Electronic musicians compete in Battle of the Beats

Normally, when you think of business careers, you don't think of DJ laptop battles. For UM's Business Careers in Entertainment Management club, it's just another day at the office.

"Putting on events and producing shows is kind of our niche," said Amy Ettinger, the club's press manager. For the past two years, Ettinger has helped organize the club's "Battle of the Beats," an electronic music competition that will take place Friday night at The Palace.

The show, in its second year, will feature eight local DJs facing off in a tournament-style battle in which they produce music using a laptop as their only instrument. Each will have only five minutes on stage to impress the judges with the beats they produce and the reaction they get from the crowd. The panel of judges is made up of local DJs Kris Moon, Adelaide the Mermaid and Logan Foret of Ebola Syndrome. The winner of each round will advance until two DJs face off for the win.

Seven of the eight producers competing are from Missoula. Ettinger said the strong local presence is symbolic of the growth in popularity of the electronic music scene here.

When BCEC put on the first Battle of the Beats competition last year, few people were familiar with the idea of a laptop battle. Now, Ettinger said, more and more people are getting into the scene. Pat Darby, a producer who will be performing at the battle under the name Kid Traxiom, has an explanation for the scene's sudden growth in popularity.

"A lot of people are attracted to it because it's so reachable," he said. "All you need is a laptop, a few programs and a sense of beat."t

Although the make-up of the crowd at electronic music events is in constant flux, Darby said attendees tend to be younger professionals and students. The result is a constantly shifting  music scene.

"It's all about who's coming up next and what's going on next rather than idolizing one person," he said.

Friday night's competition is a demonstration of that. Ettinger said that most of the producers competing in the battle are fairly new to the laptop scene.

"Some of these guys have never performed before," she said.  "This will be their first time on stage."

Dodge Kramer is one of the first-timers. Though the Boulder, Colo. native has been producing electronic beats for a while, he's never been in a laptop battle before. However, he said he's ready for the show, as he's familiar with the work of many of the other competitors.

"I've seen all the guys in the DJ battle in Bozeman, but there should still be a few wild cards," he said. "It all boils down to how good your beats are in the end."    

emily.downing@umontana.edu