June 13 VJ Throwdown Seattle

Battles amp the creative pressure as artists improv their best moves. It might be b-boys/girls, Photoshop battles, here it's Opticlash 2, VJ's mixing live motion visuals to DJ sets. The VJ phenom is more developed in the UK and Japan. It will evolve, as DJing, to the point that it seems like everyone is a bedroom VJ. Especially true with the emergence of TrakAx, an entry level free AV mix tool which also operates on mobile platforms. Tonight's battle pits VJ's Pixelflip, Peter Rand, Porchlight Star, Killingfrenzy (the Opticlash 1 champion), James Drage, Epiphanous, VJ Scobot and Xiayu. Accompanying DJ's are J-Justice, Aaron Simpson and Swank. The event is part of Seattle's International Film Festival; Opticlash 2 benefits Reelgrrls. At Capitol Hills Art Center 1621 12th Ave x Pine 6-10PM $15 Advance