Artist description Clangs. Gurgles. Belches. Thunks. Wheezes. Blips, bloops and bleeps. Whistles & whines. Sonic indigestion in search of critical indignation. Formed in protest of the ever-worsening state of commercial music, D2K is the most audacious Home Recordings act to date.

Music Style Free Improvisation

Musical Influences The Music Improvisation Company, Derek Bailey, Henry Cow, Faust, Mnemonists, Henry Kaiser, Fred Frith

Similar Artists If we start to sound like ANY popular artists we will hang it up and move on to abstract origami...

Artist History Dits 2000 is the latest incarnation of a recording ensemble that is at the very root of the Home Recordings tree. Founded in 1981 by Scott Lucas and Brian Keys, the original Dits folded in 1990 after hundreds of hours of improvised recordings featuring many dozens of musical weirdos as guests. While Dits 2000 record with the latest digital technology and the participants are now seasoned veteran players, the music is very true to the original concept presented by the then-wide-eyed (and eared) college students a couple of decades ago

Group Members Scott Lucas * Pink Bob * Matt Seniff *** With special guests: Tom Sparrow, Ken Thornton, Mike Williams, Dan Meyer, Mike Manna, and John Ganser.

Instruments Scott Lucas: Gretsch Electro-Acoustic Guitar and effects; MicroMoog Analog Synthesizer; Cello; Percussion; Tapes; etc. *** Pink Bob: Analog & Digital Synthesizers; Electric Guitar; Ukulele; Autoharp; Cello; Theremin; Saxocorder; Effects; Tapes; etc. *** Matt Seniff: Slide Guitar; Guitar Synth; Lap Steel Guitar; Electric Banjo; Effects; Cello; Percussion; Tapes; etc. *** Guests play everything from cello (of course) to Electronic Percussion.

Press Reviews Here's a write-up by Ed Ponk from the premier issue of "BNU" (Bloomington-Normal Underground). Sorry, but mp3.com does not allow us to use paragraph tags so this all runs together into one big mess: "After a decade in the dustbin, seminal Central Illinois noise monsters The Dits have shaken off the cobwebs and embarked on a scorched-earth half-year agenda of serious improvisational recording. Under the tongue-in-cheek moniker "DITS 2000", they have released three double CDs so far on their own Home Recordings label, and they still have two months worth of live and studio work to go. *** Founded in 1981 by Scott Lucas and the late Brian Keys, The Dits were always meant to be a means of thumbing their collective noses at the "mainstream" music industry and its lemming-like consumers. Nearly twenty years later, the DITS 2000 version of the band finds the original premise distilled into something that is both brutally potent and disarmingly abstract. This is music that is the exact opposite of anything that has ever been played in the mainstream media or featured on any Billboard chart. *** The DITS 2000 core is comprised of three very gifted musicians. Scott Lucas is best known for his drumming with Stumpwhoopt and his co-anchoring of Shmaz back in the early-mid '80s, but it's in this context that all of his talents shine. While his duties include amplified acoustic guitar ("It's a Gretsch Rancher!") and MicroMoog Synthesizer, more often than not he is adjusting his baffling array of effects or popping in another unusual cassette tape. Dahmer sanity hearings, anyone??! Scott insists this is a collective, seat-of-the-pants effort, but he usually lays down the foundations that the rest of the band builds upon. In a live setting, he is able to clear out a bar at will in 30 seconds with some well-placed analog synth splats. *** Multi-instrumentalist Pink Bob was the most frequent guest artist on early Dits recordings. Computers, MIDI instruments and sequencing diverted his attentions after 1986, however, and his improvisational work declined to the point of nothingness by the end of the '80s. In addition to his band The Sediments (also co-founded by the late Brian Keys) and his solo projects, Pink had a hand in the stories of local legends The Something Brothers and Voodoo Mark before shifting his attention to an excellent collaboration with Tiny Tim called "I Love Me" (yes, THAT Tiny Tim...) Pink's role in DITS 2000 is much like that of someone who has been rescued from a desert island after a decade and is given his first steak dinner at the Captain's table. *** Rounding out the core is Matt Seniff, who is new to The Dits but has been improvising for over two decades. Matt may be one of the only people on the planet with a lap steel connected to a Roland guitar synthesizer, and his musical vocabulary with this rig is frightening. He usually sounds more like a synth player than either Scott or Pink, who have the benefit of actual keyboards in front of them. This is probably due to the fact that he is exceptionally proficient with electronic effects and constructs signal chains that no sane person would ever attempt. Matt is also the brains behind the stage setup for The Dits' live shows and is responsible for the fantastic recordings Pink gets from the portable MiniDisc. *** Add to it all a supporting cast of another half dozen or so virtuoso/oddball guests, and you have DITS 2000. In just a few months they have three CD releases to show for it, all of them doubles. The first was a studio effort recorded in their "SediLab" over three sessions during the 4th of July week. Shortly after that was the complete document of the first live Dits performance ever, held on September 13 at Lizard's lounge. And, out just this week, the complete, unedited recording of their second concert at the same venue on October 25. *** This is nearly six hours (so far!) of the most unconventional music most people will ever hear in their lives. And while it is intentionally obscure and not meant for the masses, it is very easy to get. If you're local, their CDs (as well as those by all of the other projects associated with The Dits) are available both at their live performances and at Mother Murphys. Better yet, show up for one of their free gigs at Lizard's Lounge and hear the music in its native setting. They will be playing approximately one Wednesday nigth a month between 7:00-10:00 PM, so it's not a late night out. For the rest of the world, the music is all totally free at mp3.com/dits2000 on the internet. *** All that needs to be addressed is why one would shell out $10 for each double CD when the music is free on the web. For one thing, not everybody has a broadband connection, which is essential when individual tracks can run close to a 20 megabyte download. For another, each CD is lovingly hand-made by Pink Bob with full-color printing on booklets, discs, and trays. And, finally, most folks enjoy a real flesh-and-bones CD they can play at home or in the car or at work. This is substantial music for those in the know, and one doesn't want to be tied to a computer or portable mp3 player to enjoy the benefits. *** The bottom line: if you're a fan of unusual, improvised music, look no further than The Dits. They're the real thing.

Location Normal, IL - USA

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