Detroit’s latest entertainment venue looks to be a trippy experience rivaling few others in the city.
Slated to debut this Friday in downtown's Belt alley, Deluxx Fluxx is a custom creation brought to life by Brooklyn, New York-based artist duo Faile (Patrick McNeil and Patrick Miller) and street artist Bast. Part music venue and part arcade, the Deluxx Fluxx concept was established in 2010 and made the rounds throughout London, Miami, and eventually New York before becoming a permanent fixture in Detroit’s ever-evolving entertainment landscape.
What sets the neon-drenched venue apart is, well, everything. Don’t expect to blast away pixelated aliens by means of Space Invaders or nom on pesky blue ghosts with Pac-Man. As The Free Press reports, all games at Deluxx are custom-made, down to the sounds. Faile worked with developer Matthew Cooley to create the "art-cade" games, many of which have Detroit-centric themes like RoboCop, Zug Island, and Michigan Central Station.
In addition to the custom gaming element, the Deluxx Fluxx team enlisted Radiohead collaborator Andi Watson to design the venue's specialty lighting, as well as Virginia Benson, a former booker for El Club who will reprise a similar role at Deluxx Fluxx, focusing full-time on booking national and local acts.
There’s a black-light room covered almost entirely in bold graphic posters, and custom cocktail taps (that’s right, they will offer a slew of craft cocktails on tap, some of which will change color in response to the lighting). Beyond live music, the 240-person capacity venue looks to host everything from “black-out bingo, burlesque, and karaoke.”
Deluxx Fluxx will celebrate its opening with performances by Summer Salt, Hot Flash Heat Wave, and the Symposium at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 3; 1274 Library St., Detroit. Tickets are $12-$14 and available from PartyStoreProductions.com.
Deluxe Fluxx will be the third arcade bar in downtown Detroit, joining Pop + Offworld above Checker Bar and Ready Player One in Greektown.
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