LA FRICHE LA
BELLE DE MAI: LE PETIT CAB EM EA
MARSEILLE / FRANCE
P ikiP S ol a r S p e a k e r s e m b a r k s on a n ins ta l l a t i o n t o p r o ve t h at a utonom o u s , s u s t a i n a b l e e ne rg y i s a v ia bl e s o l u t i o n i n p o w e r ing h igh -p r es s u r e m u s i c ve n u e s.
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V E N U E - E M E A | WWW.M O ND O D R .CO M
In September 2025, the large complex La Friche la Belle de Mai unveiled Le Petit Cab, a new 300-capacity performance space in Marseille, and, in doing so, set a European first. The venue is now believed to be the continent’s first current music space whose entire audiovisual setup runs on a fully autonomous, solar-powered system. The project was delivered in partnership with Marseille-based manufacturer PikiP Solar Speakers, whose solar energy storage and audio technologies power the room’s sound, lighting, and control infrastructure. Le Petit Cab, led by the BISOU cooperation, was conceived as more than an additional stage. The brief was to create a space aligned with the owner’s ecological transition goals and capable of modelling new production standards for live music venues. Julien Feuillet, Founder of PikiP Solar Speakers, explained: “La Friche is a major avant-garde cultural space that promotes a range of incredible artists. In le Petit Cab, they wanted to imagine an autonomous and responsible space, which is part of the reason they came to us, as these commitments are a big part of our ethos at PikiP.” PikiP’s role in this project is also a result of the manufacturer’s previous work with Le Petit Cab. “We’ve supplied equipment for festivals and events inside the larger La Friche space before,” Feuillet continued. “It’s a big venue, with many areas, and a big team, so it’s beneficial that we already had an understanding of this going into the installation. “Collaborating with La Friche has been a valuable opportunity to implement a permanent installation in the space and demonstrate the versatility of our systems.” For about ten years, La Friche has been part of an ecological transition approach. It has already managed to reduce its energy consumption