Brooklyn, NY – On January 21st at Issue Project Room, MATA presents a gloriously loud and eclectic program featuring Dither, a versatile electric guitar quartet and a rising force in New York. Curated by guitarists James Moore and Taylor Levine, MATA will showcase six exciting new works by young composers for electric guitars in duos, quartets, and finally a 10-piece hearing-deprived electric guitar orchestra!

James Moore and Taylor Levine are accomplished guitarists and chamber musicians who actively perform new and experimental music in New York. The two share a common approach to the guitar as a unique electro-acoustic instrument with extensive capabilities for electronic manipulation, a rich history of improvisation, wide ranges of timbre and style, and endless popular and cultural roots. Forming Dither in 2007, they have found an outlet to explore some of their favorite guitar music, and to work with composers to create an exciting new repertoire.

As Curators for MATA 2.3, James and Taylor will present an entire show of new electric guitar works, many of which are world premieres, including pieces by Eric km Clark, Lisa R. Coons, Bryce Dessner, Florent Ghys, Joshua Lopes, Paula Matthusen, and Wil Smith. These works represent a wide variety of approaches: from clean pop textures to heavily processed noise, from tight rhythmic unity to cacophonous sound mass. What unifies them all is that they utilize and wholeheartedly embrace the beautiful and engulfing sound of electric guitars.

Closing the show will be an exciting large ensemble piece by Eric km Clark, Canadian experimental composer and violinist for the California EAR Unit. The curious and captivating feature of this piece is Eric’s compositional technique of “Hearing Deprivation.” In this practice, the performers are deprived of hearing through the use of earplugs and cup-headphones, which playback white noise at a high volume. This makes it nearly impossible for an individual player to effectively coordinate with the ensemble or to judge his or her own sound. As the performers attempt to play their parts accurately, new soundscapes emerge ranging from hypnotizing hermetic canons, to driving sections of controlled chaos, to beautiful pointillistic textures.  Though it may be a frightening idea, hearing deprivation proves to be a highly effective musical tool, and a powerful dramatic gesture.

Dither is a quartet of electric guitarists who play an energetic mix of composed music and improvisation, all orchestrated through a galaxy of stomp boxes and effects. Guitarists Simon Kafka, Taylor Levine, Josh Lopes, and James Moore combined forces in 2007 with varied backgrounds in jazz, classical, and popular music. Since their debut concert at John Zorn’s experimental music venue The Stone, the group has been gaining recognition as both an eclectic improvising group and a skilled chamber ensemble.

Dither frequently performs original compositions, arrangements, new commissions, and the works of Fred Frith and Nick Didkovsky. Their performances have brought them to a number of venues including Roulette, Princeton University, the Extensible Electric Guitar Festival at Clark University, and most recently to the Fringe Theater in Hong Kong, where they premiered Samson Young’s multimedia theater piece “Hong Kong Explodes!” Upcoming shows include a showcase of orginal works for the Flea Theater’s “Music with a View” series.

James Moore is a versatile guitarist with many musical personalities. Performing on a wide variety of acoustic and electric guitars, banjos, and home-made instruments, James combines the sensitivity and lyricism from his classical training with a healthy dose of improvisation, theatrics, and experimentation. His chamber performances have brought him to concert halls and experimental music venues across the country, including shows with Bang on a Can, Other Minds, Princeton University, The Electronic Music Foundation, Anti-Social Music, the Merkin Hall Ear Department Series, and The Kitchen. As a soloist, he has been heard at the Chelsea Art museum playing music for amplified banjo and just-intonation steel string guitar, at Northwestern University performing on prepared classical guitar, and with the Astoria Symphony premiering a concerto for the Greek bouzouki.  James also performs with several unconventional groups, including William Brittelle’s pop-art-concept ensemble Mohair Time Warp, and Jacob Cooper’s slowed-down pop-tragedy Timberbrit. James’s own projects include the new folk-noise group Oliphant and the mischievous rock band Passenger Fish. In addition to collaborating with gifted musicians and composers from his own generation, James has worked with many of today’s leading artists, including David Lang, Steve Reich, Ingram Marshall, and Meredith Monk. James grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, received degrees in guitar performance from The University of California, Santa Cruz, and the Yale School of Music. He currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.