Dither

ditherquartet@gmail.com

2023 May // Dither Commissions at the Tribeca Fest!

We are excited to present two brand new Dither commissions on an upcoming show for Tribeca New Music! We we be premiering hierbas marinas by Angélica Negrón and flames like words by inti figgis-vizueta. Also on the program is Aeryn Jade Santillan's beautiful piece drowning. and Laurie Spiegel's iconic Patchwork, part of our new project reimagining music from her seminal album The Expanding Universe. We're sharing the bill with Empyrean Atlas, come on out!


Dither and Laurie Spiegel


2023 February // Residency at the Stone!

Join us for four festive nights of music!




2023 January // Ten Amendments!

On Jan 13 we be presenting our first work-in-progress showing of Ten Amendments, a startling and immersive evening length work by composer/vocalist Carla Kihlstedt and poet/libretist Rafael Osés, featuring The Dither's Big Band and live ambisonic sound design by JohnPaul Beattie. Come Join us at Coffey St. Studio for two showings!
More info here!





2021 June // Dither Podcasts!

In our premiere pairing of podcasts, Dither chats with four composers we have commissioned to write new quartet pieces in the coming year: Amirtha Kidambi, inti figgis-vizueta, Aeryn Santillan, and Nate Wooley. We had a lovely time talking about their music and sharing tracks from each of them. Check it out!



Dither's commissioning program is sponsored, in part, by The Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).


2020 Sept // Dynamics of Vanishing Bodies!

We are stoked to announce the release of Brendon Randall Myers's epic piece for Dither on New Focus Recordings!



2019 Oct // The Dither Extravaganza!

Come on out to The Dither Extravaganza! 2019, celebrating the release of Potential Differences on New Focus Recordings. It's going down on Oct 27 at The Frost Theater of the Arts in Williamsburg. MORE INFO AND TICKETS HERE!

-----------> Dither
-----------> JG Thirlwell
-----------> Alicia Hall Moran
-----------> Mivos Quartet
-----------> Yva Las Vegass
-----------> Naeemah Z. Maddox
-----------> Ryan Power
-----------> Tredici Bacci
-----------> Elixir
-----------> Shelley Washington
----------->
Paula Matthusen & Philip White
----------->
Jim Fletcher, James Moore & Andie Tanning




New Album on New Focus!

Potential Differences, Dither's third full-length album hits the streets Nov 1, 2019. Stream Paula Matthusen's but because without this on bandcamp and pre-order your copy!


album cover by Emily Weidenhof

2019 Aug // Bang on a Can's LOUD Weekend

This summer Dither joins Bang on a Can for their inaugural LOUD weekend at Mass MOCA! Over the course of the three day festival, we’ll be performing three large-scale works: Australian/Icelandic composer Ben Frost’s Music for 6 Guitars with Frost, Daniel Reimer and a brass sextet; Tristan Perich’s Interference Logic for Dither with a miniature orchestra of 1-bit electronics; and Brendon Randall-Myers’s Dynamics of Vanishing Bodies for the quartet with phantom subtones. Join us!


2019 May // Sound Unbound at the Barbican!

Dither and friends triumphantly return to London’s Barbican Center as part of their Sound Unbound Festival. We'll play two free outdoor shows featuring our 13-guitar rendition of Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint, along with works for the quartet by Eve Beglarian, David Lang and Paula Matthusen. For this show we are pleased to be joined by the venerable guitarist Mark Stewart and the Belgian electric guitar quartet Zwerm!


Dither & Friends w/ Steve Reich at the Barbican Center
Photo by Alex Ross,
11.5.2016

2018 Dec // Nels & Bells

Join us for an intimate performance in Brooklyn for the Home Audio series, featuring a workshop performance of an epic new piece by the amazing guitarist/composer Nels Cline For Dither: Bells, Feathers & Blood Red Stars.


Dither with Nels Cline and Ches Smith at the Dither Extravaganza
Photo by Travis Emmett, 12.4.2016

2018 Aug // Game Pieces in Portugal!

Dither joins a formidable roster at Lisbon’s Jazz em Agosto festival for a ten day festival of John Zorn’s music. We’ll be performing a set of Zorn’s notorious improvisational game pieces Curling, Fencing and Hockey!


Dither at Jazz em Agosto
Photo by Petra Cvelbar,
8.12.2018

2018 Jan // IT'S ALL TRUE

Dither joins the raucous house band for Object Collection’s It’s All True, an awesome and insane new opera constructed from the live archives of the seminal punk band Fugazi! Composer Travis Just and director Kara Feely utilized everything from the band's live performances except for the songs, resulting in an explosive tour de force of guitar feedback, riffage, and political discourse.

After performances at the Borealis Festival in Norway and London’s Cafe Oto, we are excited to bring the show to the states! In January we’ll be playing at The Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington DC, followed by a run at La MaMa in NY all through February, plus runs in the Spring at Paramount in Austin and La Sala Rossa in Montreal! The album is out now on CD and Vinyl through the UK label Slip.

It's All True

2016 Dec // The Dither Extravaganza! 2016

It's that time again! Come on out to the Frost Theater in Williamsburg on Dec 4 for a raucous of evening of music and art with Dither and a formidable line-up of friends and collaborators!

-----------> Dither
-----------> Nels Cline
-----------> Rabbit Rabbit
-----------> Glasser
-----------> David Grubbs & Mantra Percussion
-----------> Ashley Bathgate
-----------> Min Xiao-Fen
-----------> Toby Driver/Maddonawhore
-----------> Real Loud
-----------> John Zorn's Rugby
----------->
Tristan Perich's Interference Logic


"Immerse yourself in the here and now of New York's postclassical music scene. Be there or be square. seriously." - Time Out NY

Sunday Dec 4, 2016 // 5:00 -10:00 pm
@ 17 Frost Theater of the Arts
17 Frost St, Brooklyn NY
L to Lorimer, G to Metropolitan
$10 Admission // MORE INFO HERE!

2015 Aug // Lincoln Center Out Of Doors!

On August 5th Dither is excited to host a tremendous show as part of Lincoln Center Out Of Doors! The evening will feature a live rendition of Steve Reich's iconic work Electric Counterpoint with Mark Stewart and a 13-guitar big band! In Addition, we're premiering two new collaborations with guitarist Lee Ranaldo [Sonic Youth] and with the indie rock band Yo La Tengo. We've also got a quartet set for you with music by Eve Beglarian and Dither member Joshua Lopes, and Matmos is opening! Come on out!


The Dither Guitar Orchestra at the Bang on a Can Marathon

2015 April // Dither & Otomo Yoshihide!

Taylor, Josh & James joined the venerable Japanese noise artist Otomo Yoshide at the Stone for a rousing set of his pieces and improvisations! Peter Ganushkin took some great photos of the event.

2015 Feb // showing and hiding / showing and vanishing

In February Dither joined forces with Mantra Percussion, Nick Didkovsky and Philip White to perform Paula Matthusen's beautiful and monstrous new piece for Avant Media's annual festival. It was an amazing night!

2014 Dec // Dither plays Zorn!

We are thrilled to announce the release of Dither plays Zorn on Tzadik! Volume one in the Olympiad series, Dither offers the first recordings of Zorn's early game pieces Fencing and Curling, and new renditions of Hockey! The album hits the streets on January 20, 2015.

Please join us for an evening of Game Pieces at The Kitchen on Dec 13! We'll play the works from the record as well as Lacrosse and Rugby, joined by the amazing improvisers Sylvie Courvoisier (piano) and Kenny Wollesen (percussion). Tickets available here!

2014 Sept // The Dither Extravaganza! 2014

This may very well be our most insane Extravaganza to date!! 15 sets throughout the night with influences spanning classical, metal, jazz, avant-garde, turntablism, Japanese pop, and more!

Friday, Sept 5, 6:00 - midnight
@ St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church, Brooklyn Heights.
$8 admission
Funded by New Music USA, sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery!

Dither
Lee Ranaldo
Cleric
Andrea Parkins & Brian Chase
Jace Clayton (DJ /rupture)
Mellissa Hughes
Tigue
Brandon Seabrook
String Noise
Wil Smith
Seaven Teares
James Ilgenfritz
Happy Fun Smile

"Immerse yourself in the here and now of New York's post-classical music scene. Be there or be square. Seriously." - Time Out NY

"Official concert on the edge." - The New Yorker

2013 Nov // Niblock Release!

Pioneering experimental composer Phill Niblock's latest CD Touch Five has been released on Touch Music! Dither’s monolithic 26 minute rendition of Niblock's 2 lips was constructed from 40 overlayed guitar tracks. It appears alongside two other versions of the same piece by our guitar quartet comrades Zwerm and Coh Da.

2013 OCT // David Lang and Susan Marshall: PLAY/PAUSE

This Fall members of Dither have been touring with PLAY/PAUSE, an awesome dance production by Choreographer Susan Marshall with original music by David Lang. We'll be performing at Columbia College (Chicago), The Gammage Auditorium (Phoenix), UCLA Live (Los Angeles), The Kennedy Center (Washington, DC) and we'll close out the year with our New York premiere at the BAM Next Wave Festival! It's been an amazing collaborative experience working with a great crew of performing artists.

2013 OCT // The Dither Extravaganza! 2013

The Extravaganza is back!! Hope to see you there!!

Saturday, October 26, 7:00 - midnight
@ The Gowanus Loft, Brooklyn
$8 admission
Funded by the Brooklyn Arts Council, sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery!

performances by ...

Dither
Phantom Orchard: Ikue Mori & Zeena Parkins
JACK Quartet
Weasel Walter, Mary Halvorson & Peter Evans
Blarvuster
Dan Friel
Probosci: Gyan Riley & Timba Harris
Vomit Fist
Elliott Sharp's Ile Tigre Lily performed by Sharp, Dither & Friends

"Immerse yourself in the here and now of New York's post-classical music scene. Be there or be square. Seriously." - Time Out NY

"Official concert on the edge." - The New Yorker

// complete press release
// facebook event page

2013 SEPT // Zorn's Olympiad!

On Sept 27 Dither is honored to join an incredible line-up of artists for an evening of John Zorn's game pieces at the Miller Theater as part of Zorn at 60! We've had the pleasure of working with Zorn over the past year to develop several of these early improvisationally based compositions. For this concert we'll perform Fencing.

Dither performing Zorn's Lacrosse

2013 MARCH // Winter Tours!

This winter Dither went on a lovely chain of tours beginning with a residency at the University of Virginia, and followed by a week-long tour of the midwest. We performed at Bowling Green State University, The Robinwood Concert House in Toledo, Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, The Broad Art Museum in East Lansing, and a special concert hosted by curators of the Cleveland Museum of Art. We were especially excited to be joined by the amazing Nick Didkovsky for these dates!

A colorful setlist of compositions and improvisations for our show in Toledo

2012 DEC // Dither in Amsterdam

In December Dither traveled to the Netherlands for our European debut at the Amsterdam Electric Guitar Heaven Festival! We spent a week wandering the beautiful canals of the city, and performing three shows alongside a formidable line-up of guitarists including Andy Summers, Adrian Belew, Benjamin Verdery, and an unlikely but fun pairing of Dither with Rich Robinson (of the Black Crowes). We played at some great venues including Melkveg, Paradiso, and the Amsterdam Conservatory.

Dither performing at Amsterdam Conservatory

2012 NOV // Dither's Invisible Dog Extravaganza!

Saturday, November 17, 5:00 - 10:00 pm
@ The Invisible Dog Art Center, Brooklyn
$8 admission - Supported by the Brooklyn Arts Council and Brooklyn Brewery!
RSVP on Facebook

performances by:
Dither
Anthony Coleman & Ashley Paul
Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone
Victoire
Peter Evans
Preshish Moments
TILT Brass
Object Collection

featuring:
John Zorn's Lacrosse performed by Dither
Lois V. Vierk's Jagged Mesa performed by TILT
Phill Niblock's 2 Lips performed by the Dither Guitar Orchestra

Keep an eye out for updates! Hope to see you there! ~ Dither

2012 JUNE // Bang on a Can Marathon

Dither was the opening act this year for Bang on a Can's annual marathon - We played a rousing rendition of "Go Guitars" by Lois V. Vierk - a raucous and twangy microtonal quintet (Dither was joined by the venerable Grey McMurray as a fifth member!)

Taylor Levine, Gyan Riley, Josh Lopes, James Moore, Grey McMurray

Lois Vierk, Josh Lopes, Taylor Levine, James Moore

2012 MAR // Dither Benefit Concert

Many thanks to all those who came out to support Dither at our benefit concert, Featuring Fred Frith, Eve Beglarian, and Mark Stewart! Check out three videos from the performance on our Youtube Channel!

top: Nick Didkovsky, Taylor Levine, Josh Lopes, James Moore, Eve Beglarian, Tigger Benford
bottom: Gyan Riley, Mark Stewart, Fred Frith
photo by Stephen Taylor

2011 OCT // Niblock Recording Session!

We had a great time working with the influential composer Phill Niblock to record his piece "2 Lips". The monstrous track of 40 guitars will be released on Touch Music at the end of 2012!

Taylor Levine, David Linaburg, Phill Niblock, Josh Lopes, James Moore
Photographer, and recording engineer: Robert Poss

2011 July // Dither's Invisible Dog Extravaganza II!

On July 8, 2011 we hosted our second annual Extravaganza!
Sponsored by The Brooklyn Arts Council and Brooklyn Brewery

Dither
Marc Ribot
These Arches (Ches Smith, Marc Ribot, Mary Halvorson, Andrea Parkins, Tim Berne)
So Percussion
Lesley Flanigan
Corey Dargel
R We Who R We
Nathan Koci
Paula Matthusen's Portable
Phill Niblock's Guitar too, for Four

Dither joins forces with Ribot, Smith, Koci,and R We Who R We to perform Travis Just's "I'm the loudest voice"
Photo by Isabelle Selby

2010 Dec // Dither's Incubator Workshop!

On Dec 11, in collaboration with The Incubator Arts Project, Dither put on a showcase of new works for Dither, featuring compositions by Eve Beglarian, Nick Didkovsky, Tristan Perich, and Ted Hearne.

Levine, Beglarian, Didkovsky, Hearne, Moore, Lopes, Linaburg, Perich
Photo by Isabelle Selby

2010 Aug // Whitney Museum with Elliott Sharp!

Dither had the pleasure of joining Elliott Sharp at the Whitney Museum for a performance of Christian Marclay's Graffiti Compositions, as part of the the museum's Christian Marclay: Festival.

Photos by Isabelle Selby David Linaburg

James Moore

Josh Lopes

Taylor Levine

Elliott Sharp

2010 June // Dither's Album Release! Invisible Dog Extravaganza!

On June 12, 2010 Dither hosted our first Extravaganza to celebrate the release of our self-titled debut album on Henceforth Records!

Dither
Elliott Sharp
Kathleen Supove & Nick Didkovsky
Matthew Welch
Mantra Percussion
Loud Objects
Florent Ghys
Redhooker
The Deprivation Orchestra of NYC
Fred Frith's Stick Figures
James Tenney's Septet

Dither expands its forces for James Tenney's Septet, conducted by Larry Polansky.
Ensemble: Devin Maxwell, Nick Didkovsky, Taylor Levine, James Moore, Dan Joseph, Josh Lopes, David Linaburg
Photo by Isabelle Selby

2010 MAR // Dither Benefit Concert

Dither hosted our first benefit concert on March 14, 2010 at the home of David Lang and Suzanne Bocanegra in NYC. The intimate program featured Tristan Perich's qsqsqsqqqqqqqqq for three toy pianos and 1-bit electronics (performed by Tristan, Lorna Krier & David Broome) and Ted Hearne's I Remember (performed by soprano Mellissa Hughes). Dither performed the music of David Lang, Paula Matthusen & Jascha Narveson, and concluded with the World Premiere of Tone Boy by Nick Didkovsky (who was guest guitarist & conductor). The event also featured The Unusual Suspects (Eleonore Oppenheim, double bass & Nathan Koci, accordion). It was a truly festive and inspiring event thanks to a wonderful mix of Dither friends and supporters!

2009 NOV // Performa

On November 20, 2009, Dither members James Moore and Taylor Levine performed at Performa's two-day music festival curated by artist Mike Kelley. James and Taylor performed Stick Figures by Fred Frith, a beautiful and epic piece for six table-top guitars. This was an amazing event featuring some truly legendary artists including Lee Ranaldo, Thurston Moore, Alan Licht, Arto Lindsay, and John Zorn.

Moore and Levine play "Stick Figures"

We also joined the group to perform on Luigi Russolo's Intonarumori futurist Instruments!

2009 MAY // Bang on a Can Marathon

On May 31, 2009, Bang on a Can programmed Eric km Clark's exPAT, a Dither commission for hearing deprived electric guitar orchestra, as part of their annual marathon concert. From the center of the World Financial Center's Winter Garden, Dither's 11-piece ensemble created a monstrous texture of endlessly growing intensity. We proudly shared this bill with some of our favorite artists, including Bill Frisell, The BOAC All-Satrs, and Tortoise.

Stephen Griesgraber, Geremy Schulick, James Moore, Brett Parnell, Taylor Levine,
Nick Didkovsky, Caleb Burhans, Josh Lopes, David Linaburg, Gavin Harper, David Linaburg

2009 JAN // MATA Interval 2.3

In January 2009, Taylor and James curated an entire evening of electric guitar music for the MATA Festival's Interval series. The show began with a quartet set including premieres by Lisa Coons, Florent Ghys, and Wil Smith, as well as compositions by Dither members Josh Lopes and Simon Kafka. Taylor and James began the second set with Bryce Dessner's beautiful duo Jumeaux. To close, Dither commissioned L'amour du Pain, an epic new deprivation work by Eric km Clark, in which two soloists slowly manipulate the signals of an orchestra of hearing deprived guitarists.

Front: Taylor Levine, Eric km Clark, James Moore; Back: Geremy Schulick, Brett Parnell, Simon Kafka, Matt Hough, Josh Lopes, Gavine Harper, Kenji Shinigawa, David Linaburg

2008 OCT // HONG KONG

In late October 2008, we began a tour of Samson Young's original evening-length, multi-media work, Hong Kong Explodes! We started off with a premiere at NYC's Players Theater and a second show at Princeton University. Flying to Hong Kong, we then played a week of shows at The Fringe Club in Central, and finished the tour at another Hong Kong venue, The Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre.