If you ask an AI to describe the industrial aesthetic, it will most likely refer to familiar elements: steel, exposed brick, and visible structures. However, EDM designer Steve Lieberman chose to break away from that imagery when approaching Max Styler’s show at Radius Chicago, opting for a more refined and contemporary vision.
Working alongside the artist —named “Top Producer” of 2025 by 1001 Tracklist— Lieberman developed what he describes as an “intelligent industrial aesthetic”, shaping a highly immersive 3D environment that retains the intensity and character of industrial EDM design while leaving behind many of its more traditional elements.
The idea was to create powerful looks without relying too heavily on moving lights. Although the show featured a large amount of equipment, the design was built around intensive use of blinders and wide looks to illuminate and cover the audience, explains Lieberman.
Much of that power came from 55 CHAUVET Professional STRIKE Array 2C blinders, part of the venue’s house rig.
“We love working at Radius, our relationship with that team is very strong”, says Lieberman. “Their understanding of the space and their ability to adapt to different designs is unmatched by other venues. Ownership takes an active role in show development, and that is reflected in the final results. Without the club’s support, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve such an ambitious project”.
The venue’s high-output STRIKE Array 2C fixtures fit perfectly into Lieberman’s vision of creating a pod-style design in the long room, which features a 12-metre-wide multi-level stage, with no central rear video wall, only side panels for IMAG screens.
We were aiming for a more analog aesthetic for the show, which is why we removed the central stage screen. Instead, we used side screens to support IMAG and notch-style camera effects. Radius is a long room, with the DJ positioned on a semi-thrust stage and VIP areas on both sides, creating a very distinctive atmosphere. In this context, the side screens are essential for allowing the audience at the back to follow what’s happening on stage, explains Lieberman.
The STRIKE Array 2C also played a key role in the show’s colour palette, designed to complement and enhance Max Styler’s music. “Warm tones dominated —reds, ambers, with an incandescent feel— as a result of conversations with Max”, says Lieberman. “We wanted the colours to reflect the musical expression”.
Discussing the role of the STRIKE Array 2C in the show, Lieberman notes: “they filled the space between the pods and created very dramatic effects that lit up the entire venue”. He adds that the fixture’s colour-changing and strobe capabilities helped create an “analog look with modern technology”, an ideal combination for a show that is both industrial and modern.
