No External DJ Required!!!

March 25, 2008 1:50 PM

The International Dance Party is a complete plug 'n' play party in a box (video). "The machine comes as a large, non-suspicious looking flightcase. Internally, it is equipped with cutting edge radar sensing technology, an ear blasting state of the art 600W sound system, tons of psychedelic light and laser effects, and even a professional grade fog machine." [via, via]
posted by pithy comment (18 comments total)

Cool, but where do I stash the coke?
posted by Dizzy at 1:52 PM on March 25, 2008

Don't you have any orifices, Dizzy?
posted by Burhanistan at 1:59 PM on March 25, 2008

I haven't been to the orifice in years. I'm doing the warsh now-- gotta go!
posted by Dizzy at 2:03 PM on March 25, 2008

Get yours today!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 2:21 PM on March 25, 2008

This may be, curiously, a case of reality mimicking virtual environment.

Early in Second Life, a 'library item' (that is, an item that everyone automatically had access to) was a "Party In A Box", which was almost exactly the same thing... lights, a music playback device (early SL didn't do music at all well, and you could sorta-kinda work around it with scripting), and a fog machine. Of course, it didn't have any pesky physical space limits to deal with, but the fundamental idea was almost exactly the same.

I have no way to know if one idea was prompted by the other, but it's quite odd to see a real implementation of an idea I thought would only work online.
posted by Malor at 2:22 PM on March 25, 2008

(oh, that's for a limited definition of "work"... if virtual experience holds, lights and a fog machine don't improve parties much. :) )
posted by Malor at 2:23 PM on March 25, 2008

I understand the cycle of partying that it creates: my dancing is rewarded with lasers and fog, which will result in more dancing. But what if I need that kind of ambiance before I can muster the enthusiasm to dance? And how much do I have to dance before it will randomly fire ecstasy-filled darts into the crowd?
posted by PM at 2:32 PM on March 25, 2008 [1 favorite]

_ in a box
posted by gorgor_balabala at 2:36 PM on March 25, 2008

Janet Reno not included?
"non-suspicious looking" is an arbitrary term. Still, whipping out drinks from another harmless looking case and shouting "hey everybody, we're all gonna get laid" should kick off things nicely.
posted by Smedleyman at 2:38 PM on March 25, 2008

Does it transform into a robot also?
posted by cazoo at 2:41 PM on March 25, 2008

Half of me thinks this is a hoax (since the shop is sold out of all its items). On the other hand, we do live in the future, so I want to believe. Also, I want one.

I'd love to know what the price tag on that thing is, and whether the software has regular updates with new beats.
posted by Prospero at 2:50 PM on March 25, 2008

This is beautiful. I've been working frantically on my Barbot all week, and this has just given me a boost. Party machines are, indeed, awesome.
posted by phooky at 3:18 PM on March 25, 2008

I bet the dancing detection gets lots of false positives. Will people fighting in front of it set it off? Or playing tennis?

It's hard to imagine them not bringing this to Burning Man, so maybe I'll get a chance to check it out this August!
posted by aubilenon at 3:38 PM on March 25, 2008

I prefer the Aquaglow Underwater Light Show for pool parties.
posted by misha at 4:11 PM on March 25, 2008

if virtual experience holds, lights and a fog machine don't improve parties much.

Virtual experience does NOT hold in this case. Lights and a fog machine DO improve parties a lot in the real world. There's something about being in a haze of fog and flashing lights that really improves the "out-there" quotient.
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 9:40 PM on March 25, 2008

so how much is this unit anyway?!
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 9:40 PM on March 25, 2008

t's hard to imagine them not bringing this to Burning Man

Legend has it the beast was born in the desert, son of a large flaming father and a mobile pyramid mother
posted by mannequito at 11:23 AM on March 26, 2008

Man, that thing is the awesome. Even if it -were- BS, the concept is the awesome.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 4:53 PM on March 26, 2008