Award-winning LED installation transforms Auckland basement bar
Hidden beneath 1 Queen Street in Auckland’s Commercial Bay, Kemuri Hi-Fi is no ordinary basement bar. Inspired by Japan’s legendary jazz kissas, this intimate vinyl, whisky, cocktail and Champagne lounge blends high-fidelity sound with meticulous hospitality design, creating an immersive sanctuary from the city above.
Delivering the venue’s dramatic LED feature ceiling was Kenderdine Entertainment Lighting, one of New Zealand’s most respected entertainment lighting specialists. Established in 1959, the Auckland-based company has spent more than six decades shaping the country’s theatrical, film, television and architectural lighting landscape.
For Kemuri Hi-Fi, the brief was bold: create a ceiling capable of behaving like an old-school graphic equaliser: responding to sound in the room, while also offering refined, programmable ambience for quieter evenings.
The result is a seamless fusion of art, audio and precision pixel control.
The ceiling features 52 metres of 12V RGB pixel strip arranged in a striking sunbeam layout, housed in extra-deep aluminium extrusion and finished with flush black diffusion to blend into the dark Autex ceiling.
Behind the scenes, ENTTEC’s Pixelator Mini converts Art-Net/sACN data into PLink protocol, distributing signal to 13 PLink Injectors. This architecture ensures rock-solid synchronisation across 3,120 individually addressable RGB pixels with no lag, tearing or signal degradation.
Bar staff control the installation via a touchscreen interface, allowing them to trigger pre-programmed favourites or adjust colour, speed and pattern live, ensuring the ceiling evolves naturally with the music and mood.
Complementing the feature ceiling, Kenderdine also integrated 35 metres of LED strip into bespoke whisky and vinyl display cabinetry. The warm amber glow enhances the rich tones of rare bottles and record spines, reinforcing the venue’s luxurious aesthetic.
Project details:
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Lighting design & installation: Kenderdine
Pixel control system: ENTTEC Pixelator Mini
Data distribution: 13 × ENTTEC PLink Injectors
LED fixtures: 52m RGB 12V Pixel Strip (60 LEDs/m)
Pixel count: 3,120 individually addressable RGB LEDs
Awards: IESANZ Commendation / Runner-Up
Kemuri Hi-Fi quickly became one of Auckland’s most talked-about nightlife destinations.
Shortly after opening, global pop icon Dua Lipa celebrated the last night of her Radical Optimism tour’s New Zealand leg at the venue, sharing images of the bar (complete with the luminous ceiling) to her millions of followers. The post received over 1.5 million likes.
When the lighting becomes part of the moment, you know the design is working!
Pixel control built for hospitality precision
By using a Pixelator system whereby PLink Injectors could be placed close to the fixtures, Kenderdine ensured data integrity across the entire ceiling array, even in a dense hospitality environment filled with audio equipment and electrical infrastructure.
For similar installations today, the next-generation Pixelator Mini Mk2 now offers up to 128 universes of control and 16 output ports: ideal for even more ambitious, high-resolution projects.
An immersive retreat beneath the city
Kemuri Hi-Fi proves that lighting doesn’t simply illuminate a space: it defines it.
From golden whisky cabinets to a ceiling that pulses with sound, this award-winning installation showcases what’s possible when experienced lighting designers pair creative vision with precision pixel control.
Thanks to the amazing team at Kenderdine – and with ENTTEC technology at the core – every beat, shimmer and sunbeam remains perfectly in sync.
