Music Technology Hackathon: Build a Creative Experience in 2 Days

Richie Hawtin is a genuine original whose critical acclaim spans the fine art community to the technological vanguard. British-born and Canadian-raised, he is best known as Plastikman, electronic musician par excellence. The New York Times called him "one of the electronic dance world's intellectual forces," while Daniel Miller, founder of Mute Records, referred to him as "a leader" and "a pioneer." Hawtin has been at the forefront of music technology innovation throughout his career. A beta-tester for Ableton Live since 2000, he has worked closely with Native Instruments and founded his own Berlin-based development company Liine. In 2015, he received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Huddersfield for Outstanding Contribution to Music-Technology. His expertise in both creative expression and cutting-edge technology makes him the perfect judge to evaluate the creative and technical excellence of the hacks developed during this event.

Michele Darling is the chair of the Electronic Production and Design Department at Berklee College of Music. An accomplished sound designer, composer, recording engineer, and educator, she brings a unique combination of professional experience and passion for electronic music and sound design to our jury panel. Darling worked for many years as part of an Emmy Award–winning production team at Sesame Workshop, composing music and creating sound design for Muppets characters. Her career includes sound work for animated television shows such as Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!. She is also a founding member of Aerostatic, composing audio environments for films, installations, and music performances featured in galleries and festivals worldwide. Her expertise in music technology education and creative innovation makes her an invaluable judge for evaluating the hacks developed during this event.

Jean-Baptiste "JB" Thiebaut is CEO of Music Hackspace and Chordline Ventures. He holds a PhD in computer music from Queen Mary University of London and built a career bridging R&D, product, and community in music technology. JB worked at Focusrite, ROLI, and Cycling '74, and was director of the Audio Developer Conference and JUCE. At ROLI, he played a key role in advancing MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) and served on the Executive Board of the MIDI Association for 5 years. At Music Hackspace, JB leads a global creative-tech learning platform for artists, coders, and innovators, designing courses and hackathons that foster audio innovation, interactivity, and DIY instrument design. His expertise in music technology, product development, and community building makes him an essential judge for evaluating the innovative hacks developed during this event.

Romain Pouillon is a music tech entrepreneur, DJ / Producer, and Chief Strategy Officer at Algoriddim, the company behind djay Pro. Bridging underground club culture with cutting-edge technology, he's spent over a decade working at the intersection of DJ performance, hardware, and software innovation at Native Instruments, Beatport, and Algoriddim djay. As DJ ROM 303, he brings a deep love of electronic music and hands-on DJ experience to conversations about the future of DJing, creative tools, and artist-driven tech. His unique vantage point — spanning underground club culture, enterprise music software, and hardware innovation — makes him an invaluable voice in shaping the Algoriddim challenge and evaluating hacks at this event.

Carlos Caires (b. 1968) is a Portuguese composer whose work spans solo instruments, chamber groups, and orchestras — most of it incorporating electronics. He teaches at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa and is the creator of IRIN, a sound micromontage software developed during his doctoral research at the University of Paris 8. Trained in Lisbon and Paris, Caires holds a PhD from the University of Paris 8, where he studied under Horacio Vaggione. His music has been performed across Europe, the United States, and China, and he has received several composition awards. Over the past two decades he has been a key figure in music technology education in Portugal, and his recent work explores interactive audiovisual installations combining motion sensors and real-time sound processing.

Yan Kalnberzin is a video and media artist and a graduate of the Moscow Institute of Aviation Technology. In the 2000s, he was an active figure in Moscow's underground scene as a member of the musical group PBOYUL. As one of the pioneers of stop-motion animation in Moscow, Kalnberzin created the stop-motion music video "Sea Lilies" for the band Kids of Picasso. He also co-founded the company Russian Visual Artists and has taken part in numerous Russian and international festivals, including HYPE, MIGZ, PlumsFest, Abracadabra, and Worldtronic. Kalnberzin has created video and special effects for a wide range of theatrical performances, such as Agate Returns Home, The Golden Cockerel, A Doll's House, and many others. In 2011, he participated in the Moscow Light festival "Circle of Light", where he did projection mapping on the festival's main facade, the Hotel "Moscow". He has also organized a lot of educational events in Moscow teaching TouchDesigner.