The phrase "laptop battle" sounds deceptively similar to phrases like "backseat driver" or "armchair quarterback" that join two seemingly opposed concepts. Yet in this instance you'd be mistaken to think so; a visit to this year's National Laptop Battle on Capitol Hill will certainly prove you wrong.
On Dec. 7 at Chop Suey, eight winners from regional Laptop Battles meet in Seattle to vie for the national crown. In doing so, they will perform a series of three- minute sets using little more than laptop computers to create music that Kris Moon, organizer of the national event, frankly described as "balls to the wall."
The Laptop Battles began in 2003 when Moon and Zach Huntting hosted the first such event in Seattle's Deep Down Lounge, underneath Temple Billiards. That night it became clear they were on to something big - a crowd easily filled the venue and the night's winner literally set the speakers ablaze.
3-minute battle sets
Describing the genre and type of music performed that evening, Moon noted its wide-ranging nature. "At first, it wasn't really defined," he said. Three years later, however, the sound has become more focused as contestants compete to create carefully constructed, three-minute, electronic-music "battle sets."
"The question now is, how cool can you make it in three minutes," Tanya Lutman, Laptop Battle publicity manager, explained.
Indeed, this question underwrites much of Moon's motivation for hosting the events. "I was tired of the complaint [heard at many live electronic music shows] that the performer isn't 'doing anything.' The battle is a reaction to that. I want music onstage that's going to be a battle, that's going to be in your face."
While the music performed at the Battle surely falls under the rather large umbrella category of electronic music, it is unique from that which one might here at a traditional DJ night or techno show.
First, it attracts a crowd whose interest in music extends beyond its auditory elements. Many in the crowd are technically inclined such that their interest resides in both the music that emanates from the speakers and the manner in which it is created.
Second, the crowd takes on a larger role and plays a part in selecting the winner. "It's a participatory event. People are cheering and screaming. People are into it," Lutman said.
Third, instead of one or two seamless sets of music, the evening will provide what Moon described as, "Short, rapid bursts of music all night long from eight different contestants, from eight different cities, with eight different sounds."
If all this seems too particular and genre-specific for the average music lover, it is not, Lutman assured. "Even if you don't know who anybody is, you still have a great time," he said.
Indeed, the inclusion of an emcee to lead the evening, the backdrop of intelligent lighting and visuals provided by local artistic collectives Killing Frenzy and Tracer Visuals, and the evening-culminating, longer sets by laptop technicians Vincent Parker and Starkey make the event a draw for technical geeks and traditional music-lovers alike.
The steep trajectory of the event's success speaks to this fact. What began as a single event in Seattle has grown into a national phenomena with regional laptop battles occurring in Dallas, New York City and Philadelphia, to name a few.
Similarly, the national media has jumped on board - an article appeared in even the most mainstream of music magazines, Rolling Stone. Of course, the events have also been covered in electronic music magazines.
And finally, if there is any barometer that could be used to judge an event's success, it might be sponsorship. This year's Battle sponsors include such musical heavyweights as Ableton, M-Audio, Mackie and Native Instruments - all companies with products marketed to electronic music lovers and creators.
The Battle itself is setup much like a traditional sporting tournament with a series of one-on-one contests and a winner's and loser's bracket. Moon intentionally made the event double-elimination to ensure that artists from as far away as Miami wouldn't arrive to only play a mere three minutes.
This, however, upped the ante since now artists must be prepared to perform possibly seven different sets throughout the evening. Hence, they must know when to play their best sets, and the order in which they play those sets becomes integral to their planning.
Contestants are judged using four criteria: originality, performance, crowd response and technical abilities. To ensure Seattle entrant, Squid Leader, doesn't receive too big of a home field advantage, Moon made sure only two of the five judges hailed from Seattle.
Altogether, if the increased media attention and the success of past events is any indicator, this year's National Laptop Battle might be one for the record books. Or at least, the record database.
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