MATA Interval 2.3
Featuring Dither Electric Guitar Quartet

Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Doors Open at 8PM

Issue Project Room
@ The (OA) Can Factory
232 3rd Street, 3rd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11215
map & travel info

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!
Program Info

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 in collaboration with guitarists Simon Kafka and Josh Lopes, 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.


WEB RESOURCES
MATA Interval blog
Composer Bios [w/ links]
Dither Electric Guitar Quartet
James Moore
Taylor Levine
Hearing Deprivation
Issue Project Room

Please vist www.matafestival.org/interval/?p=164 to hear samples of Dither's work

About MATA Interval
Started during the 2007-08 season, MATA Interval is a bi-monthly concert series dedicated to small-scale performances by emerging performers and composers based in New York City. Produced in conjunction with Issue Project Room, Interval’s programming is developed and produced by selected participants in MATA’s Curatorial Associate program. The intimate and community-based character of Interval encourages risk taking and allows MATA to showcase a wide array of aesthetics from the city’s vibrant musical culture.

The Curatorial Associate Program is a ten-week paid internship that mentors and educates young artists interested in concert production. Each year young composers and performers are selected from a competitive pool of applicants to our open call for proposals, and are invited to work closely with MATA'