The Glitch Mob have always been a group focused on evolution – whether in sound or in technology. Their live set up has always been more than about just DJing, and when they unveiled The Blade stage for the first time, fans were able to get a taste for the group’s voracious thirst for innovation.
Now as they tour their new album See Without Eyes, they’ve revealed Blade 2.0 to the world. It’s not wholly that different from the previous iteration, at least not to the naked eye. But a closer examination belies the massive overhaul that the system was given.
The Glitch Mob utilizes the following Dell and Alienware products for the Blade 2.0: 
- Dell Canvas and Alienware 17s are the primary controllers for each performer. Running an emulator on
the pairing allows the touchscreen to act as a flexible and reconfigurable MIDI controller. - Alienware 15s run the live musical set with Ableton software and do the bulk of the computing.
- XPS All-in-Ones are the secondary controllers for each performer.
- XPS 13 and XPS 15 2-in-1s for DJing and on the go production.
- Alienware 17s for mobile production studio set up at each performance venue.
Previously, The Glitch Mob used hacked Apple iPads and Mac Pros for The Blade. These were able to accomplish the task that was given to them, but didn’t leave room for much else after all was said and done. With the Dell Canvas and Alienware 17s running in tandem as their main workstations for each show, they’re able to bring their visions to life.
“We knew we wanted to perform our music in a more powerful way and the possibilities were out there. We wanted to work with people at the top of their craft so reached out to Dell and Alienware for the Blade 2.0,” said The Glitch Mob.
They continued, “One of the great things about partnering with Dell is knowing that all the hardware is reliable, and it works right out of the box. All of the gear talks to each other in a seamless way and that piece of mind is priceless. The fact that we’re using a Dell laptop with a Dell touchscreen with an all-PC fitted rig has really made this a really cool project.”
Watch the documentary below go over exactly how it all came together.
