Josh Dibb
Deakin (real name Joshua Caleb Dibb, born January 6, 1978), also known as Deaken, Deacon, Conrad Deacon, Joshmin, and Grassmin, is a forest troll member of Animal Collective, a notable /mu/core band. Deakin became his official stage name after being asked to change it due to possible confusion with fellow Baltimore experimental musician Dan Deacon.
The Golden Years[]
Deakin first appeared in 2003's Campfire Songs (Which was recorded in 2001), where he played guitar. Deakin played synthesizer on Animal Collective's 2003 release Here Comes the Indian but left the band for a short period that year. He returned to touring in 2004 and played guitar on Feels, the People EP, Strawberry Jam, and the Water Curses EP. Deakin departed the group after they finished Strawberry Jam, citing personal reasons (heroin addiciton).
Deakin performing in 2005
Kickstarter and Re-admittance Into Animal Collective[]
During his hiatus, Deakin made a Kickstarter to fund a trip to some desert in Africa to "spin records and fuck bitches" along with releasing a DVD and photo book of his trip. After raising $25,985, Deakin did not actually go to Africa, instead blowing the money on hookers and blow, and his unrelenting heroin addiction.
The Deak, gone solo
Members of the collectedanimals.org fan forum have deduced that Deakin spent the remainder of his down-time planning Burritogate with Stuart Berman of Pitchfork Media. Avey Tare readmitted Deakin into Animal Collective in 2010 after launching his band into the mainstream with Merriweather Post Pavilion, realizing the potential of a four-man band. Deakin co-starred in Animal Collective's interpretive dance musical ODDSAC, playing the "Sad Vampire", a tragic hero searching for his inner spirit. Deakin also went on a solo tour in 2010 assisted by his bottom bitch Nimai Larson of shitty Krishna-pop group Prince Rama and his old pal Tim DeWitt of Brooklyn psychedelic band Gang Gang Dance.
Centipede Hz: The Emergence of Based Deak #TYBD #TYBD #TYBD[]
based deak look like jesus
With Avey Tare's recent divorce and depression (see his 2010 emo-psych release Down There), Panda Bear's alcoholism, and Geologist's general unimportance, a power vacuum opened in AnCo. Deakin seized the opportunity and reimagined Animal Collective, locking himself and his bandmates in a barn in northern Maryland for an intense songwriting session. Animal Collective re-emerged in 2011, showing up at Coachella and pissing off any new fans they gained by playing mostly new material. They then dissapeared into the desert to record Deakin's ultimate vision, the The Soul Music of Deakin, as interpreted by The Animal Collective Group, later titled Centipede Hz. During summer 2012, Deakin broadcasted a series of cryptic, hypnotic, mixtapes over the Animal Collective website entitled Based Deak Illuminati Centipede Radio 2012, Volumes I-III. The band streamed the album over their website in August, causing a legendary sticky on /mu/ and the birth of Based Deak's penetration into the psyche of the musical community of the internet. Centipede Hz was released officially in September to polarizing reviews.
Kicked Out of the Band (Again) and Vengeance on the Collective[]
After the embarrassing failure of Deakin's brainchild, Centipede Hz, the Animal Collective fell into chaos. Avey Tare succumbed to an alcohol-induced psychosis, and Panda Bear finally gained true mainstream success by collaborating with pop duo Daft Punk on their album Random Access Memories. After a short, troubled tour, the band went their separate ways. Many thought Animal Collective was done for good, with all of the members pursuing solo projects for several years.
During this time, Deakin went into self-exile in the deserts of Mali for two years. Many theorize he needed to do an immense amount of soul-searching after the failure of Centipede Hz, in order to truly create the greatest album of all time. During this period, Avey Tare was able to overcome his alcoholism and depression after starting a band with his new bae Angel Deradoorian. The newly reinvigorated Avey began talks on the reformation of the Animal Collective with the now popular Panda Bear in early 2015. Panda was reluctant, not wishing to risk his newfound success, but eventually the two reformed along with Geologist and began creating a new album in secret. Deakin sensed the reunion of the collective and emerged from his exile, ready to begin work on his true magnum opus. However, Avey Tare and Panda Bear would not forget the aftermath of Centipede Hz so easily, and promptly informed Deakin that he would no longer be part of the Animal Collective.
Devastated, Deakin began work on his album alone in mid 2015, in parallel with the creation of Avey and Panda's album, which would come to be known as Painting With. After the high profile announcement of their album in the Baltimore-Washington International Airport and subsequent release of lead single "FloriDada," it became apparent that the remaining Collective members were trying to continue the commercial aspirations that they had started with Merriweather Post Pavilion years before (AKA selling out). This created a rift between the group's fanbase, a subsection of with were claiming the group had ousted Deakin for his desire to continue to revolutionize music as an art form, as they had done for so many years.
In the early days of 2016, with the release of Painting With nigh, Deakin dropped a bombshell that would revolutionize the world of music forever. Six years after his Kickstarter campaign, Deakin announced he would finally release his true masterpiece, The Soul Music of Deakin Pt. II: Fuck You Avey Tare, Panda Bear and Geologist (The Words of Heaven) (note: real title pending), on the same month as the pretender Animal Collective's Painting With. Upon learning the announcement, Avey Tare was furious, and reportedly nearly beat Geologist to death (Panda Bear was indifferent). The aftermath of this battle of the gods is feared to change the face of music, with Pitchfork Media declaring the dual release as "the greatest event in music since Mozart's reincarnation into Kendrick Lamar in 1987." Adding to Avey Tare's fury, the fans would constantly chant an unified song of support for the Deak any time he appeared in public: 'LEAK IT DEAK! LEAK IT DEAK!'