“The Phone Locker® team was responsive and helpful throughout, from logistics and delivery to follow-up support.”
Marceau Duprez, Cercle
The Odyssey Project
Cercle, founded in Paris in 2016 by Derek Barbolla, has built a reputation for staging electronic music performances in extraordinary and often culturally significant settings. From the Great Pyramids of Giza to Bolivia’s salt flats and even hot air balloons over Cappadocia, the idea has always been to connect music with awe-inspiring locations and to broadcast that experience globally through live streams.
With セルクル・オデッセイ, the collective has taken that vision indoors, building a travelling, cube-like concert space designed to completely immerse the audience. Vast projections wrap the entire venue in moving landscapes filmed in 8K across deserts, islands and remote wildernesses, following a loose narrative inspired by epic journeys and blending seamlessly with the music.
The production is multi-sensory, combining spatial audio systems with an array of speakers, atmospheric visuals, and even carefully chosen scents to heighten the sense of place. Sustainability is also central, with lightweight projection technology used instead of heavy LED screens, and equipment sourced locally in each city to reduce environmental impact.
Phone-Free Immersion
One of the most striking aspects of Cercle events is what they take away: smartphones. To achieve this, Cercle turned to Phone Locker® lockable pouches, which offered a convenient and easy-to-implement solution. Audience members placed their devices in these secure pouches on entry, with the added benefit of straps supplied by Phone Locker®. This meant phones could still be worn and kept on the person at all times, rather than handed over, removing any anxiety about being separated from them.
By removing the urge to record or scroll, Cercle ensured that focus remained entirely on the music and the shared atmosphere. Many attendees described a stronger sense of presence and connection once the distraction of screens was gone. To balance things out, Cercle later provided a curated folder of high-quality footage, allowing audiences to relive the event without having mediated it through their own phone screens.
Working with Phone Locker®
At any given Cercle Odyssey event, up to 6,000 phone pouches were provided, supplemented by accessories to ensure staff could seamlessly help event-goers without inconveniencing them, or upsetting the atmosphere.
The Cercle team commented;
- Pouches helped preserve the immersive experience,
- They were durable, with no reported technical issues,
- The mechanism allowed swift flow of large audiences,
Produced Marceau Duprez commented, “Overall, we strongly recommend Phone Locker® for any event aiming to restrict phone usage and create a fully present, distraction-free environment.”
Interested in creating a phone-free event?
For advice on going phone-free at your event, venue or show, reach out for no-obligation support.