Deakin (born Joshua Caleb Dibb) is an avant-garde musician and founding member of Animal Collective.
... Deakin (born Joshua Caleb Dibb) is an avant-garde musician and founding member of Animal Collective.
Josh Dibb began writing and recording music with childhood friend Noah Lennox (Panda Bear) in 1991. While at The Park School in Baltimore, Josh met David Portner (Avey Tare) and Brian Weitz (Geologist) when they asked him to join their band, Automine. Josh introduced Noah to Dave and Brian and over the next few years the four spent time playing music together and sharing tapes of music they made individually.
After high school Panda Bear and Deakin went to Boston, where Deakin attended Brandeis University. Avey Tare and Geologist moved to New York City to attend NYU and Columbia University respectively, when they were finished with high school. After months of playing the band finally settled on the name "Animal Collective". After touring with the group from 2004 to the end of 2006 and recording two albums, Feels and Strawberry Jam, he decided to take a break from the increasingly rigorous touring schedule. Since then, though not participating in the recording of the album Merriweather Post Pavilion, Josh worked with the group on the EP Water Curses and the visual album ODDSAC. He will be re-joining the band live in 2011 after a four year absence.
In 2008 and 2009, Deakin did remixes for "Little Bird" by Goldfrapp, Mirando by Ratatat, "Boundary Waters" by Palms and Love Like a Sunset by Phoenix.
On January 1, 2010, he played his first solo show as Deakin at the Ottobar in Baltimore, MD where he grew up.
In December 2009, Deakin raised $25,985 to travel to Mali to play at the music festival, Festival au Désert, outside of Tomboctou in Mali in January 2010 and to record an album in early 2010. After playing the music festival, Deakin played five shows in Europe, including a few shows opening for Panda Bear.
In January 2010 LAS Magazine posted an article on "a cash-strapped music industry, unable to rely on record label financing, [that] is positioning its own quid pro quo: fan dollars to fund projects in exchange for exclusive material and a sense of involvement" that points out Dibb's initiative to have fans pay for his trip to perform at Festival au Désert.
He has been touring throughout 2010 as a solo artist, playing original material. Paw Tracks Records plans to release his debut solo album in 2011.
