THE 2007 BATTLES ARE OVER. CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. MAXIMILLIAN RHEINHARDT!

what the hell is a laptop battle?

The laptop battle is a competitive event for laptop musicians to match their skills against one another.
Battles are chosen randomly and conducted in 2 or 3 minute rounds. A panel of judges decides which contestant advances to the next round, double elimination style.
It's fusion of sound design, composition and stage performance, and a chance for laptop musicians to prove their skills in battle and develop techniques and strategies.
Battles are held throughout the United States during the year, culminating in one final competition in Seattle every December to crown a National Champion.
Atlanta is sending one representative to the National Finals, along with over $1000 worth of software.

could it be you?


the rules:

There are two (2) qualifying battles and one (1) final battle.
Each battle is a double-elimination tournament.
There are three (3) judges per battle.
Judging is loosely based on these criteria:

Judging Guidelines

- EMOTIONAL IMPACT - It's hard to judge on a thing like originality, so we need to break it down to the basics....are you feelin' it or not? This is a laptop battle, a punk soundclash delivered via a little silver box that's been programed to destroy. Ya'lll are producers and know what to look for. For me, it's that moment where my blood starts to rush to my head and i break out in a big smile...

- PERFORMANCE - It's not easy to "perform" with a laptop. Each contestant is allowed 1 Midi controller, which allows them to interface with their music software via knobs, faders, buttons, keys, pads, etc. This is their weapon of choice, the way they have chosen to interface with their musical creation...you want to see 'em workin' that shit!

- SONG DEVELOPMENT - Hooks,builds and breakdowns. Sounds, patterns and movement. How well they are fit together live will be your decision.

- CROWD RESPONSE - Crowd response could be described as how loud the audience cheers for one contestant or the other. Or it could be their reaction to the battle on the dancefloor as the track is played. Perhaps an exodus to the bar? The crowd is like a barometer, it predicts the obvious outcomes, but isn't always right. Other times, there is a contestant with a bunch of fans who are there to be heard. Ultimately, you make the decision. Remember: There are no rematches.

Each contestant is allowed to bring ONE (1) laptop, ONE (1) external sound card, and ONE (1) external "controller" (MIDI, extra numeric pad, etc.)

Each preliminary battle is capped at 16 contestants, and consists of two (2) minute rounds.

The top four (4) from each qualifying battle will return to compete in the 8-person, 1 champion final battle.

the when:

There are two (2) preliminary battles: There is one (1) final battle:

the prizes:

- a slot at the Championship Battle, December 2007 in Seattle
- Ableton Live "Sampler" Instrument
- Native Instruments Reaktor, Traktor or Massive
- Tracktion recording software from Mackie
- Sonic Charge's ยต-tonic drum machine VST plugin
- Fab Filter's "One" synth VST plugin
- Fresh gear from Soy Clothing
- Replikant VST plugin from Audio Damage
- Phoscyon VST, by D16
- M-Audio - Mid Air 25 MIDI controller


questions, comments, and feedback may be directed to threv
thanks, and good luck.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

2007 Atlanta Laptop Battle Finals - the conclusion

holy shit I'm late as hell posting this.

dr. rheinhardt

The 2007 Atlanta Laptop Battles were overall a raging success. Big ups to all the folks who came out & supported their local electronic scene, and huge thanks & kudos to those brave souls who took the stage, showcased their talents, and showed atlanta
what laptop music is all about. it's no easy task to condense what you do to 3 minutes and 1 controller, and perform competitively, but everyone brought their A-game every time. I can't thank everyone enough, and I might add - holy hell, there is some _serious talent_ in our local bedrooms & basements. Folks - get out on stage more often and strut your stuff!!

andrew provine


pH

The final 8 back in October (wow it has been a while) were absolutely incredible. The judges were Jason Freeman, music technology professor at Georgia Tech; Randy Garcia, head of Nophi Records; and Alex Hofelich, music fan extraordinaire. The matches were incredibly close, and everyone impressed the crowd to no end. The fabled Random Rabbit battle between Charlie P & Andrew Provine proved intense; battle stalwarts pH & Poodleface brought more juice than they ever had before (poodleface debuted new wrestling videos and even mixed drum & bass into it); newcomers Citizen Green & Josh Clayton brought entirely new life into the battles and showed their future dominance; last minute addition El Hadron (aka phat joe) brought his best compiling skills, even compiling his software not just 5 seconds before his battle. The night, however, belonged to Dr Max Rheinhardt (aka Matt Jeanes of Larvae) It was his combination of stage performance (DDR Pad oopma loompa remixes and playing wizard metal blindfolded) and amazing musicality put him over the top, eeking out Mobius DJ Josh Clayton in the final battle.

citizen green


poodleface


dr. rheinhardt

Congrats also to Dr. Rheinhardt for placing 2nd in the National Championships.
www.laptopbattle.com

charlie p

Congrats to *everyone*
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR

josh clayton


el hadron

oh! one last thing:
the national finals for 2008 will be held in the city of..

ATLANTA.



battlers and attendees - keep your eyes peeled on this space to check out the schedule for next year. we'll start signups & promotion spring of 2008, and we encourage everyone to sign up again & keep the battles growing ever stronger.

plus, we gave shirts to all the competitors & battlers. check the logo on the top of this page - put that on a black shirt (courtesy black star print), and you have a fine gift for a true warrior.

PICTURES:


all pictures taken by missy limina (also a former battler!)
http://gtf.org/pixivixen/main.php?g2_itemId=2669

MP3S:



Charlie P - Round 1
Charlie P - Round 2
Charlie P - Round 3
Charlie P - Round 4


Citizen Green - Round 1
Citizen Green - Round 2

Josh Clayton - Round 1
Josh Clayton - Round 2
Josh Clayton - Round 3
Josh Clayton - Round 4
Josh Clayton - Round 5
Josh Clayton - Final


El Hadron - Round 1
El Hadron - Round 2

pH - Round 1
pH - Round 2
pH - Round 3

Poodleface - Round 1
Poodleface - Round 2
Poodleface - Round 3

Andrew Provine - Round 1
Andrew Provine - Round 2
Andrew Provine - Round 3
Andrew Provine - Round 4

Dr. Rheinhardt - Round 1
Dr. Rheinhardt - Round 2
Dr. Rheinhardt - Round 3
Dr. Rheinhardt - Final

Unknown - 1
Unknown - 2

posted by threv at 7:47 PM