Dirty Projectors

Dirty Projectors are a Brooklyn-based experimental rock band led by Dave Longstreth. The band currently consists of Longstreth, Amber Coffman (vocals, guitar), Angel Deradoorian (vocals, keyboard, samples, guitar, bass), Brian McOmber (drums), Nat Baldwin (bass), and Haley Dekle (vocals).

Longstreth's first album, “The Graceful Fallen Mango,” was released in 2002 under his own name and introduced his distinctive use of song arrangements and his combination of lo-fi and hi-fi production. The album was a project Longstreth began as a freshman while studying at Yale University. With the help of Adam Forkner of Yume Bitsu, in 2003 Longstreth recorded and released “The Glad Fact” on the Western Vinyl label under the name "The Dirty Projectors." In 2005, the band released “The Getty Address,” a concept album about musician Don Henley that features extensive orchestral and choral accompaniment.

The diverse, stripped-down “New Attitude” EP followed in 2006 and featured inklings of the band's later vocal interplay and guitar work.

In 2007, the band released “Rise Above,” an album of Black Flag songs as re-imagined from memory. The album introduced the band's distinctive contrast between Longstreth's vocals and the harmonies of Amber Coffman and Susanna Waiche, who was later replaced by Angel Deradoorian.

In April 2008, The Dirty Projectors signed with Domino Records, and the label announced the release of their next full-length album, “Bitte Orca,” for June 2009. That year, the band also collaborated with David Byrne on the song “Knotty Pine” for the compilation album, “Dark Was the Night” produced by the Red Hot Organization. “Stillness Is the Move” was the first single released from “Bitte Orca,” a West African - R&B influenced hybrid, sung by Coffman. The song was inspired by the Wim Wenders film “Wings of Desire.”

In May 2009, members of Dirty Projectors collaborated with Björk to perform an original composition by Longstreth, written for five voices and acoustic guitar, as part of a charity concert to benefit Housing Works, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing shelter for homeless men, women, and children suffering from AIDS. The concert was held at the Housing Works Bookstore & Café in downtown New York City.

Amber Coffman was featured on "Hold On," a track from Rusko's debut album, “OMG,” released in June 2010 by Diplo's Mad Decent record label.

In June 2010, Dirty Projectors released “Mount Wittenberg Orca,” a digital-only EP with Björk, which was later physically released in October 2011. The band released an expanded edition of “Bitte Orca” in September 2010. The double album included live performances, several B-sides, and a Bob Dylan cover.