Tim Thompson competes in The West Coast Championship Controller Battle with his Space Palette Controller. Photo - SpaceCat Photography

Tim Thompson, aka Artful Codger, was undoubtedly one of the most unique competitors in The West Coast Championship Controller Battle last June. Thompson wowed the audience and the judges with his hand made Space Palette controller, which was based on the Microsoft Kinect and sounds generated with Native Instruments FM8, Massive, Battery 3 and Spectrasonics Omnisphere.

We had a chance to catch up with Thompson and chat with him about his experience.

Controllerism.com: What motivated you to enter the Controller Battle?

Thompson: A desire to show people a more experimental, off-the-wall controller. To inspire others to be more inventive.

C: Why did you choose the setup you used?

T: Because the Kinect is new and cool.

C: Was this your first music competition?

T: No, 40 years ago I competed in the Illinois State Fair playing organ.

C: What do you think about the whole idea of a Controller Battle, and where do you see it going in the future?

T: I’m not really fond of the competition angle. I’d prefer to see it made into more of an exhibition than a competition.

C: Did you make any new friends?

T: A couple, yes, it’s certainly a good way to find like-minded people.

C: Is there anything you would change about your sets?

T: I should have used the tennis ball more. Specifically, I should have turned on looping and used that more effectively.

C: And, most importantly, did you have fun?

T: Yes. Thanks for your efforts, it was a fun and rewarding thing to be involved in.

Thompson tied for third place in the competition and took home a bundle of new gear. Be sure to check out videos of his performance and all of the other competitors on the battle videos page.