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| Dirty Projectors | |
|---|---|
| Name | Dirty Projectors |
| Origin | Brooklyn, New York |
| Genres | Indie rock, art pop, experimental rock |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Domino, Warp, Western Vinyl |
Dirty Projectors
Dirty Projectors are an American experimental rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York, led by singer-songwriter David Longstreth. They are known for complex vocal arrangements, shifting lineups, and genre-blending albums that drew attention from critics, peers, and festivals worldwide. The group has collaborated with artists across popular music and contemporary composition, earning spots on festival bills and year-end lists.
Longstreth founded the project after moving from Cincinnati, Ohio to New York City in the early 2000s and released early recordings during the era of bedroom pop and indie scenes linked to labels like Western Vinyl and Warp (record label). Early association with the Brooklyn indie rock scene brought them into contact with musicians from Grizzly Bear (band), Animal Collective, and Liars (band). The band’s breakthrough came alongside contemporaneous releases by acts on Merge Records, Sub Pop, and Matador Records, which helped the group secure tours with artists affiliated with Domino Recording Company and appearances at events such as Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Pitchfork Music Festival. Over subsequent albums, collaborations and personnel changes connected the group to performers from Dirty Projectors collaborator Amber Coffman's solo work to composers associated with New Amsterdam Records and ensembles that performed at Carnegie Hall and Sydney Opera House.
The band’s music synthesizes techniques from a wide range of artists and traditions, drawing influence from composers and performers as varied as Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Björk, Sufjan Stevens, and Brian Eno. Vocal counterpoint and harmony practices recall the choral experiments of The Beach Boys’ late-period arrangements and the chamber pop of Scott Walker (singer), while rhythmic and textural approaches intersect with the avant-pop of Talking Heads, the art-rock of David Bowie, and experimental folk associated with Joanna Newsom. Elements of R&B and soul reference figures such as Prince (musician), D'Angelo, and Erykah Badu, and the band has been compared, in instrumentation and ambition, to projects by Radiohead, Fleet Foxes, and Beck. Their arrangements often employ techniques from classical training found in conservatories like Juilliard School and academic networks linked to Yale School of Music.
Studio albums and notable releases include early self-released projects contemporaneous with records on Western Vinyl and Asthmatic Kitty Records, breakthrough albums released via Domino Recording Company and later works on Warp (record label), each receiving coverage in outlets like Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Pitchfork, NME (magazine), and The Guardian (newspaper). Key records aligned the band with year-end lists published by Billboard and The Village Voice (publication). The band’s output includes collaborative projects and soundtrack contributions paralleling releases by Sufjan Stevens and St. Vincent (musician). Singles and EPs circulated on platforms alongside peers on Bandcamp and streaming services supported by labels such as 4AD and Rough Trade Records.
Longstreth remained the central creative force while other roles rotated among musicians from scenes connected to Brooklyn, Los Angeles, California, and London. Notable collaborators have included vocalists and instrumentalists who also recorded or performed with bands like Grizzly Bear (band), Dirty Projectors collaborator Amber Coffman, Nat Baldwin, Tyondai Braxton, and members associated with The National (band) and Wilco. Lineups have shifted in response to touring demands and studio projects, similar to personnel changes seen in ensembles such as Fleetwood Mac and Talking Heads, and to collaborative rotating models used by Steely Dan and The Smashing Pumpkins.
Live shows ranged from intimate club dates in venues tied to the Brooklyn DIY scene to headline sets at international festivals including Glastonbury Festival, SXSW, Roskilde Festival, and Lollapalooza. The group pursued tours across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, sharing bills with artists connected to Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, and contemporary pop performers like Kendrick Lamar-adjacent festival lineups. Their stage arrangements often required bespoke vocal charts and additional touring personnel drawn from conservatory-trained singers and session musicians familiar with orchestral and chamber arrangements similar to those found in productions at Lincoln Center.
Critics in publications such as Pitchfork, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Guardian (newspaper) praised the band’s adventurous arrangements and songwriting, placing several albums on best-of lists alongside records by Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend, Bon Iver, and Tame Impala. The group’s influence is cited by newer indie and experimental artists emerging from scenes in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, California, London, and Toronto, and by composers working at intersections of popular and contemporary classical music featured at festivals like MATA Festival and institutions such as The Kitchen. Their collaborative ethos and hybrid approach to composition contributed to ongoing conversations about genre boundaries in 21st-century popular music.
Category:American experimental rock groups Category:Musical groups from Brooklyn