Dimmer


It has been written into New Zealand music lore that after Shayne P. Carter ended Straitjacket Fits, he returned home to Dunedin, and had “a lost weekend” that lasted five years.

During this time, he started venturing into electronic music under the new name of Dimmer, which puzzled a fair few people, before heading to Auckland and making four intensely, and often quietly, beautiful records. As it turns out, that’s only half the story.

Shayne Carter
Degrees of Existence
Shayne Carter, Dimmer, c. 2004
Photo credit: Simon Grigg collection
Dimmer - Getting What You Give
Shayne Carter
Photo credit: Photo by Georgia Schofield
Shayne Carter in Dimmer, c. 2004.
Photo credit: Simon Grigg collection
Anika Moa singing with Shayne Carter's Dimmer, c. 2004.
Photo credit: Simon Grigg collection
Shayne Carter and Sola Rosa's Andrew Spraggon, Dimmer.
Comfortable (directed by Greta Anderson)
Shayne Carter fronts Dimmer, c. 2004
Photo credit: Simon Grigg collection
Dimmer - Don't Make Me Buy Out Your Silence
Shayne Carter with Dimmer, c. 2004
Photo credit: Simon Grigg collection
Dimmer play the Squid Bar, Auckland, at the time of the Crystalator single, 29 July 1994
Dimmer, I Believe You Are a Star (Columbia, 2001)
Shayne Carter
Dimmer - Don't Even See Me
Shayne Carter at the 2003 B-Net awards.
Photo credit: Simon Grigg collection
Dimmer - Seed (2001, directed and animated by Gary Sullivan)
Dimmer - Drop You Off
Dimmer - Come Here (2004, with Anika Moa)
Shayne Carter, c. 1997,  at the time of the ‘Don’t Make Me Buy Out Your Silence’ EP. 
Dimmer in concert, mid-1990s. 
Photo credit: Photo by EJ Mathers
Dimmer - I Believe You Are A Star
Dimmer.
DImmer set list, c. 2001-2002. 
Dimmer - Evolution (1999, directed by Darryl Ward)
Dimmer's 2004 album 'You've Got to Heart the Music'. 
Shayne Carter and friends, c. 1997
Dimmer at the time of 'Degrees of Existence' (2009). From left: Kelly Steven, Shayne Carter, Dino Karlis, and James Duncan
Members:

Shayne Carter - vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass, production

Gary Sullivan - drums

James Duncan - guitar

Justyn Pilbrow - bass

Peter Jefferies - drums

Dino Karlis - drums, percussion

Michael Prain - drums

Vaughan Williams - bass

Kelly Steven - bass, flute

Lou Allison - bass

Ned Ngatae - guitar

Andrew Spraggon - bass

Labels:

Sub Pop


Sony


FMR


Warner Music

Trivia:

'Mine', 'Pendulum', and 'Degrees of Existence' were performed with Don McGlashan as part of the Carter/McGlashan 2016/2017 tours, and re-recorded for the accompanying album available only at the shows.

Carter's longtime friend and former flatmate, Graeme Downes (The Verlaines) scored the string parts for 'Only One That Really Matters'.

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