the room with the performers or instruments. 3D sound is best experienced through headphones and will not translate properly over stereo speakers.

The term “binaural” has frequently been confused as a synonym for the word “stereo”. Conventional stereo recordings do not factor in natural ear spacing or “head shadow” of the head and ears. Hugo Zuccarelli of Argenticna created Holophonics in 1980, the binaural recording system used to record 3D sounds. Holophonics, like binaural recording, reproduces the interaural differences (arrival time and amplitude between the ears), as well as rudimentary head-related transfer functions (HRTF). These create the illusion that sounds produced in the membrane of a speaker emanate from specific directions – like in front of you or by your feet.

So, now that you’re caught up on the technical specs, it’s time to experience 3D sound for yourself. Grab a pair of headphones and check out the following YouTube videos. The 3D audio illusion can only be experienced with headphones and is best experienced with your eyes closed.

Pretty amazing, right? This 3D sound illusion is unfortunately lost without headphones – and when we experience music through traditional sound system, this effect is mostly lost. Even with stereo sound systems, the left and right channels are mixed in an open room and what you hear greatly depends on your positioning in the venue. As you can imagine, our silent disco headphones reintroduce the possibility of 3D sound into the social listening atmosphere. Since everyone at the event is equipped with a personal set of headphones, the performer gains amazing control over what the listeners hear – far more custom and personal than ever before. And unlike traditional sound systems, guests can take this 3D sound experience with them no matter where they go – whether they are standing directly in front of the DJ, stepped out on the patio – or even in line for the bathroom!

Below are a couple of music tracks for your listening pleasure. They may not have true 3D sound but are great examples of stereophonic sound that can be achieved through headphones.

This first one is accompanied by some pretty eerie footage of UFOs

And I don’t think I have any words for this next one!

BONUS!

Show the world your love for Stereophonic Sound by rocking one of these tees from our friends at Headline Shirts!

"Those who danced were thought to be quite insane, by those who could not hear the music" -A. Monet

The original photo was taken at the California Academy of Sciences NightLife silent disco event by our friends at SnapFiesta. For more photos from this incredible event, check out our San Francisco Facebook Page.

Interested in hiring silent disco services? Fill out our Request for Services Form to get started.

The following post was written by Warda Zahid Khan, Senior Class President, Manhattanville College

At Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York, we decided to arrange our first Silent Disco event as a stress-buster event for students before finals approach. We found out about Silent Storm Sound System through our internet search for companies catering the Silent Disco parties. Silent Storm Sound System is perhaps the only outstanding company catering to this need. This was our first contract with them.

I was just amazed at how well-coordinated and smooth the event ran. I was the organizer of the Silent Disco at Manhattanville College and I had the best experience arranging this event. The staff at Silent Disco was always just a text or email away. Even during the Thanksgiving break, they were available to answer any queries that we had.

A Silent Disco is essentially the same as any other dance party. There is a dance floor of people eager to show off their moves, an awesome DJ mixing killer beats, a little mingling, and refreshments for those who need to boost up for the next round of songs. The only difference is the headphones that are handed to each student as they walk in.

On the day of the event, students entered the party, shy and confused. They held their drinks and talked to each other instead of dancing because they just found it awkward. As more students started entering, the environment became less awkward. More people started dancing and eventually everyone let go of their uptightness and started dancing. Every now and then I will take my headphone off to see how it feels to be without one, and it was just hilarious. Seeing people dancing to apparently nothing audible was just an amazing experience. The best part was when the DJ played Cha Cha Slide and everyone started following the dance.

Later on, a security guard came up to me and said,“You have no idea how funny you all looked to me.”

The event on the whole was one of the best party experiences I have had. It was fun, crazy, unique and very organized.

Students were having so much fun that they requested DJ Mofti to extend the party for half an hour. The most interesting bit is the fact that this party was on a Tuesday night and even then it drew so many people in and they stayed until 1 30am.

Those who came loved the event, and those who could not, regretted not coming and requested us to arrange another similar event next semester, which we are looking into right now.

Working with SSSS has been an extremely delightful experience. They are helpful and way more than just an outside vendor for your parties. They understand your needs and are always there to assist you. Our first contract with them was very successful and we are considering making it a regular event catered by Silent Storm for our school in the future.

Warda Zahid Khan
Senior Class President 2011-2012
Student Government Association
Manhattanville College

When Naomi Kravitz of Downright Music and Art first reached out to us, she described Collinsville to be known as “A quaint little drinking town with a huge art problem”.  Recently it was even written up in Travelers Magazine as “One of Americas top ten coolest small towns”. We were hooked already.

“The reason C-Ville rocks”, adds Naomi, “is because we have a raging river that runs right through the middle of an old factory town.  Lot’s of musicains and artists have found their way to this Vortex we call home and the central base is our music and art store, Downright Music & Art.”

Naomi Kravitz (on left) of Downright Music & Art

Naomi explains that the purpose of the festival she and her team throws every year is “to get people away from their TVs and out of their comfort zone to be face to face with the performing arts. The highlight of the event this year, Naomi explains, is The Laser Light Show by Waking Dream.  The laser light show is a blown up parachute that holds 200+ people inside.  It’ is sensory overload in that dome and the only thing in the world hat could make it even better is the silent disco.”

Of course, we jumped at the opportunity to bring the silent disco experience to Downright Music’s Community Unity Day Festival. After all, how could we say no?

The following silent disco event recap was written by Naomi Kravitz of Downright Music & Art:

On August 13th, 2011 the silent disco rolled though Collinsville, CT. This quaint little old factory town located on the Farmington River became a wild music and arts festival. Hundreds of people gathered for the 12 hour festivities. The highlight was The silent disco. This was the first time the Valley came together to dance. People of all ages were able to listen to live DJs spinning dance music all night outdoors without ever upsetting fellow neighbors. The silent disco is a brilliant, innovative way to keep the party going late. The joy on peoples faces as they put on the headphones for the first time was priceless. Instantly you were in your own world and it was pure pleasure. People seemed to dance harder and smile bigger than ever. Conversations were able to be heard easily by simply removing the headphones. This is truly a ingenious way to put on an event with live music in a public setting. Months later, not a week goes by were the silent disco isn’t mentioned. Collinsville, CT is a better place having had the silent disco roll through, thanks to Downright Music’s Community Unity Day Festival!