Diminished Men are an instrumental group formed by guitarist Steve Schmitt and drummer Dave Abramson in 2005. Drawing on film noir, deviant surf rock, jazz and hard boiled cinema music, Diminished Men refocus their influences into something entirely unique. Their first full length "Names of the Dead" (2005) introduced the bands jagged, hard-charging approach and cinema obscura ethos. A bizarre series of cassettes "American Volume Swells" and their "Six O' Clock Baby" album revealed a raw and unchecked side of the band through live recordings, improvisations and collage. It was their 2009 "Shadow Instrumentals" LP on Abduction Records, run by Alan Bishop of Sun City Girls and the Sublime Frequencies label, that got the band wider recognition for their creative and distinctive sound.