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

Sub Pop


Sony


FMR


Warner Music

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

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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