Tribeca New Music is thrilled to present two extraordinary and original electric bands, Dither and Empyrean Atlas, who will share a double-bill evening of new and recent works including world premieres by composers Angélica Negrón, David Crowell, and inti figgis-vizueta, with recent works by Aeryn Jade Santillan and Laurie Spiegel. Join us for an evening of driving, passionate, thought-provoking music for this live performance at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music! SEATING IS LIMITED. RESERVE YOU TICKETS NOW!
DITHER, a New York-based electric guitar quartet, is dedicated to an eclectic mix of experimental repertoire that spans composed, improvised, and electronic music. Formed in 2007, the quartet has performed across the United States and abroad, presenting new commissions, original compositions, multimedia works, and large guitar ensemble pieces. Dither’s members are Taylor Levine, Joshua Lopes, James Moore, and Gyan Riley.
Dither produces an annual Extravaganza, a raucous festival of creative music and art, which has been called an "official concert on the edge" by The New Yorker and "the here and now of New York's postclassical music scene" by Time Out New York. They have released four full-length albums, including Dither Plays Zorn on Tzadik, featuring the premiere recordings of several of John Zorn's improvisational game pieces, which was named one of the year's “best avant albums” by Rolling Stone.
Empyrean Atlas • The initial spark for Empyrean Atlas began one fine summer evening at the Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn, listening to the legendary musician Thomas Mapfumo wind his way through one incredible groove after another, accompanied by a band with one of the greatest feels ever heard. When you experience something that good, it’s hard to not try and respond. Finding similar inspirations in the music of Steve Coleman and Steve Reich, the seed that would become Empyrean Atlas was planted.
Members of Empyrean Atlas have performed and/or recorded with the Philip Glass Ensemble, The National, Bear in Heaven, Steve Reich, Steve Coleman, Bing & Ruth, Briars of North America, Olga Bell, Happy Place, Little Women, and many others. Empyrean Atlas has been featured numerous times on WNYC's "New Sounds" program, including a live performance with John Schaefer and a special podcast on electric guitarist/composers. In July 2015, Wilco named Inner Circle as one of their 17 favorite records of the year.
David Crowell - electric guitar & alto saxophone; Andrew Smiley - electric guitar; Will Chapin - electric guitar; Greg Chudzik - bass; Jason Nazary - drums
"Depending on the tune, the interwoven triple-guitar gamesmanship of Empyrean Atlas can run in few different directions: toward the mathy post-punk of Horse Lords or Battles, toward warmly anesthetic ambience (say, Pink Floyd meets Bradford Cox), or toward West African high life. On 'Echolocation,' the clangy, lapping repetitions feel most in line with that last influence. The quintet’s movements are coiled and contained, but pulsing with small, ecstatic fibrillations." —The New York Times