Biography
Ranging from melodic and danceable new wave to dissonant, pulsing psychotropic 90 BPM structures, Wetcat inhabits a territory rife with contradiction. Previously comfortable pop arrangements are buried under heavily processed sonic collage allowed only brief periods to surface and breathe before they are once again submerged under walls of sound. Unquestionably electronic by nature yet infused with the improbable texture of an organic palette. An electropunk fairytale complete with the sonic sensibility of a glue sniffing Prince...nightmare pop.
Perhaps fittingly the director of the chaos, GVN Geist, was first commissioned at age 19 by a leading journal of psychedelic culture. From 1998 to 2001 he released a series of short albums under the pseudonym, Antibiotic Orange. For the next three years he lead industrial performance collective Charlton Heston and the Damn Dirty Apes, which had an infamous reputation for terrorizing coffee shops and skate parks with an arsenal of stolen construction equipment, scrap metal and dilapidated computers.
Most recently, GVN has emerged with his most demanding album to date under the alias, Wetcat, entitled The Paramecium Kite, which took over three years to create and displays his skills as both performer and producer. The Paramecium Kite is available direct from wetcat.org, iTunes music service and most legal music download services. It is released by Conpact, a multimedia label and electronic arts collective.
Currently residing in Chicago, GVN makes regular appearances as Wetcat at various galleries and cutting edge venues such as The Empty Bottle with primarily solo efforts that blur the line between musical showcase and performance art.
Press Photos
GVN Geist [ Web Resolution ] GVN Geist [ Print Resolution ] The Paramecium Kite [ Web Resolution ] The Paramecium Kite [ Print Resolution ]
Review Excerpts
"This is some serious leftfield. This is Charlie Clouser remixing Autechre for the ill-referenced and a cerebral headjacking for the uninitiated."
Joe Pence, openingbands.com
"The Paramecium Kite on the whole is very melodic, not just the droning bass beats that some of you may associate with electronic music. There are vocals in every song, but most of the time, they have been so distorted it is impossible to know what the lyrics are."
Jessica Cochran, openingbands.com
"The Paramecium Kite is an excellent example of how when an artist is free from the constraints of a mainstream of major labels, underground independently produced albums can sound exactly how the auteur wished."
Shadie Elnashai, The Hub
