<nettime-ann> AMODA Digital Showcase // This Friday!

:: DIGITAL SHOWCASE
:: Friday, March 11, 2011
:: Mohawk (10th & Red River)
:: 9pm - 2am
:: $10 general
:: $5 for AMODA members
:: Free with SXSW Interactive badge
:: 18 and up

AMODA is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Digital Showcase Series by holding one of our most ambitious shows ever. Below are some of the highlights of this special event.

PLEASE NOTE: We strongly recommend arriving early for this event (9pm or shortly after). Due to sound ordinance, the Laptop Battle and headliner are scheduled between 10pm and midnight. Also, we are expecting a large number of SXSW badge holders and may reach capacity.

FaltyDL (Planet Mu / NYC)

FaltyDL is Drew Cyrus Lustman, a 26-year-old live laptop musician from New York. He grew up playing piano and upright bass, and cites Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, Squarepusher and Weather Report as life-changing influences. On the other, he loves dance clubs, and considers hip hop, house, jungle and UK garage to be hugely important. This mix of influences led Lustman to release a unique series of dance records on the British label Planet Mu. Centering on the rhythms of UK garage provided the key which unlocked Drew’s natural sense of the interconnectedness of electronic funk styles, the limber beat patterns allowing him to jump from UKG into dubstep space, back into NYC’s orginal garage and further back still towards disco. The rolling rhythms of jungle are still there too, albeit sublimated, and underlying it all is the gleam and defiant boom of hip hop.
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Laptop Battle

For the 5th year in a row, AMODA will present a Laptop Battle featuring eight contenders using killer beats to duke it out in a tournament style event. Each performance must be 3 minutes or less and the only equipment permitted is a laptop and one external controller. Judged by a panel of music and art experts, the outcome of each match is decided based on a combination of emotional impact, originality, stage performance, live manipulation, and crowd response. Contestants this year include Ntropy, Chili, Aaron Peña, I Cactus, Making the Noise, Dan Gentile, Cygnus, and Yatagarasu. Judges include Zach Huntting (Fourthcity), Joel Willard (OpenLabs), Rachel Adams (Arthouse), Jacob Green (End of an Ear), and Joseph Cerimeli (Switched On). The emcee will be the Austin hip-hop artist Zeale.
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Inside Stage

In addition to the outside stage, there will also be a full line-up of music and visual art on the inside stage. This space is being largely curated by Stephen Ruiz, former Dallas resident and current head of Los Angeles-based Architects + Heroes Records. The musicians on this stage will include last year’s Laptop Battle champion Blixaboy (Dallas), San Francisco band Burbank International, the elusive and mysterious minimal techno producer Convextion (Dallas), Boston resident Making the Noise, and Stephen’s own project Zygote. In addition, there will be a full night of live video accompanying the musicians including Matt Ridenour (Oakland) and VJ S(EYE) from Dallas.
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Bruce Sterling / Teleportal

Teleportal Readings and Monofonus Press are contributing a special roster of art for the evening. This will include a live reading by legendary sci-fi author Bruce Sterling, and a selection of video pieces from Teleportal and Monofonus featuring such noted local visual artists as Duncan Malashock, Scott Gelber, Ben Aqua, Drew Liverman, Elana Farley, Amanda Joy, Michelle Devereux, and Human Milk.
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Indie Videogames

Brandon Boyer, local game journalist and chairman of the Independent Games Festival, has curated a selection of award-winning indie videogames to appear at the event. These will be available for audience interaction throughout the night. The pieces include Tuning (by Cactus / Sweden), Nidhogg (by Messhof / Los Angeles), and Faraway (by Steph Thirion / San Francisco).
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Video Art

There will be seven video screens in the venue, each showing a selection of visual art throughout the night. The outside stage will feature live video performances by locals Wiley Wiggins, Vidkidz, and Fishlegtz. The inside stage will feature Matt Ridenour (Oakland) and VJ S(EYE) (Dallas). And throughout the venue, there will be animation pieces on display by Special Problems (New Zealand), Daan Verbiest & Teun van der Zalm (Netherlands), Carolina Melis (United Kingdom), and Upper First (Sweden).
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Local Musicians

In addition to the headliner, Laptop Battle and inside stage, the event will also feature talented local musicians including the dark synth-pop band Missions and the excellent DJ crew Flying Turns. Be sure to come early to catch these acts!
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Supported By



This project is funded in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division.

About AMODA

The Austin Museum of Digital Art (AMODA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to engage the public and artists in the creation, understanding, and appreciation of digital art. The Digital Showcase is an event featuring live electronic music and visual art, ranging from abstract to accessible, presented in a social setting.

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